Review of Pilot

Then Came Bronson: Pilot (1969)
Season 1, Episode 0
8/10
Easy Rider for Television
15 July 2001
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...
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