MARTÕN GARRALAGA

MARTÍN GARRALAGA (1894–1981)

Originally an opera singer, Martín Garralaga began his acting career in the mid-1930s. Garralaga was often most effective when cast as Hispanic or Latin American characters. Most of his screen appearances were not credited, but he gained notable recognition in 1944 when he was offered the role of Poncho, sidekick to the popular Cisco Kid character, then played by Duncan Renaldo. Up to this point, Cisco’s sidekick had been named Gordito and had often been played by the portly Chris-Pin Martin, but Garralaga was a wiry sort who could not pull off the moniker. Garralaga's Poncho was not the comical, good-hearted character he was intended to be, and audiences were often left with the impression that the character was conniving and inept.

When Monogram redeveloped the Cisco series in 1946, Garralaga was reassigned to less central and often villainous roles and eventually was replaced by Leo Carrillo. He later costarred with gymnast Muriel Davis in a pilot for El Coyote, a Western series about a female Zorro-like character, but the show never progressed further.

MARTÕN GARRALAGA