Although Jimmy Smits, best known for his role as Victor Sifuentes in “L.A. Law,” looked dapper in a three-piece silk suit and briefcase, he is quite chic with in black sombrero and silver-studded duds as “The Cisco Kid” (7 p.m. Sunday on TNT), a family-oriented ’90s movie version starring Smits and-blast from the past-Cheech Marin, as Pancho, Cisco’s comic foil and co-adventurer.
Vastly different from the original TV series from the ’50s, this “Cisco Kid” steers away from the original’s staid western adventure format and blends comedic elements and rich characterizations to revitalize the legend.
This vision took 40 years to materialize, according to the show’s director Luis Valdez who, as a boy, wished he could be the dashing desperado. And now as the show’s writer and director, Valdez has grasped the opportunity to re-interpret the characters he first came to know as a child.
For example, Valdez made Cisco independently wealthy, freeing him from having to steal for his livelihood. Consequently, the character moves away from the bandido stereotype to a caballero with a conscious.
“Having the opportunity to redo any popular comic character is unbelievable,” Valdez said by phone from Los Angeles. “Cisco is now free to roam this vast Western landscape in search of something: an identity. His quest is the existential quest of everyone in this century looking for himself.”
The film does keep to the original storyline in that it’s set against the French occupation of Mexico in 1867 with Cisco and Pancho fighting for the country’s heritage. Its nonconformity comes by way of keen-witted humor.
“Humor was a definite factor in terms of making my decision,” said Smits from Los Angeles. “I was looking for something lighter to do, but the most important thing for me was the players involved.”
It’s as though Smits was intended for this role, for he not only looks the part of Cisco, he also is quite natural in his dressage and military battling-not to mention his seductive abilities with love interest Dominique, played by Sadie Frost (Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”).
Marin’s character, Pancho, is strongly reminiscent of the days when he was sidekick to Chong with the same intonations and satiric humor. But Valdez insists Marin is very different-that he is now Cheech Marin, actor.
“In the old films, Cisco was the Spanish caballero and Pancho was the Mexican buffoon,” said Valdez. “Cheech inspired the change in the character, who is not only funny and intelligent, but also brave and heroic.”
Perhaps Valdez’s re-interpretation of “The Cisco Kid” is coincidentally similar to the recent successes of such western spoofs as “City Slickers” and “Three Amigos,” but it falls slightly short of big screen quality, making it perfectly suitable for TV.
There are no offensive scenes or language, just lots of shoot-em-down battles and sword fights. In one scene, however, Dominique is held prisoner by some double-dealing gun-runners, one of whom harasses her with his tongue. That’s sure to get an “oh gross” from the 6- to 10-year-old crowd.
Because Smits and Marin make such a dynamic desperado duo, this has series potential aplenty.
– MTV’s newest show, “The State,” (9 p.m. Fridays, 8:30 p.m. Saturdays and 10 p.m. Sundays) stars a comedy troupe of actors from New York University who write and act in the comedy-sketch show.
I’m almost embarrassed to say that some of the show’s irreverent comedic repertoire is over my head with radical bits about today’s pop culture, while other skits are offensively clear.
There is some solace, as a parent, knowing this show is a complete spoof on society with jabs at commercials, game shows, talk shows, rock stars and bystanders, but its humor escapes me.
One skit was a rock-star version of “The 20,000 Pyramid,” with “guests” rockers Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungeon (yes, I knew who they were) as contestants. Although the troupe did a fine job impersonating drugged-out undesirables, the clues of “Things That Kill” and “Things People Do On Heroin” were sophomoric.
Keep this one out of viewing range for young impressionable minds.
– Jill Eikenberry hosts “Campbell’s Portrait of a Teacher” (9 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday on Lifetime) where four outstanding teachers from around the country are saluted for their innovative approaches to teaching.
Featured are Bob Moses, founder of The Algebra Project in which 9,000 inner city kids from around the nation have developed math skills; Zoe Richards, who teaches her 11th-grade students how to live and survive on a working farm; Sharon Thomas had her fourth- through sixth- graders interview 50 townspeople about their traumatic experiences, which culminated in a book; and Karl Wolf has developed a free-form kindergarten called the Land of the Five-Year-Olds, where “managed chaos” has provided memorable experiences for kids.
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Although evaluating children’s television will still be a priority, Jennifer Mangan’s column will also comment on shows suitable for the whole family.
