Branded (1965–1966)

In the 1880s Jason McCord travels the country trying to prove he's no coward. He needs to do this because the military career of this West point graduate came to an end when he was thrown out of the army after being accused of cowardice.

Creator:

Larry Cohen

Stars:

Chuck Connors, William Bryant, John Carradine

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Chuck Connors	...	Jason McCord (48 episodes, 1965-1966)

Storyline

In this Western series, Jason McCord, the only survivor of the Battle of Bitter Creek, is court-martialed and kicked out of the Army because of his alleged cowardice. Rather than demean the good name of the Army commander who was actually to blame for the massacre, McCord travels the Old West trying to restore his good name and reputation.

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Plot Keywords:

army | cowardice | cavalry | bare chested male bondage | civil war

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Genres:

Action | Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 January 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Geächtet

Filming Locations:

Vasquez Rocks, Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park - 10700 W. Escondido Canyon Rd., Agua Dulce, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Madison Productions, Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions, Sentinel Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (48 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jason's horse was Domino.

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Connections

Referenced in The Big Lebowski (1998)

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Soundtracks

"Branded"
Written by Dominic Frontiere and Alan Alch

User Reviews

A rarely lost series starring Chuck Connors

Even though this series is rarely shown in some areas,Chuck Connors follows up on his "Rifleman" series with a western that only ran two seasons on NBC-TV from January 24,1965-April 23,1966 producing 48 episodes and afterwards was never heard from again..until now. "Branded" was the type of show that gave Chuck Connors astounding ability to pass as both hero and villain,but in this one he is regarded as a coward for deserting his troops during an Indian attack,and that is just half on if,but we viewers know differently. I had a chance to check out one of the episodes watching a late night flick on TV,and in this episode Connors is captured by hostile Indians,gagged and bound while being forced to duel to the death,and in another one Connors fights off a gang of outlaws who want to turn him in for money which they want to hang him,but he manages to escape from great danger(this episode was in black and white). All of the scenes have Connors barechested and this a far cry from his days as Lucas McCain on "The Rifleman". However some of the episodes were in color(and they're on videocassette),and it was that macho crap that underlay some westerns and this was one of those shows that didn't last very long.

NOTE: During the show's first season,the episodes were shot in black and white(1965-66)while the second season episodes were in color(1966). The show was produced by NO other than game show veterans Mark Goodson and Bill Todman(the guys behind "The Price Is Right")and this was their first try at a weekly series(and the last time they will ever do so).