User Reviews

"Then Came Bronson" was the baby boomer's introduction to buy and ride motorcycles. After being discharged from the Marine Corp and wanting to just enjoy my life and freedom in this country and this show came on a few years after my adjusting to civilian life I was hooked from the first show. I bought 3 motorcycle within 5 yrs the 3rd was a Harley Davidson Sportster very much like the one used on this show. I am also surprised this show hasn't been on the cable channels. It would be a nice change from the shows that most cable channels run over and over until the viewers know the lines of the characters like they are reading the scripts. The show was very peaceful, just a guy that wanted to see this great country and meet some of the people that live here. Most people you mention this show to from that era remember it and seem to feel it would be enjoyed by a whole new and much younger audience now and I certainly agree with that.

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...

I saw the movie back in 1975 and remember the television series. This had to do with the 60's freedom and yearning to just step back from life and enjoy. I enjoyed both the show and the movie and have not seen them in over 30 years. I would like to see them again for the value of that time period. I saw Michael Parks in From Dust till Dawn and was surprised to see him again. I recommend this movie for the young at heart. I want both of my kids, Nathan and Ryann to catch this also. It is a clean movie and catch Martin Sheen in a very early role. They just don't make movies like this anymore. Sit back one night and enjoy this one. It is a winner...

This show along with Easy Rider got me into motorcycling. They were both filmed in 1968 and released in 1969. I remember reading that Michael Parks had creative differences with the producers and that helped lead to cancellation. I wish they'd listened to him. Bronson summed it all up for motorcyclists everyone who is fed up with the corporate rat-race and seeks individuality in an age of conformity, "Hang in there". I wish some corporate entity would put this out at least on VHS if not DVD (both the European theatrical release that wasn't shown here due to Bonnie Bedilias' bare breats, the TV movie, and the 26 series episodes) soon. Jim, I bought my Harley due to you.

As I watched this TV show back in 69' I didn't realize at the time what kind of an impact it would have on me. I was only 17 at the time so the "Zen" part about it didn't influence me at all. What never left me was his traveling around the countryside on a motorcycle. It got me thinking what it might be like to wander around so freely. Almost 10 years later I found out. That's when I purchased my 78' Goldwing, which carried me to 49 States, every Province in Canada and a little bit of Mexico. Some of the stories my riding produced and the people I met reminded me so much of "Then Came Bronson".

The great importance of this show was that it portrayed a biker who was mild mannered and not the wild drunken criminal that the biker movies were about at that time. He was a likable guy who you could trust. That's who I try to be when I'm out there traveling around. I really wish I could see the show again.

This is a good movie. It is what I feel. That movie made me feel free. I haven't seen it since it aired in 1969. I watched this movie with my mom when I was 12 years old. I would do anything to see it again. I would like to have a copy of it. If I knew where I could buy it I would. This movie is one of my all time favorites. I would treasure it with all.

Then Came Bronson was seminal and what I remember most about it (since I was 12 when I saw it for the first time) was the notion that you could lose yourself in America by simply getting on a motorcycle and disappearing. The imagery was perfect for young guys like myself who were watching people come back from Vietnam, utterly broken by the events of the period. The theme of "no ties" was utterly appealing to many people who felt that any connection to the "establishment" was empty and devoid of the satisfaction one could get from simply getting lost and "being free." The main character was far less hardened than other similar leading dropouts of the same genre (Fonda, Brando, Hopper) and far less psychodelic than guys pushing the "trippy" side of late 60's America. Bronson was more of a workin man's dropout and that's what I loved about him. And the mountain climb was unique. I think a whole generation of dirt-bikers caught the bug after seeing this movie for the first time.

Very cool, man.

Just prior to committing suicide "Nick Oresco" (Martin Sheen) gives his Harley-Davidson motorcycle to his good friend "Jim Bronson" (Michael Parks) who then watches in horror as Nick jumps off of a bridge to his death. Not long afterward, Jim gets fed up working for an ungrateful boss so he quits his job and takes off on a trip from the West Coast to New Orleans. Along the way he encounters a woman named "Temple Brooks" (Bonnie Bedalia) who proceeds to run him off the road but then later asks for his help-at which time he generously gives her a lift. Although at first she strikes him as terribly cold and aloof, as they come to know each other they realize how lonely each of them are--and how much they need each other. But whether they are right for each other remains an open question and there are plenty of more challenges awaiting them as they continue their travels. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film is essentially the pilot for a television series that ran in 1969-1970 for just one season. Although I have never seen any of the other shows, I thought this particular made-for-television movie was pretty good and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.

I think the show was almost a precursor for the generation: No one really wanted to be that guy in the station wagon (tho most of us did eventually sell out.) Everyone wanted to be Bronson. And I can tell you for certain that spirit still lives. As I grew a little older, kids grew up, started college and began to move on, I was able to fulfill a dream by purchasing a Harley. I can tell you that wherever I go RIDING, people want to talk to you, find out where you are going - curiosity and envy - just like the 'station wagon guy.' Nobody ever cared where the 'station wagon guy' was going. We all knew. We'll never know of course (since it is, after all, fiction) whether the suit ever was able to break free. But a lot of us did. Better late than never. Never give up on your dreams.

This series was closer to Route 66 on a motorcycle then it was to Easyrider. Also the motorcycle used in it was a Harley Davidson Sportster not a Norton. I agree that the series was cancelled to soon and would also like to see reruns of it. Michael Parks has always been an excellent actor, good at performing roles that are a little quirky. Many people probably do not recall that Martin Sheen played the friend that committed suicide in the first episode and that it was his motorcycle that Bronson toured the country with. I saw this show when I was young but later watched the reruns, I have not seen it recently though.

Not a bad review to be found here, which speaks volumes for this excellent film. I've always been struck by what a thoughtful story this was, even as it manages to be thoroughly entertaining. Who hasn't wanted to drop out of the everyday routine & look for something more meaningful at some point?

I'd agree that this is more in the vein of "On the Road" or "Route 66" than "Easy Rider." Bronson's quest is one that we can all identify with, I think. And he's a fascinating character, providing a complex model of manhood that doesn't go to the extremes of overly macho or overly sensitive. He's obviously well-read, considerate, genuinely curious, non-violent -- but he's never preachy, he never looks down his nose at others, and he's eager to understand other viewpoints, even if he doesn't always agree with them. At the same time, you can tell he has definite & firm beliefs that he lives by, and that he won't compromise them.

For me, one of the key scenes is his visit with Papa Bear, a father figure & mentor, who has a wonderful little speech about the difficulty of becoming a man -- a whole man. I've always imagined a much older Bronson becoming just that sort of father figure & mentor for another young seeker one day.

So when is this film & the 26 episodes that followed going to come out on DVD? It's not just longtime fans who'd buy it - I'm sure a whole new generation would also find plenty to like & admire in Jim Bronson!

In the fall of 1969 I was in the US Navy going to a technical school that had begun several months before, and would go on for a few more months. School was 8 hours a day. At night we huddled in the TV room in our WWII vintage barracks, around an old 21" black and white, 25 guys trying to agree on one station, one show. Football, Star Trek reruns, and the World Series were no-brainers.

Bronson had to grow on us, and it quickly did. It was definitely a product of the era. Route 66 for the Vietnam generation. A precursor to Easy Rider. The great wide open. There was something to the show that grabbed you, if you were of a certain age. And 19, which was my age, was the right age. Everybody I knew who was of that age and who watched this show loved it. Not many others did.

But the creators of this show were a day late and a dollar short. I can't fault them too much though, because in those days many ideas were hatched on TV in an effort to glom onto the supposed youth market, but failing. It was a demographic that was on the move, and not sitting in front of a TV set night in and night out, week in and week out.

Our group finished school in December, 1969, and off we went, most of us to the fleet. Some to Vietnam. Others to other places, anywhere and everywhere around the world. We watched Bronson religiously for the first 2-1/2 months of its run. We never saw it again. At least I know I haven't. But strangely it is nevertheless remembered by those who had the good fortune to catch it while they could.

I don't know why it doesn't pop up in reruns, somewhere on cable once in a while.

The movie itself is so-so, meandering around a lot and ending up more or less nowhere. Michael Parks' "Bronson" character says little, and makes even less sense. I suppose the fact that it is a pilot for the series somewhat mitigates this criticism. Nevertheless this movie is a must-watch, if only for a gorgeous Bonnie Bedelia in her early twenties, well before her "Die Hard" days.

This was one show that I will never forget. like another poster, I was in the Navy when it began and had been assigned to Memphis, TN. We has four man dorms and fortunately, the night Bronson came on, my three roommates were on overnight duty so I had the room to myself. Route 66 had only been a few years earlier and I watched that one faithfully too. The unique element about both of these shows was that one could travel across the country and no two places were alike so each mile was an adventure. One could also, in the show at least, find a job somewhere to carry you until you were ready to move on.

We have pretty much lost that now and almost every place near the Interstates is a cookie cutter image of the one before. It ismy ambition soon to take a road trip and stay off the Interstates and see what the country really looks like. They tried to revive Route 66 in the early 90's with the solo character finding out that Buzz Murdoch (George Maharis)had been his father and he inherited the 'Vette so he decided to see the country and learn more about his father. I don't know what went wrong but the show only lasted about a year. I how they try it again soon.

I doubt any one really understands how much actual change of life Micheal "then Came Bronson" had on young American guys. He not only changed the way I viewed my future but had a direct effect on how I related to much of what I would become later in life. Like most I would be extremely happy to be able to watch all of the shows again from a prospective 35 years later!! I've seen some of Micheal Parks work over the years, but nothing I've seen has been as important or so well connected to my feelings as Then Came Bronson was. I think he's a great actor but the premise of the show and the way he portrayed his personal viewpoint in the show made the difference between just a show and something I'll remember as long as I live.

Then Came Bronson along with Kung Fu, Wanted Dead or Alive and Have Gun, Will Travel are of the ages old hero adventure story that are void on TV today. The very same heroes adventure as in Luke Skywalker and unwitting Hans Solo in STAR WARS The hero never begins the adventure along a path broken by another. The hero always enters the unknown woods by breaking a new path. On that adventure he must be honest and honorable without desire or fear of death. The hero has compassion for his fellow man. Many times he acts in the way of the Bodhisattva. Mahayana Buddhism regards the Bodhisattva as a person who already has a considerable degree of enlightenment and seeks to use their wisdom to help other human beings to become liberated themselves. In this understanding of the word the Bodhisattva is an already wise person who uses skillful means to lead others to see the benefits of virtue and the cultivation of wisdom.

I believe we need some TV shows of this type. We all need to live this way. All these mentioned TV shows have etched lasting memories into my mind. I have always and still try to live up to high standards of compassion, agape, and try to lessen the misery in the world. It all started with a few TV shows.

I missed TCB in its original run. I was just out of the Army, going to college, and working evenings. I first saw the series when TBS ran it at 2am on Wednesdays around 1985 or '86. They also ran the pilot during normal hours--and they ran it with the reels out of sequence! Incredible. It jumped from reel 1 to reel 3, then back to 2, then the end. The regular series episodes ran properly, and I was hooked.

For several years, I had many of the episodes recorded on VHS still usable, but they deteriorated, and now I don't even have a VCR. Over the years since, I've encountered numerous TCB websites and a few "petitions" for TCB on DVD. Amazing for a one-season show. Today, though, I think there may be hope for us Bronson fans. I just purchased a download of the pilot feature length episode from the Warner Bros store for $15. It is also available as a "made to order" DVD on that site for $20 plus shipping.

Interesting the comparisons to "Route 66" and Jack Kerouac's "On the Road", both of which I know well. Indeed, Jack Kerouac even initiated a lawsuit against the producers of "Route 66". Route 66 from the beginning of the 60's and TCB from the end. In between there was Star Trek, and that's about it!

I must have been in the summer of 1969 when a friend of mine said that he had heard that they were filming an episode of Then Came Bronson near by. We were born and raised in Pueblo, Colorado. So the 4 of us jumped in the car, I was to young to drive but my friend wasn't, along with my cousin who was visiting from Utah away we went to find Bronson. In the mountains of Colorado during the summer they film a lot of movies so we had to go from Hotel to Hotel in Canon City to find him, finally some one knew where he was in a rented house in some neighborhood that I couldn't find again if I had to. We pulled up in the driveway and out he came, he was friendly beyond what any of us could imagine. We sat with him and watched the Johnny Cash Show and ate carrot sticks. He was such a great guy to be so kind to a bunch of kids, none of us has ever forgotten the day or the guy. I think that the show was so popular with young men because this guy was free, just going from town to town helping people, meeting people, but it was all so simple then our generation thought we could save the world. You live on Michael, live on brother.

JimBronson.com started its evolution in late 2007, living and working in Japan, I noticed on the Japanese television one day the TV series Then Came Bronson. I suddenly was swept back to 1969 when I was 18 and saw the show, bought a bike and tried to live out the Bronson mystique that summer. Also in 2007 I was learning how to build websites and launched a page for TCB, and met Greg and Billy, now charter members of Bronson's Garage. From that time forward Peter, Bill, Tom, Don, David and Jim have been inducted into the Garage, and we have become friends with Jerry who painted the original bikes and Birney, the man whom Bronson's life and adventures were based. We have celebrated the 40th & 41st Anniversary of TCB, with reunions of Bronson's Garage members at various locations. Our You Tube channel is as populated with nostalgia as JB.com. Come back in time and recapture your youth and enjoy the TV show that inspired us to ride. Until then you hang in there and we'll see ya on the long lonesome highway! - Mike's Bike (Webmaster JB.com)

I remember when I saw this movie, it must have been around 1980, and me and my sister were baby sitting for my elder sisters kid. I must have been around 12, and I thought, "this guy is sooo cool". It's funny how it came back into my head, 'cos I was listening to Johnny Cash singing "Wayfaring Stranger", and I instantly remembered this song from the movie, all those years ago. Don't know what I'd think about it now if I saw it, but it says something that the memory has lasted so long in my head.

When I heard the name Michael Parks in "Kill Bill 2", I said I know that name, and a motorcycle image was in my mind. Of course, he is now 150 years old and resembles nothing like the young kid 'Brando' image I had.

"Along came Bronson" was that 1969 kid I had in mind.

It was the year I joined the Air Force and later (1971) went to Vietnam. Michael Parks' name rang an old bell today, in 2005,in this person's mind and I had to look up his name at Yahoo to complete my search and prove my theory.

Thank God for the Internet and for postings like this site!