romanorum1 In Old Arizona, produced and directed in 1928, was the first talkie Western. As the media was new, the film sounds a bit creaky. But there is no need to delve into the various indoor or outdoor sounds, like the frying of ham and eggs or the gramophone music or the mooing of cows or the funny jackass braying scene. One does notice – again because of the new media – overacting. Such exaggeration was generally needed – or was thought to be needed – in silent films to convey to the audience what the actor felt or thought. Directors even demanded it. So we should not be too harsh on the brave filmmakers that made the significant movie transition to talkies in the late 1920s.The title of the movie is rather curious as the events occur only 30 years before it was made. There are references to the upcoming Spanish-American War (1898) and, early in the film, several soldiers sing, "Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two)," a song popular in the 1890s. The US frontier officially ended in 1890, so one would think that the movie events in Arizona would have transpired decades earlier. But an 1898 Western is fine enough, as some areas were still wild. There is more talk than the action associated with Westerns, with the story really focusing on three people. But the finale is certainly unexpected unless one read the 1907 short story by O. Henry; that author's stories were known for their surprise endings.Warner Baxter as the Cisco Kid won the Academy Award for Best Actor. But note that his role is not the "Robin Hood of the Old West" (Duncan Renaldo) of the 1950s TV series. Unlike Renaldo, the Kid here is harsh and unforgiving, although he is charming and is not a heartless murderer. He is somewhat the gentleman robber: when he holds up a stagecoach, he refuses to takes money from the passengers. Dorothy Burgess as the dithering and provocative Tonia Maria plays an alluring love interest for any man. Edmund Lowe, who looks like and has the mannerisms of an Irish Sergeant (Mickey Dunn), is supposed to have a New York accent ("Who is that goil?"). Then there are the typical stereotypes that lingered in Hollywood films for many decades (and still do). The Italian barber (Henry Armetta) is exuberant and a bit of a buffoon. The barber likes his women just plain "a-fat," not pleasingly plump.Despite the film's showing its old age with its creakiness and slow pace for a Western, it is still historically important. So it is recommended for film and history buffs, and for the curious.

MARIO GAUCI Despite the desert setting and saloons and the presence of a Mexican bandit, cavalry officers and senoritas, this is really an exotic romantic drama (based on a story by the renowned O. Henry) as opposed to a straight Western. Being an early Talkie, it's obviously creaky – with very dated acting – but retains plenty of interest for the non-casual film-buff even after all these years: for one thing, it basically served as a template for the myriad Westerns that followed involving the exploits of some famous bandit or other (beginning with King Vidor's BILLY THE KID [1930]); besides, the flirtatious character of Dorothy Burgess may well have inspired Linda Darnell's Chihuahua in John Ford's classic MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (1946) nearly twenty years later! Warner Baxter was a popular star of the era who has been largely neglected over the years; his Oscar-winning performance here isn't bad, but seems hardly outstanding at this juncture – his talent is more readily evident, in fact, in such later films as 42ND STREET (1933) and John Ford's THE PRISONER OF SHARK ISLAND (1936). The same can be said of Edmund Lowe: if he's at all remembered today, it's for his "Quirt & Flagg" series of war films with Victor McLaglen (three of them helmed by this film's original director, Raoul Walsh), the Bela Lugosi vehicle CHANDU THE MAGICIAN (1932; in the title role), and the noir-ish gangster drama DILLINGER (1945). While his character curiously speaks in modern i.e. 1920s slang, he interacts well with both Baxter and Burgess – especially effective is the scene where he comes face to face with Baxter's Cisco Kid at a barber shop and, ignorant of the latter's identity, lets him slip away.The film features a couple of songs (one of them, by the famed songwriting trio of DeSylva-Brown-Henderson, is heard several times throughout and even serves as an Overture to the feature proper) and archaic comedy relief by a number of minor characters – notably Burgess' long-suffering elderly maid. There's far more talk than action here, but the twist ending (subsequently much copied) is remarkable – if anything, because it's unexpectedly pitiless for a film of its era! Incidentally, the lead role was to have been played by Raoul Walsh himself but he was injured (eventually losing an eye) in a driving accident; Irving Cummings replaced him behind the cameras (and, oddly enough, alone received the Best Director nomination, despite Walsh's name still appearing in the credits)! P.S. Baxter, Lowe and director Cummings were re-united shortly after for a sequel – THE CISCO KID (1930); one wonders whether copies of the film still exist as, ideally, it should have been paired with the original on the bare-bones Fox DVD...

whpratt1 It was so enjoyable going way back in time to the Year 1928 and view Warner Baxter,(The Cisco Kid) who played his role the way I would want to see an actor portray The Cisco Kid. Dorothy Burgess, (Tonia Maria) is the girl friend of Cisco Kid and gives a great supporting role as a gold digger who wants plenty of gold, romance and any man who desires her charm. Edmund Lowe, (Sergeant Mickey Dunn) plays a soldier who is hunting down the Cisco Kid and gets himself involved with Tonia Maria in order to set up a trap to catch the Cisco Kid. Sgt.Mickey Dunn is from New York and talks and sings about the Bowery and brags about the cost of a beer for only five (5) cents and all the food you can eat. It is nice to know that Warner Baxter won an Oscar for his performance as the Cisco Kid, who was also the star of many "Crime Doctor" films as Dr. Ordway. This is a great classic film that you will not want to miss from 1928 and also has sound for the voices. Enjoy

FISHCAKE This is likely the first sound western film as well as the first sound film done out-of-doors. Suggested by "The Caballero's Way", a short story by William Sidney Porter (O.Henry), the main character, "The Cisco Kid", has been considerably upgraded. Porter's "Kid" was a ruthless bandit who didn't like people who got in his way, especially sheriffs. When a sheriff seduced the "Kid's" girl-friend into betraying him into an ambush, the "Kid", ruthlessly clever, took his revenge in a sadistic fashion. In case one might want to read the story, I will say no more. In the film, the "Kid" is a bandit right enough, but a sympathetic one, and sufficiently clever to outwit a sheriff who persuades the girlfriend to disarm the "Kid". She does this by charming him into taking off his gun when he meets her for a tryst. Don't worry, the "Kid" is one up on this trick, too, but protects himself in somewhat gentler fashion than in the story. If one could view this film today it would seem a museum piece, but not without some pictorial charm. I remember the photography as very pictorial, as with some later sequels, and there is a scene of bacon frying over a campfire that rather startled 1929 film goers with the realistic sound.