(Syndicated, from 1950)
[156 episodes produced in color by ZIV-TV between 1949-1956;
The characters of handsome Mexican folk-hero Cisco and
his portly sidekick Pancho (shades of "Sancho Panza" from
Cervantes' classic "Don Quixote") were drawn from a series
of popular western dime-novels written in the 1800's by
William Sydney Porter, who used the pen name of "O'Henry";
In the introduction to each episode, the TV series announcer
referred to the Cisco Kid as "O'Henry's famous Robin Hood
of the West..." He did seem to use the resources of more
wealthy citizens to help the less fortunate. So you might
say this idea was a blend of Don Quixote with Robin Hood.
A 1929 silent film had included the Cisco Kid character.
Loose adaptations of "Cisco Kid" stories had been dramatized
on radio as early as 1943 using a different THEME composed
by Albert Glasser and played on the organ;
Then two B-picture feature films were created by low-budget
Monogram Studios in 1945;
This was followed four years later in 1949 by five more
films produced by United Artists; Albert Glasser got the
contract to score these pictures, recording them in France.
To get around the musicians union, the TV cues were slightly
altered from their original form in the United Artists films,
and re-recorded in Japan.
Although the actors were made up to look younger, lead Duncan
Reynaldo who played Cisco was actually in his 50s, and Leo
Carillo who played Pancho was in his 70s when the TV series
was filmed.]
[aka: "Cisco Kid Theme";
aka: Daring Caballero;
aka: The Gay Amigo.]
[Additional information based upon correspondence with writer
Glasser: Notes on the Main Title sketch refer to it as having
been adapted from film cues "Daring Caballero" and "The Gay
Amigo", from the 1949 U-A film productions of "The Cisco Kid".
In his book "TV's Biggest Hits", Jon Burlingame mentions that
Glasser's music for the 1949 Cisco Kid films were "adapted
from traditional Mexican folk melodies." However, this melody
is very similar to the tune, "La Spagnola (the Spanish Maiden)"
written in 1937 by the Italian composer Vincenzo di Chiara
in the last year of his life. (He lived between 1864 - 1937.)]
Composer: Albert Glasser (ASCAP)
Original Publisher: American Academy of Music, Inc. (ASCAP)
1999 Publisher: EMI/Mills Music, Inc. [Old Acct.] (ASCAP),
c/o EMI Music Publishing
of New York, NY
Copyright Date: circa 1948, according to LP liner notes
Recordings:
LP: "The Fantastic Film Music of Albert Glasser"
Starlog Records SR - 1001 (1978)
Soundtrack recording [made in Tokyo]
Composer: Jack Shaindlin (BMI)
Original Publisher: [unknown at this time]
2001 Publisher: EMI-Unart Catalog, Inc. (BMI),
c/o EMI Music Publishing
of New York, NY
Copyright Date:
Recordings:
[This end title shared motives with the Main Title/Open Theme
above, also by Glasser]
Composer: Albert Glasser (ASCAP)
Original Publisher: American Academy of Music, Inc. (ASCAP)
1999 Publisher: EMI/Mills Music, Inc. [Old Acct.] (ASCAP),
c/o EMI Music Publishing
of New York, NY
Copyright Date: circa 1948, according to LP liner notes
Recording: