Customer Reviews

Branded - The Complete Series starring Chuck Connors! 6 DVD SET - OVER 19 HOURS!

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The complete Classic TV Western, Branded, is being released - but by the same company that put out poorly produced single-season sets several years ago.

The Chuck Connors series, which aired from 1965-1966, is well deserving of a quality DVD release. In 2004-2005, Timeless Media Group released individual boxed sets of Season 1 and Season 2 of the series. The problem was, the episodes were edited (chopped for commercial syndication) and the video quality was also very poor, more like copied from cut-rate VHS.

An industry insider has told me that this new releasing is simply a repacking project. This means that Timeless Media Group has NOT remastered the episodes from 35mm film, nor has the video quality has been improved at all, and the episodes have NOT been restored but remain poorly edited and incomplete. As a result, I highly recommend that anyone who already has these sets to refrain from purchasing this boxed set. For anyone who does not have the earlier versions, it's a VERY worthwhile series to own, but be warned, and do expect high-quality DVDs. (FYI: That is the only reason I'm giving this release two stars, because it allows fans to buy the series in one DVD set.)

Connors (best known for his riveting portrayal of Lucas McCain in "The Rifleman,") gives an equally compelling performance here as Captain Jason McCord, in a series created by Larry Cohen.

McCord, a West Point graduate, is the sole survivor of an Indian battle at Bitter Creek in the 1800s. Court-martialed as a coward who ran, he was forever "branded" with that stigma and thrown out of the Army, his rank insignia ripped off and his Cavalry sabre broken in two in a military ceremony casting him out of the fort. The humiliating scene was replayed as the opening clip of each episode as a moving western ballad "Branded" was sung over the images.

McCord, who is actually a man of deep conviction and principle, pleaded innocent but refused to testify in his own defense. As the series progresses, we learn that he did so to protect the memory of the honorable General Reid whose eventual senility resulted in what actually occured at Bitter Creek, and also to protect a peace treaty with the Indians. McCord believes that if those politicians who did not want peace learned that General Reid, who had negotiated the treaty, was unfit, they would nullify the document and resume the Indian war.

Thus, McCord accepts his cruel label and fate, forced to live a nomadic life moving from survey job to job (a skill he learned in the military) because of the hatred people have for him. As far as the general public is concerned, McCord ran off to save his life, abandoning those under his command to all die at Bitter Creek.

Remarkably, the series is able to explore in a sophisticated manner the true meaning of bravery and right and wrong as McCord seeks to help those in trouble whom he encounters. Everyone who deals with McCord ends up understanding that the coward's label pinned on him is far from correct, and that he is a man of grit, bravery and honor.

In some ways, the themes of this series are similar to those explored in Kung Fu almost a decade later: lessons of morality, spirituality, honesty, bravery and the fundamental meaning of right and wrong and personal responsibility presented through the accessible medium of a western.

This show's unforgettable ballad, music by Dominic Frontiere, lyrics by Alan Alch, entones in part: "All but one man died there at Bitter Creek, and they say he ran away... Not a single charge was true... Branded, marked with a coward's shame, what do you do when you're branded, will you fight to clear your name?"

Forty-eight half-hour episodes were produced, and are all included here in a six-disc boxed set.

This was an excellent series, but what is provided here are incomplete episodes, as mentioned in the other reviews. About two or three minutes are chopped out of each episode,so these are taken from syndicated airings of this series. Sometimes the episodes don't make sense because of these cuts. The picture quality isn't great, but it's on a par with many of the series from the same time period. Perhaps these episodes were reproduced from VHS copies. I rate the series four stars, but the product here I give only one star. If you want an uncut series, this doesn't seem to be for you. Each episode, minus the theme and the credits, lasts about 18 minutes, even shorter than most modern half-hour series. I was disappointed.

Worth every cent. Critics need to realise that this is a series that is 44 years old. No ads - so episodes were 22 minutes long. The bonus features at the end were good too. I really liked the one with David Niven. A lot of well-known actors make appearances. A few are still around today.

I bought this set for my husband and me. We have been watching reruns of The Rifleman with Chuck Connors on TV. When I saw this set available on Amazon I knew I had to get it. Another reviewer pointed out that there are places in the shows that seem "chopped" more than likely due to taking out commercials. But this in no way diminishes the continuity of the shows. Some shows are in color and some in black & white. They do not appear to be "remastered" but the quality is still good. It's fun pointing out former movie stars or up and coming stars (for the time) as we watch the shows. The dvd menus are nice so you can just pick which shows you want to watch. Quite a few extras were added to the dvds as well. Take a chance and try this!

"All but one man died, there at Bitter Creek,
and they say he ran away.

Branded, marked with a coward's shame,
what do you do when your Branded
will 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,
what do you do when your Branded
and you know your a man?

Wherever you go for, the rest of your life
you must prove
your a man".


{end credits}

"What do you do when your Branded,
will you go on alone?

Of his General Reed,and the men who died,
he can never speak the truth.

Branded, that's not the way to die,
what do you do when your Branded,
can you live with a lie?" {the end]


I find this series to be quite okay, also I recall watching television in the 50's @ 60's with a fairly low
expectation, perhaps these days people have grown to expect the best of everything.
I am content with my large library of television series of the period such as this one, and I remain grateful
for being able to have them on my shelves. However I am extremely selective of what I purchase in the current
timeframe, as there are many forgetable shows about.

My one concern with "Branded" was the scene at the beginning, when the officer breaks the Saber belonging to
the star over his knee, all I can say is those "Long Knives" must have had a short operational life.

if you like chuck conners in the "rifleman" you will like this set. i watched both shows back in the day, they were both on tv.

be warned arthur digby sellers never wrote any episodes of this show
as he and that bratty lil kid of his larry do not exist

aside from that this is a really good show
it was recomendid to all the world by his holyness jeffery lebowski
and anything he likes has to be good

and this certanly is