Country of origin United States | ||
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Starring Chuck ConnorsJohn HowardWilliam Bryant Composer(s) Dominic FrontiereRichard Markowitz (1.13) | ||
Branded is an American Western series that aired on NBC from 1965 through 1966. It was sponsored by Procter & Gamble in its Sunday night, 8:30 p.m. Eastern time period. The show starred Chuck Connors as Jason McCord, a United States Army cavalry captain who had been drummed out of the service following an unjust accusation of cowardice.
Contents
Description
The opening title credits of each episode in the series feature a depiction of McCord's cashiering: his hat is pulled off, his epaulets are torn from his uniform, his buttons are pulled off, and his saber is broken, while a drum plays over Dominic Frontiere's and Alan Alch's theme song:
He is then sent out of the fort where this occurred, and the gates are closed behind him.
In the pilot episode, "The Vindicator," McCord is confronted by a newspaper reporter (Claude Akins) who wants a follow-up story on the Bitter Creek massacre. McCord refuses to cooperate. He knows that General James Reed, McCord's mentor, was on a peace mission to meet representatives of the Apache nation at Bitter Creek. His unit of 31 men was attacked by a group of renegade Indians known as "Dog Soldiers." During the attack, McCord realized that the old general had taken leave of his senses. McCord assumed command, but it was too late. McCord was wounded in the battle and left for dead, the only survivor. He remained in a coma for 10 days after the attack. McCord was later charged with desertion, convicted, and cashiered out of the Army.
The reporter tracks down a widow of the Bitter Creek massacre (June Lockhart). Her husband was third in command, and had written several letters questioning Reed's mental state. Those letters would have been enough to grant McCord a new trial and possibly exonerate him, but McCord convinced the widow to burn the letters to protect Reed's reputation. McCord feared that if Reed's reputation were damaged, certain people in Washington, DC, would try to start a new war with the Apaches. McCord chose never to speak about what really happened at Bitter Creek.
McCord retained the pommel of his broken saber. He had the remaining blade sharpened into a long knife, which he used in many episodes. He traveled throughout the Old West, continually confronted by people who refused to believe his innocence, requiring him to prove them wrong.
John M. Pickard, formerly of the related series, Boots and Saddles, appeared in six episodes as General Phil Sheridan. Other notable guest stars included Chris Alcaide, Russ Conway, Don Collier, Burgess Meredith, John Carradine, Pat Conway, Alex Cord, Janet De Gore, Dolores del Rio, Chad Everett, I. Stanford Jolley, Martin Landau, June Lockhart, Gregg Palmer, Larry Pennell, Burt Reynolds, and Lee Van Cleef.
Production
Created by Larry Cohen, the show was co-produced for most of its run by Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions in association with Sentinel Productions, Inc. Goodson-Todman was primarily known for game and panel shows such as What's My Line? and The Price Is Right. Present-day U.S. rights to Branded came into the ownership of King World before it became CBS Television Distribution. Many stations that carry Branded today usually schedule the program alongside others about drifters in the Old West including Aaron Spelling's The Guns of Will Sonnett, which starred Walter Brennan and Dack Rambo.
The series followed Connors' series The Rifleman, but it did not have that show's longevity, lasting only 48 episodes over two seasons. The first season was shot in black and white, the second in color.
Andrew J. Fenady served as the producer, later executive producer, on the series. Fenady was also the producer of The Rebel.
Season 1 (black and white)
*In color
Parts One, Two, and Three of "The Mission" were later released as a movie titled Broken Saber, with new footage added featuring Allyn Joslyn.
The episode "Coward, Step Aside" featured Johnny Crawford, Connors's co-star from their earlier series, The Rifleman.
DVD releases
Timeless Media Group released both seasons of Branded on DVD in Region 1 in 2004-2005. Season 1 was released on August 3, 2004, and season 2 was released on February 8, 2005. On February 16, 2010, Timeless Media Group released Branded: The Complete Series, a six-disc box set featuring all 48 episodes of the series and several bonus features. Three minutes, however, are missing from each segment. Broken Saber (the film re-editing of "The Mission Parts One, Two, And Three") is not included.