I've been reading with interest the postings by other reviewers for "Branded" and have been chomping at the bit to get my two cents in, but I wanted to complete watching the series before proceeding. Many of the comments seem to be based on a mistaken belief that Jason McCord, the 'coward of Bitter Creek', spent his post-War years traveling the West in an attempt to clear his name. Actually, the events of Bitter Creek were brilliantly told in the second show of the series titled 'The Vindicators'. In the story, it's revealed that McCord's commanding officer, Major James Reed, had been going senile and was mentally incapacitated at the time of the battle. McCord attempted to relieve him of command on that basis, as the Major refused to order a retreat in the face of overwhelming odds against one hundred forty Apaches. As a see-saw argument ensued, Reed was killed by an Apache arrow, and the military camp was over-run. McCord was wounded and remained unconscious for ten days following the battle, and was the only one who survived while thirty one soldiers died.
Third in command at Bitter Creek was a soldier named Pritchett who regularly corresponded with his wife, and his letters vindicated McCord. He confirmed that Reed's condition had been growing worse over time. Newspaper reporter Travis (Claude Akins) wanted to tell the true story for the New York Herald, and approached Mrs. Pritchett (June Lockhart) for the letters. McCord also paid a visit to Mrs. Pritchett, and explained why the truth of Bitter Creek must never be told. Major Reed's vision was to secure a lasting peace with the Indian Nations, and if it came out that his judgment was discredited, war-hawk Senators in Congress would use that information to make war on the Indians again. In what has to be one of the most heart rending TV Western episodes ever, Mrs. Pritchett burns the letters and McCord willingly leaves disgraced rather than implicate his former commanding officer for the disaster at Bitter Creek.
OK, so that's out of the way. "Branded" came out in 1965, a couple years after Chuck Connors' other successful TV Western, 'The Rifleman' came to an end in April, 1963. One of the interesting and fun things about the early Branded shows is catching the references to the prior series. For example, Connors' TV son Johnny Crawford shows up as a teenage deputy sheriff in Episode #1.7 - Coward Step Aside. At the opening of Episode #1.12 - Very Few Heroes, there's a wooden plank nailed to a tree that has the name 'Lucas' carved into it, that being Connors' name in The Rifleman, Lucas McCain. Then again, in #1.16 - Price of a Name - there's a bank manager who goes by the name Mr. Lucas. Additionally, Connors more than once reminds us of his former prowess with a sawed off shotgun by twirling his broken saber in the manner of Lucas McCain in a number of episodes.
With TV transitioning from black and white to color in the early Sixties, "Branded" was no exception, but with a twist. The first season aired in black and white, however there was a three part story mid-way through that was done in color called 'The Mission'. That one featured Connors' real life wife at the time, the gorgeous Indian actress Kamala Devi. She later returned in the second season reprising the same character, but married to a U.S. Senator after having waited too long for McCord to return to her. The second season ran entirely in color.
As with most TV Westerns, Branded relied on a great list of guest stars, and this one had quite an eclectic cast. I found singer Tommy Sands to be an unusual choice for a West Point cadet in Episode #1.14 - That The Brave Endure. Along the way, you also had fine actors like Burt Reynolds, John Carradine, Lee Van Cleef, Greg Morris, Bruce Dern, Ben Johnson, Peter Graves and Martin Landau, who was over the top as the brother of John Wilkes Booth in #2.34 - This Stage of Fools. But the most unusual name to show up, and the only time I've ever seen him outside of his American Bandstand element, was Dick Clark!, portraying famed circus impresario, J.A. Bailey, partner of Pat O'Brien's P.T. Barnum in #2.27 - The Greatest Coward on Earth. It wasn't a big role, but it was very cool to see him in the story.
In summation, even though I wasn't a regular viewer of this series back in the day, I've become a fan of 'Branded' and Chuck Connors by virtue of a neat six DVD set from Timeless Video that contains all forty eight episodes along with extra material. For those of you who enjoyed "The Rifleman" for it's traditional Western stories, you might want to consider this series for it's more mature themes in a setting that borrows from history during the period right after the Civil War.
Third in command at Bitter Creek was a soldier named Pritchett who regularly corresponded with his wife, and his letters vindicated McCord. He confirmed that Reed's condition had been growing worse over time. Newspaper reporter Travis (Claude Akins) wanted to tell the true story for the New York Herald, and approached Mrs. Pritchett (June Lockhart) for the letters. McCord also paid a visit to Mrs. Pritchett, and explained why the truth of Bitter Creek must never be told. Major Reed's vision was to secure a lasting peace with the Indian Nations, and if it came out that his judgment was discredited, war-hawk Senators in Congress would use that information to make war on the Indians again. In what has to be one of the most heart rending TV Western episodes ever, Mrs. Pritchett burns the letters and McCord willingly leaves disgraced rather than implicate his former commanding officer for the disaster at Bitter Creek.
OK, so that's out of the way. "Branded" came out in 1965, a couple years after Chuck Connors' other successful TV Western, 'The Rifleman' came to an end in April, 1963. One of the interesting and fun things about the early Branded shows is catching the references to the prior series. For example, Connors' TV son Johnny Crawford shows up as a teenage deputy sheriff in Episode #1.7 - Coward Step Aside. At the opening of Episode #1.12 - Very Few Heroes, there's a wooden plank nailed to a tree that has the name 'Lucas' carved into it, that being Connors' name in The Rifleman, Lucas McCain. Then again, in #1.16 - Price of a Name - there's a bank manager who goes by the name Mr. Lucas. Additionally, Connors more than once reminds us of his former prowess with a sawed off shotgun by twirling his broken saber in the manner of Lucas McCain in a number of episodes.
With TV transitioning from black and white to color in the early Sixties, "Branded" was no exception, but with a twist. The first season aired in black and white, however there was a three part story mid-way through that was done in color called 'The Mission'. That one featured Connors' real life wife at the time, the gorgeous Indian actress Kamala Devi. She later returned in the second season reprising the same character, but married to a U.S. Senator after having waited too long for McCord to return to her. The second season ran entirely in color.
As with most TV Westerns, Branded relied on a great list of guest stars, and this one had quite an eclectic cast. I found singer Tommy Sands to be an unusual choice for a West Point cadet in Episode #1.14 - That The Brave Endure. Along the way, you also had fine actors like Burt Reynolds, John Carradine, Lee Van Cleef, Greg Morris, Bruce Dern, Ben Johnson, Peter Graves and Martin Landau, who was over the top as the brother of John Wilkes Booth in #2.34 - This Stage of Fools. But the most unusual name to show up, and the only time I've ever seen him outside of his American Bandstand element, was Dick Clark!, portraying famed circus impresario, J.A. Bailey, partner of Pat O'Brien's P.T. Barnum in #2.27 - The Greatest Coward on Earth. It wasn't a big role, but it was very cool to see him in the story.
In summation, even though I wasn't a regular viewer of this series back in the day, I've become a fan of 'Branded' and Chuck Connors by virtue of a neat six DVD set from Timeless Video that contains all forty eight episodes along with extra material. For those of you who enjoyed "The Rifleman" for it's traditional Western stories, you might want to consider this series for it's more mature themes in a setting that borrows from history during the period right after the Civil War.
