Then Came Bronson
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''Then Came Bronson'' is an American
adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...
/
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
television series starring
Michael Parks Michael Parks (born Harry Samuel Parks; April 24, 1940 – May 9, 2017) was an American singer and actor who made numerous film and television appearances, notably starring in the 1969–1970 series '' Then Came Bronson.'' He was widely known ...
that aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
. It was created by Denne Bart Petitclerc, and produced by
MGM Television Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television, formerly known as MGM/UA Television, is the television studio arm of the American film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), specializing in broadcast syndication and the production and distribution of television sh ...
. ''Then Came Bronson'' began with a television film
pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
that aired on NBC on March 24, 1969; the pilot was also released in Europe as a theatrical feature film. This was followed by a single season of 26 episodes airing between September 17, 1969, and April 1, 1970.


Overview

The series features Parks as the protagonist, James "Jim" Bronson, a newspaperman who becomes disillusioned after the suicide of his best friend Nick (
Martin Sheen Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. His work spans over six decades of television and film, and his accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and ...
), and with "working for
The Man "The Man" is a slang phrase, mainly used in the United States, to refer to figures of authority, including members of the government. Though typically used as a derogatory connotation, the phrase may also be used as a term of respect or praise. ...
" after a heated argument with his editor. In order to renew his soul, Bronson becomes a vagabond searching for the meaning of life and seeking experiences that life has to offer (as revealed in the series pilot). During his travels, he shares his values with the people he meets along the way and to whom he lends a helping hand when possible. Bronson rides a
Harley-Davidson Sportster The Harley-Davidson Sportster is a line of motorcycles produced continuously since 1957 by Harley-Davidson. Sportster models are designated in Harley-Davidson's product code by beginning with "XL". In 1952, the predecessors to the Sportster, the ...
motorcycle, and as such, he was viewed by some as a modern version of the solitary cowboy wandering the American west. The motorcycle had previously been sold to Nick by Bronson. After it is left at the scene of the suicide by his friend, Bronson buys it back from the widow. Though the opening promises a journey of self-discovery, the premise of each episode is that Bronson enters someone else's life at a crucial point and acts as a catalyst for change. When Bronson encounters an Amish community, for example, a local boy becomes enraptured by the outside world and steals Bronson's motorcycle to run off to
Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...
. In another episode, located in Reno, Nevada, Bronson meets his cousin Eve on her wedding day and lends her money for the wedding service, but she runs off to the casinos and gambles it away. The first three episodes, including the end credits scenes, were shot in and around
Jackson, Wyoming Jackson is a resort town in Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 10,760 at the 2020 census, up from 9,577 in 2010. It is Teton County's only incorporated municipality and county seat, and it is the largest incorporated town ...
. The pilot film was also shown at the town's (then) only theater to give the locals a sense of what the series was going to be about, since they were shooting in town and at popular local area locations. Bronson is committed to pacifism and often redirects an antagonist's anger into self-examination. Always, like a true
catalyst Catalysis () is the increase in rate of a chemical reaction due to an added substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed by the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recycles quick ...
, Bronson rolls out of every episode unchanged. The show had obvious similarities to the early 1960s series ''
Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...
''; Michael Parks guest-starred in one episode of that series. It was also sometimes erroneously described as a knock-off of ''
Easy Rider ''Easy Rider'' is a 1969 American road drama film written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern. It was produced by Fonda and directed by Hopper. Fonda and Hopper play two bikers who travel through the American Southwest and the S ...
''. The airing of the 2-hour ''Then Came Bronson'' pilot film preceded the first public showing of ''Easy Rider'' (at the 1969
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...
) by about two months.


Series opening

The opening of the show served as a metaphor for the premise of the show: getting away from the "big city" and leading a simpler life. The opening begins with Bronson riding up to a red light in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
and he briefly chats with a commuter. The scene also introduces Bronson's signature-phrase, which he often used in the episodes, "Hang in there". :Driver: "Taking a trip?" :Bronson: "What's that?" :Driver: "Taking a trip?" :Bronson: "Yeah." :Driver: "Where to?" :Bronson: "Oh, I don't know. Wherever I end up, I guess." :Driver: "Man, I wish I was you." :Bronson: "Really?" :Driver: "Yeah." :Bronson: "Well, hang in there." From here he heads out to California's State Route 1 and then crosses over the
Bixby Creek Bridge Bixby Bridge, also known as Bixby Creek Bridge, on the Big Sur coast of California, is one of the most photographed bridges in California due to its aesthetic design, "graceful architecture and magnificent setting". It is a reinforced concrete ...
.


Cast

Michael Parks Michael Parks (born Harry Samuel Parks; April 24, 1940 – May 9, 2017) was an American singer and actor who made numerous film and television appearances, notably starring in the 1969–1970 series '' Then Came Bronson.'' He was widely known ...
, who starred as James Bronson, had acted on television and starred in three
anti-establishment An anti-establishment view or belief is one which stands in opposition to the conventional social, political, and economic principles of a society. The term was first used in the modern sense in 1958 by the British magazine ''New Statesman'' ...
films, '' Wild Seed'', '' The Happening'', and ''
Bus Riley's Back in Town ''Bus Riley's Back in Town'' is a 1965 American comedy film written by William Inge, directed by Harvey Hart, and starring Ann-Margret and Michael Parks. Inge was very unhappy with changes made to his script and had his name removed from the cr ...
.'' He went on to have a steady career in drive-in horror movies and TV shows. Also a talented singer, Parks recorded three pop/jazz albums: ''Long Lonesome Highway'', ''Closing the Gap'', ''Blue'', and several gospel albums. ''Long Lonesome Highway'' and ''Closing the Gap'' were connected with particular strength to ''Then Came Bronson''. Parks performed the former's title selection over the closing credits of each episode, and it and the latter both featured other music from the series. (See below.)


Guest stars

Actors
James Doohan James Montgomery Doohan (; March 3, 1920 – July 20, 2005) was a Canadian actor, best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television and film series ''Star Trek''. Doohan's characterization of the Scottish chief engineer of t ...
("Scotty") and
Meg Wyllie Margaret Gillespie Wyllie (February 15, 1917 – January 1, 2002) was an American actress who appeared primarily on television. She portrayed Mrs. Kissel in ''The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters'' (1963–1964). Early years Born in Honolulu, ...
, who appeared in guest roles, had previously worked on the original ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'' series.


Production

The series was filmed and broadcast in color.


The motorcycle

Bronson's motorcycle, a 1969 XLH 900cc
Harley-Davidson Sportster The Harley-Davidson Sportster is a line of motorcycles produced continuously since 1957 by Harley-Davidson. Sportster models are designated in Harley-Davidson's product code by beginning with "XL". In 1952, the predecessors to the Sportster, the ...
, figures in many episodes. In one episode he enters several motorcycle races; in another, he makes an emergency run to fetch a doctor, but in some stories, the motorcycle serves merely as his transportation. The fuel tank is illustrated with the
Eye of Providence The Eye of Providence or All-Seeing Eye is a symbol depicting an eye, often enclosed in a triangle and surrounded by rays of light or a halo, intended to represent Providence, as the eye watches over the workers of mankind. A well-known exampl ...
.


Crew

Several of ''Bronson''s production staff and cast members had previously worked on the original ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'' series, including executive producer Herbert F. Solow and producer Robert H. Justman, and writers D. C. Fontana and Robert Sabaroff. The series is also notable for providing the first television script credit for writer-producer
Susan Harris Susan Harris (née Spivak; born October 28, 1940) is an American former television writer and producer who created the Emmy Award-winning sitcoms ''Soap'' (1977–1981) and ''The Golden Girls'' (1985–1992). Between 1975 and 1998, Harris was o ...
, who went on to create ''
Soap Soap is a salt (chemistry), salt of a fatty acid (sometimes other carboxylic acids) used for cleaning and lubricating products as well as other applications. In a domestic setting, soaps, specifically "toilet soaps", are surfactants usually u ...
'' and ''
The Golden Girls ''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. The show's ensemble cast stars Beatrice Arthur, Betty ...
''.


Music

The opening instrumental theme song was titled "Then Came Bronson" and was composed and conducted by
George Duning George Duning (February 25, 1908 – February 27, 2000) was an American musician and film composer. He was born in Richmond, Indiana, and educated in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where his mentor was Mario Castelnuo ...
. The closing vocal theme for the series, titled "Long Lonesome Highway", was sung by Parks and written and composed by James Hendricks; it was a ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
Magazine'' Hot 100 hit that reached #20 in 1970. On March 25, 1970, Parks guest-starred on "
The Johnny Cash Show ''The Johnny Cash Show'' is an American television music variety show that was hosted by Johnny Cash. The Screen Gems 58-episode series ran from June 7, 1969, to March 31, 1971, on American Broadcasting Company, ABC; it was taped at the Ryman A ...
" S1E25. Cash riding Bronson's Harley-Davidson introduces Parks as Bronson, saying, "And then Bronson came back to Tennessee". Parks sang his hit song from the show and then he and Johnny did a duet of
Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, and composer widely considered to be one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, A ...
's "
Oklahoma Hills "Oklahoma Hills" is a song written by Woody Guthrie. In 2001 it was named the official Folk Song of the state of Oklahoma. Chorus :''Way down yonder in the Indian nation'' :''I rode my pony on the reservation'' :''In the Oklahoma Hills where I ...
". Parks released two albums on the MGM label that featured music from this series, ''Closing the Gap'' (1969), and ''Long Lonesome Highway'' (1970). In addition, other artists such as John Bahler, Kiel Martin, Gary Jayson,
Buffy Sainte-Marie Buffy Sainte-Marie (born Beverley Jean Santamaria; February 20, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and social activist. Sainte-Marie's singing and writing repertoire includes subjects of love, war, religion, and mysticism, and h ...
, and
Tom Paxton Thomas Richard Paxton (born October 31, 1937) is an American folk singer-songwriter whose career spans more than sixty years. In 2009, Paxton received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
sang songs that appeared in the series. Actress Bonnie Bedelia in the pilot sang gospel song "Wayfaring Stranger" with Parks. A version of " San Antonio Rose", sung by Parks, appears on the
Rhino A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...
CD '' Golden Throats 3: Sweethearts of Rodeo Drive''. In 2010, Duning's score for the pilot and two episode scores by Gil Mellé were released as part of
Film Score Monthly ''Film Score Monthly'' is an online magazine (and former print magazine) founded by editor-in-chief and executive producer Lukas Kendall in June 1990 as ''The Soundtrack Correspondence List''. It is dedicated to the art of film and television sc ...
's ''TV Omnibus: Volume One (1962–1976)''. In 2013 Intrada Records released a two-disc set of music from the series, featuring Duning's six episode scores on disc one and selections from the other scores on disc two by John Parker, Elliot Kaplan, Stu Phillips,
Dean Elliott William Lorenzo Bunt (May 11, 1917 – December 31, 1999), known professionally as Dean Elliott, was an American television and film composer. Career Elliott was born William Lorenzo Bunt on May 11, 1917, in Sioux City, Iowa to George Leroy Bu ...
, Richard Shores,
Tom McIntosh Thomas S. "Tom" McIntosh (February 6, 1927 - July 26, 2017) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, arranger, and conductor. McIntosh was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the eldest of six siblings. He also had an elder half-sibling by his fath ...
, and Philip Springer.


Episodes


Home media

The pilot telefilm was made available on DVD as a part of the Warner Archives collection from
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
on November 17, 2009.


Awards

* Episode #10, "Two Percent of Nothing" (guest-starring Steve Ihnat and Pat Quinn) written by D. C. Fontana, was nominated for the
Writers Guild Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility The ...
.


Other media

Three tie-in novels with original stories were published during the show's run: ''Then Came Bronson'' by William Johnston, and ''Then Came Bronson #2: The Ticket'' and ''Then Came Bronson #3: Rock!'' by Chris Stratton. MPC released a model kit "Bronson Motorcycle Custom Harley-Davidson Sportster" in 1970 in 1/8 Scale.


In popular culture

The series was parodied by Pat Paulsen in a running sketch, "Then Came Paulsen", on '' Pat Paulsen's Half a Comedy Hour''. Paulsen's motorcycle had training wheels. The series was also satirized by '' Mad'' magazine in a piece titled "Then Came Bombsome", which portrayed Parks smoking atop his Harley in the iconic opening scene at the San Francisco stoplight: "Takin' a trip"? "No, this is a regular cigarette I'm smoking." ''Then Came Bronson'' has also been referenced numerous times on the film-mocking TV series ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on WUCW, KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then ...
'', usually in a scene featuring a lone figure riding on a motorcycle. MST3K writer
Frank Conniff Frank Conniff Jr. ( ;) is an American writer, actor, comedian and producer, who is best known for his portrayal of TV's Frank on ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K''). He is the son of journalist and editor Frank Conniff. Early work ...
, who portrayed TV's Frank, is said to be a big fan of the short-lived series.


References


External links

* ** * {{Epguides, ThenCameBronson, Then Came Bronson
''Then Came Bronson''
television series opening scene at
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

''Then Came Bronson''
at Super70s.com
''TCB''
Multimedia Site 1969 American television series debuts 1970 American television series endings 1960s American drama television series 1970s American drama television series American English-language television shows Motorcycle television series Television series by MGM Television NBC television dramas