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Then Came Bronson

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Then Came Bronson was a short-lived TV show that ran in the US for one season, on NBC, from 1969 to 1970 and was produced by MGM Television. The television series, created by Denne Bart Petitclerc, began with a movie pilot on Monday, March 24, 1969. The series was green-lighted for one year and began its first run on September 17, 1969. The pilot was also released in Europe as a feature film. The executive in charge of production was Herbert F. Solow and co-produced by Robert H. Justman.

1 Series overview
2 Series opening
3 See also
4 Awards
5 Guest stars
6 External links

Series overview

The series featured Michael Parks as the protagonist Jim Bronson, a newspaperman who becomes disillusioned after the suicide of his best friend Nick (Martin Sheen) and, after a heated argument with his editor, "working for the man." In order to renew his soul Bronson becomes a nomadic vagabond searching for the meaning of life and experience what life has to offer (this information is revealed in the series pilot). During his travels he shares his values with the people he meets along the way and lends a helping hand when he can. Bronson rides a Harley-Davidson Sportster motorcycle and, as such, was viewed by some as a modern version of the solitary cowboy meandering the American west. Curiously, though the opening promised a journey of self-discovery, the premise of each episode was that Bronson entered someone else's life at a crucial point and acted as a catalyst for change. When Bronson enters an Amish community, for example, a local boy becomes enraptured of the outside world and steals Bronson's bike to run off to Reno, Nevada. And in another episode located in Reno, Bronson meets his cousin Eve on her wedding day and lends her money for the wedding service, she runs off to the casinos and blows it. Yet, Bronson was committed to pacifism and often deflected a competitor's anger into self-examination. Always, like a true catalyst, he rolled out of every episode unchanged. The show sometimes faced the perception that it was a knock-off of the movie Easy Rider, but in actuality it preceded the release of that movie. Scenes were mostly shot outdoors, which made for spectacular views, and Michael Parks employed the low-key "James Dean" method of acting. Some shows were funny, some sad, some serious.

The bike

Bronson's bike figured in many episodes; (Harley Davision Sportster). In one episode he entered several bike races; in another, he made an emergency run to fetch a doctor. But in some stories the bike was mere transportation. The show was controversial in that it featured a motorcycle "biker" and "hippie" when images of Hells Angels and Vietnam War protesters were on the minds of many Americans. Bronson proved to be a gentle soul who seldom got angry or raised his voice, and he helped people improve their lives with guiding words or a sympathetic shoulder to cry on. In that way, he manifested the hippie's Christ-like ideal of leading and living a good life by example. Rather than seek to convert people to his values, he sought to lead them to their own true knowledge and to "do their own thing." Of note is that Bronson sometimes wore a crucifix and mentioned that he "thanked God every day" for his life.

Cast

The star, Michael Parks, had acted on television and starred in three anti-establishment movies, Wild Seed, The Happening, and Bus Riley's Back In Town. He went on to a steady career in drive-in horror movies and TV shows. He recorded three pop/Jazz LPs 1) Long Lonesome Highway 2) Closing the Gap 3) Blue and several gospel albums.

Music

The theme song of the series, "Long Lonesome Highway," sung by Parks and written by James Hendricks was a Top 40 Hit in 1970. The pilot movie was released in Europe as a theatrical film that included a topless scene when Bonnie Bedelia strips off her wedding gown.

Series opening

Then Came Bronson Pilot

The opening of the show served as a metaphor for the premise of the show: getting away from the "big city" and leading a more simplistic life. The opening begins with Bronson driving up to a red light in San Francisco and he briefly chats with a commuter. The scene also introduces Bronson's signature-phrase which he used often 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: "Pal, I wish I was you."
Bronson: "Really?"
Driver: "Yeah."
Bronson: "Well, hang in there."

From here he heads out to California's Highway 101 and the he will cross over the Bixby Creek Arch Bridge which is famous from the opening credits in every episode.