"Then Came Bronson" Pilot (1969)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

William A. Graham

Writer:

Denne Bart Petitclerc (writer)

TV Series:

"Then Came Bronson" (1969)

Original Air Date:

24 March 1969 (Season 1, Episode 0)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Plot:

A newspaper reporter quits his job and travels across America by motorcycle.

Plot Keywords:

TV Series Pilot | Motorcycle | Character Name In Title

Cast

Michael Parks	...	Jim Bronson
Bonnie Bedelia	...	Temple Brooks
Akim Tamiroff	...	Papa Bear
Gary Merrill	...	Inspector Otis
Sheree North	...	Gloria Oresko
Martin Sheen	...	Nick Oresko
Bert Freed	...	Editor Carson
Bruce Mars	...	Troy
Ted Gehring	...	Diner Owner
Lawrence Hauben	...	Eddie
Michael Bell	...	Petty
Gene Dynarski	...	Boots
Art Metrano	...	Barker
Peter Brocco	...	Stationmaster
Stanley Schneider	...	Deputy

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Stockton, California, USA

Company:

MGM Television

Trivia:

Jim Bronson was born in East Oakland, CA. Temple was born in Hillsborough, CA. Both cities are in the San Francisco Bay area.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: During the hill climbing you can see that the bike Jim is on is not a Sportster, the exhaust pipes give that away.

Quotes:

Jim Bronson: What's your name?
Temple Brooks: I don't have one!
Jim Bronson: Well everyone I have ever know had a name, that's really weird. My name is Jim incase your interested.
Temple Brooks: Well I'm not!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Morirás con el sol (Motociclistas suicidas) (1973)

Easy Rider for Television

When I was 15, I was a Star Trek kid and my dad was more the Mannix type. Needless to say, we argued quite a bit over what to watch on TV. But one show we both loved was Then Came Bronson. And we were both incredibly disappointed when it was canceled after such a short run.

This series pilot is a tale of a disillusioned young corporate type (Michael Parks, in an understated performance reminiscent of James Dean) whose world is shaken by the suicide of a friend. He takes off across the US on a Harley, hooking up with a young and somewhat spoiled wedding fugitive (Bonnie Bedelia).

There are quite a few good supporting performances in a film that many at the time compared to Easy Rider (but in fact now seems less dated, at least that's what I thought when TBS reran it about three or four years ago). Though there are indeed similarities between the two, Then Came Bronson probably has roots closer to Jack Kerouac's On The Road and the TV show Route 66 than Easy Rider.

Sad to see that this movie isn't available on DVD. Maybe one day...