question I have to get the correct answer for

Pards,
Sorry for putting this down as a "new thread",I just didn,t know what thread to put this on,ha!
Last week,down in Bath with Marie,my brother-in-law,same age as me,started talking about how much we miss our ole western tv series,AND,he asked me,are you ready for this Pards,
"what was the name of the series where,remember,at the start the hero has his sword taken from him,it,s broken in two,and he keeps the handle-half of the sword"???????
Well Pards,I,ve not thought of much else since,ha!I remember a series/film that happened in,Branded maybe? that sword breaking so much rings a bell,but I just cant think of what it,s called,was it a series or a film?????
I,m certain that a few Pards are gonna say,"Davy,I,m surprised you cant remember,it,s called ?????????????"
HELP me out here Pards,my brother-in-law is English,I,m SCOTTISH,get ma drift Pards,I cant have him calling me up and telling me what this series/film is called,that would mean he,s won!!!!!!!my Scot,s blood just could not take that,ha!
Davy,westernnut.

Davy, you're correct. It was Branded, the series starring Chuck Connors as a disgraced Army officer. Here's the opening to the show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKmJPnAGUJk

Howdy Davy!!

Pard, you hit the nail on the head!! It was Chuck Connor's 2nd western series after the cancellation of The Rifleman. It was created by Larry Cohen and ran for 2 seasons, 1965-1966, if memory serves. The storyline has Connor's being courtmartialed, because of his refusal to allow the blame for the massacre at Bitter Creek, to be placed where t rightfully belonged, on his superior officer. Cohen talked about meeting Connors on the Timeless Media dvds. Cohen said after an evening of drinking, Connors summoned him to his room, to help him get his boots off. Cohen also talked about Connors almost running him down with the big paint horse he rode. Cohen said he froze and Connors stopped just before he ran over him. Years later Connors told him he thought he was very brave, because he didn't move. Connors wore an Andy Anderson"walk and draw rig" for the 7 & 1/2 barreled Colt S.A.A. This is the same rig, in a shorter length, that Clint Eastwood wore in his spaghetti western films!!

Ed

Ed,Tinhorn,
THANKS Pards,for taking the time to answer me,and letting me know that I won,it,s a "RELIEF" because my brother-in-law,Phil,real nice guy,thought that it wasn,t Branded!!!get ma drift Pards,ha!
It,s strange though,I remember the sword-breaking start,but I dont remember much about the series itself,an age thing on my part.
Anyway,Cheers Guys,
Davy,westernnut.

Jim here, not Tom. Just wanted to say that the opening scene of the Branded series with the breaking of the sword was filmed at the old fort outside Kanab, Utah, and the uncredited officer breaking the sword was John Howard, a star of an earlier Hollywood. Jim.

Howdy Pards!!

Just a couple of more recollections about Branded. Chuck Connors played the role of Jason McCord, who after being courtmartialed and kicked out of the army, for being "the cowardly survivor of Bitter Creek" began a civilian life as a surveyor. He ground the broken sabre back to a point and carried it on his saddle horn. McCord wandered from town to town, taking on surveying jobs and always being reminded of his disgrace by someone in every episode. It was a pretty good series, but not on a par with The Rifleman. Larry Cohen continued to receive credit as the creator, even though he left the show after the 1st year. In the interview with Cohen, he talked about running into Connors, shortly before Connors death and Connors inquiring if he had any new series for him. Cohen went on to say, in the 2nd season, the show's producers and writers started getting away from the original storyline of the disgraced army officer and began to make an army secret agent out of McCord and Cohen felt this contributed to it cancellation after the 2nd season. As I recollect, Connors had left his last series" Werewolf" after a salary dispute. Connors made the show a hit, in his role as the patriarch werewolf that begat the werewolves in his part of the U.S.A., even though he wasn't the star. When he tried to renegotiate his contract, they dropped him and shortly therafter, the show flopped. After destroying the careers and eventually the t.v. series of Suzanne Sommers on Three's Company, Cindy Williams on Laverne And Shirley, Shelly Long on Cheers, and Delta Burke on Designing Women, along with several others, it seems the powers that be in Hollywood have finally learned their lesson. "When you finally have the right chemistry and the show is a hit, PAY THE STARS THAT MADE IT SO!!!!!

Ed

The channel "ME-TV" runs "Branded" on the weekends, "The Guns of Will Sonnet" and "The Rebel", too. The latter is depressing because there are, it seems, unresolved copyright issues with regard to the theme song sung by Johnny Cash. Instead of Johnny C. crooning "Johnny Yuma was a rebel, he roamed through the west..." and such, you get a bouncy instrumental "replacement" tune that bears NO resemblance whatsoever to the original theme.

Bummer

As to "Branded", I caught an episode Saturday before last about a town being faced with the intimidation of a notorious outlaw gang (bank robbers). Jason McCord was the only one who was going to help out a young deputy marshal (or sheriff) who, with his boss out of town, had to stand up to these baddies. The young Lawman in need of help? JOHNNY CRAWFORD.

Seemed like "Old Home" week.

Howdy Cole!!

The name of the Branded episode is, Coward Step Aside and it's from 1965, season one, episode 7. Skip Homier is is also in this episode.

As for the original theme song to The Rebel, I would assume that Johnny Cash was paid for the use of his voice, plus residuals in reruns. Since Johnny Cash has passed on and since SOME of The Rebel's episodes are SUPPOSEDLY in public domain, this might well be the crux of the problem. Like Elvis, much of his music is now the property of the Elvis Presley Estate and can only be used with their permission. In all probability, Johnny Cash WROTE the song and if so, it is now the property of his estate.

Ed

The Theme song for The Rebel was written by Richard Markowitz and Andrew J. Fenady. When the show went into syndication, the theme was replaced by an instrumental also written by Markowitz.