Wonderland Burlesque's Let's Go To The Movies: All That Is Gay Edition- Part 4 of 6

Wonderland Burlesque's

Let's Go To The Movies

All That Is Gay Edition- Part 4 of 6

As explained previously, last month was Gay Pride Month - and I had planned to do these posts to honor that celebration - but due to timing, and the previous series of posts running long, I'm not getting to these until now. Oh, well... it's not like gay pride is only for one month. No, it's a lifelong thing. So, let's keep celebrating!

This time, we find Hollywood going all gay a little south of the border or in the wild, wild west. Yes, most of these films are gay in name only, but... there are exceptions!

Let's take a look...

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The Gay Caballero

(1932)

A football star goes west to take over a cattle ranch he's inherited. A hugely-successful cattle thief is hounded by a do-gooder named El Coyote who now has a partner in the new ranch owner. To further complicate matters, the new ranch owner finds himself  falling love with the cattle thief's spirited daughter.

Adapted from the novel The Gay Bandit of the Border by Tom Gill, this pre-code Western was directed by Alfred L. Werker and stars George O'Brien, Victor McLaglen, Conchita Montenegro, Linda Watkins, C. Henry Gordon and Weldon Heyburn.

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The Gay Cabellero

(1940)

In a case of mistaken identity, the Cisco Kid and his sidekick Gordito arrive in town only to learn that Cisco has been declared dead. Even worse, before he died, Cisco was accused of having tried to steal a beautiful young lady's land. In a double-bind, Cisco must prove both his identity and his innocence.

This Western was directed by Otto Brower and stars Cesar Romero, Sheila Ryan, Chris-pin Martin, Janet Beecher and Robert Sterling.

Filming had to be halted in early June of 1940, when Romero broke his leg and didn't resume until August 5, 1940. But director Otto Brower put the time to good use. In the interim,  he served as second unit director on the film Brigham Young and directed Youth Will Be Served.

This was one in a series of Cisco Kid movies.

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The Gay Cavalier

(1946)

A lovely young girl is set to marry, forsaking her true love, in order to save her family's hacienda - but not if The Cisco Kid has anything to say about it. Doing double-duty, he also tracks down a group of outlaws who robbed a stagecoach carrying gold  designated for the local Mission. Imagine his surprise when it turns out that the wealthy man the young girl is to marry turns out to also be the kingpin behind the stagecoach hold-up! 

Based on a story by the author O. Henry, this Western adventure was directed by William Nigh and stars Gilbert Roland, Helen Gerald, Martin Garralaga, Ramsay Ames, and Tristram Coffin. 

First in the series of six films with the Mexican-born Gilbert Roland playing O. Henry's character Cisco Kid. The films are (in order) The Gay Cavalier -1946, South of Monterey - 1946, Beauty and the Bandit - 1946, Riding the California Trail - 1947, Robin Hood of Monterey- 1947, and King of the Bandits -1947.

Roland enjoyed a film and television career which spanned seven decades from the 1920's until the 1980's. Roland was nominated twice for a Golden Globe Award, for his roles in 1952's The Bad and the Beautiful with Lana Turner and 1964's Cheyenne Autumn. He was married to Constance Bennett, whom he starred opposite in two films and the couple had two daughters. 

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The Gay Ranchero

(1948)

A crime boss moves to muscle in on a small airport that also operates a spa. He pays off one of the mechanics to short the planes on fuel and when the planes go down, his boys are there to steal the gold they're carrying and, if the survived the crash, kill the pilots. Sheriff Roy Rogers catches the mechanic in the act and then sets up a sting operation - one last plane full of gold - piloted by Rogers himself. However, when the crime boss grows wise to the scheme, he calls his boys off, jeopardizing all. 

 

This Western directed by William Witney, stars Roy Rogers. Tito Guizar, Jane Frazee and Andy Devine. It was filmed in Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks, CA.

Known as the singing cowboy, songs abound in this movie and include: The Gay Ranchero, Granada, You Belong to my Heart, and Wait'll I Get My Sunshine In The Moonlight.

Please note: Trigger gets second billing!

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Zorro, The Gay Blade

(1981)

Legendary swordsman Zorro has passed on his mask, sword, sense of duty and legacy on to his son, Diego, a dashing swashbuckler like his father. But when Diego is sidelined by an injury and duty calls, all is handed over to his twin, Ramón, who... well, let's just say hilarity ensues.

This swashbuckling comedy film was directed by Peter Medak and stars George Hamilton, Lauren Hutton, Ron Leibman, and Brenda Vaccaro.

Hamilton was nominated for a Golden Globe award for playing the dual role  Diego gay twin brother Bunny Wigglesworth, aka Ramón.

The producers of the film thought that the voice and Spanish accent of the famous Canadian Shakespearean actress Helen Burns was not quite right for that of Zorro's extremely ancient servant, Consuelo, so the role was re-voiced by one of the oldest Spanish-speaking actresses in Hollywood, a 70-year-old Argentine woman who was a colleague of Rita Hayworth's father, the dancer Eduardo Cansino.

In some countries, like Australia, the movie's title was changed to Zorro Swings Again.

 The black-and-white clip which the film opens with is from 1940's The Mark of Zorro, a movie directed by Rouben Mamoulian. In the opening credits the filmmakers state: "This film is dedicated to Rouben Mamoulian and the other great filmmakers whose past gives us our future." 

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And that's all for now.

Tune in next week...

Same Time, Same Channel.

You Belong To My Heart - Roy Rogers and Tito Guizar 

from the motion picture The Gay Ranchero