SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

TeenzTen An action-packed slog

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

aimless-46 The 48 half-hour episodes (13 in B&W, 35 in color) of the western "Branded" originally aired from 1965-66 on NBC. Although some sources (insert Walter Sobchak here) believe there were 156 episodes.The premise was set out each week in the title song: "All but one man died, there at Bitter Creek, and they say he ran away.."Branded"..marked with the coward's shame. What do you do when you're "Branded", you fight for your name. He was innocent, not a charge was true, but the world would never know.."Branded"..scorned as the one who ran away. What do you do when you're "Branded" and you know you're a man? Wherever you go for the rest of your life you must prove you're a man." The series was creator Larry Cohen's attempt to incorporate the themes of "They Came to Cordura" into an episodic format and to capitalize on Chuck Conners' fading "Rifleman" fame. Conners plays Army Captain Jason McCord (Gary Cooper's character in the film) who as the song says was the only man to survive an Indian attack at Bitter Creek, Wyoming. He was knocked out but the Army thinks he ran and hid (a smart move considering the alternative). So the Army dramatically strips him of rank and drums him out at the beginning of each episode. Poor Jason is left to wander the west Caine-like (insert "Kung Fu" here) with the broken half of his saber. Like Richard Kimble he hopes to find someone who saw what actually happened at Bitter Creek who can clear his name. Unlike "The Fugitive" there is no wrap-up episode but the song has already revealed his innocence so there is no real loose end to worry about. If this ponderous mess wasn't the worst television western of all time it is certainly in the running. This level of pompous nonsense would not be seen again until the early episodes of "Battlestar Galactica". As Mad Magazine liked to point out, each episode made you regret that Conners had not made it out of the minor leagues to become the Dodgers' first baseman. "Branded" is one of the few television westerns that would be a good candidate for MST3K treatment. The bad writing has become legendary over the years and was satirically incorporated by the Coen brothers into "The Big Lebowski": Walter (looking at his hero "Branded" writer Digby Sellers in an iron lung): "Does he still write? " Pilar, Sellers' Housekeeper: "Oh no no, he has health problems". Lebowski addicts looking for mock-fest laughs will not be disappointed by this DVD collection. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

jejozi I was just a young lad of eight when Branded came out. It was on Sunday night, my parents bowling night. My little brother and I would drive my older brother crazy (hey, it was our jobs) getting us to bed, and we'd always promise to go if he let us watch the Branded opening. I also remember the parody of the theme song, but with slightly different words. I believe it went a little something like this:Stranded, stranded on the toilet bowl What do ya do when you're stranded And there's none on the roll.You take it like a man And you wipe it with your hand...Stranded, stranded on the toilet boooowl.Thank you, thank you very much.

jonesy74-1 As a "Rifleman" fan, I wasn't impressed with this series too much, even though I've always liked Chuck Connors' work.The premise, a man who was thought to have abandoned his cavalry brothers in cowardice - but not really, gave the opportunity, like Star Trek, Route 66, The Fugitive and other t.v. shows, for the main character to roam from town to town, place to place, etc., to meet other people and help them deal with whatever crisis they happened to be facing at the time.The theme song was great and gave opportunity for some wag to come up with alternative lyrics... "Stranded, on the toilet bowl. What do you do when you're stranded without a roll?"

vironpride I very well remember "Branded" from the 60s. The theme song and the opening scenes, when Jason McCord is cashiered from the army for cowardice, remain in my memory, and especially the outtakes, when the man assigned to tear off McCord's epaulets kept trying and trying, but they just wouldn't tear off! How well I remember Chuck Connors breaking up (everybody else in the scene did, too!). However, this is one of those series when the main character somehow meets up with just about everybody famous who ever came west, including Edwin Booth and George Armstrong Custer (who knew the truth about Bitter Creek and wondered how long McCord was going to cover for his officer). It only lasted two seasons, but I'd certainly watch it again if I had the chance. (Personally, I always thought that Jason McCord DID "run away!")