McCord's cashiering: his hat is pulled off, his epaulets are torn from his uniform, his buttons are pulled off, and his saber is broken, while a drum plays ...

The opening title credits scene of the each episode of the series was a depiction of McCord's cashiering: his hat is pulled off, his epaulets are torn from his uniform, his buttons are pulled off, and his saber is broken, while a drum plays over Dominic Frontiere and Alan Alch's theme song: "Branded, scorned as the one who ran. What do you do when you're branded, and you know you're a man? / He was innocent . . . not a charge was true . . . but the world will never know. / Branded, marked by a coward's shame. What do you do when you're branded, will you fight for your name? Wherever you go for the rest of your life you must prove ... you're a man." He is then sent out of the fort where this occurred, and the gates are closed behind him.

 Branded is a Western series which aired on NBC from 1965 through 1966, sponsored by Procter & Gamble in its Sunday night 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time period, and starred Chuck Connors as Jason McCord, a United States Army Cavalry captain who had been drummed out of the service following an unjust accusation of cowardice.

It was a great, but short lived series. The changeover in Hollywood spelled the demise of one of the greatest 60's Westerns. I ask how would any of us be able to live down something like the character had to endure while knowing all along it was a lie, unjust and having to prove that he wasn't the coward he was branded?
 In the pilot episode entitled "The Vindicator" McCord is confronted by a newspaper reporter (Claude Akins) who wanted a follow up story on the "Bitter Creek" massacre. General James Reed, McCord's mentor, was on a peace mission and was to meet with representatives of the Apache nation at Bitter Creek when his unit of 15 men were outnumbered and attacked by a group of renegade Indians known as "Dog Soldiers" As the attack was underway McCord realized that the old general had lost leave of his senses and relieved him of command, but it was too late. McCord himself was wounded in the battle and left for dead. He remained in a coma for ten days after the attack.
 McCord was later brought up on charges and cashiered out of the Army after being found guilty of deserting his men in battle.


The newspaper reporter meanwhile tracked down a widow of the "Bitter Creek" massacre whose husband was third in command. She possessed a series of letters her husband had written questioning the mental instability of General Reed. Those letters would have been enough to grant McCord a new trial and possibly exonerate him. But it was McCord who convinced the widow (played by June Lockhart) to burn the letters in order to save the reputation of General Reed. McCord feared that if Reed's reputation was damaged certain people in Washington DC would try to start a new war with the Apaches. Therefore McCord never spoke out about what really happened at Bitter Creek.
In the series, McCord traveled throughout the Old West, continually confronted by people who refused to believe his notorious reputation for cowardice was undeserved, requiring him to prove them wrong.
John M. Pickard, formerly of the related series, Boots and Saddles, appeared in six episodes as General Phil Sheridan. Notable guest stars included Chris Alcaide, Russ Conway, Burt Reynolds, Don Collier, Burgess Meredith, John Carradine, Pat Conway, Janet De Gore, Chad Everett, I. Stanford Jolley, June Lockhart, Gregg Palmer, Dolores del Río, and Lee Van Cleef.

The show lasted only 2 seasons. The first shot in black and white, the second in color...

This short lived series was Chuck Conners next adventure after The Rifleman had run it's course and ended. The Rifleman is a well known and beloved series that needs no introduction and I think if it had not been for the changing of the guard in Hollywood the NBC would have had another smash hit series on their roster. The opening is one that lives in my memory and the drum roll and the haunting theme will forever be Branded in my memory...

On that note I want to let all y'all know I have not abandoned my Blog Post it is merely at a standstill for now and I won't take the time to go into details of why, only that I assure you I intend to pick back up and regularly have an interesting, often tinged with humor story for you from days gone by...