''Branded'' is a 1950 American

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film starring Alan Ladd,

Mona Freeman Monica Elizabeth "Mona" Freeman (June 9, 1926 – May 23, 2014) was an American actress and painter. Early years Freeman was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and grew up in Pelham, New York. A lumberman's daughter, she was a model while in hig ...

Charles Bickford Charles Ambrose Bickford (January 1, 1891 – November 9, 1967) was an American actor known for supporting roles. He was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for '' The Song of Bernadette'' (1943), '' The F ...

, and Robert Keith. It was adapted from the novel ''Montana Rides'' by

Max Brand Frederick Schiller Faust (May 29, 1892 – May 12, 1944) was an American writer known primarily for his Western (genre), Western stories using the pseudonym Max Brand. He (as Max Brand) also created the popular fictional character of young ...

under pen name Evan Evans. A gunfighter on the run from the law is talked into posing as the long-lost son of a wealthy rancher.

Plot

Choya ( Alan Ladd), a gunfighter on the run, is tracked down by cowboys Leffingwell ( Robert Keith) and "Tattoo" (John Berkes) in the mountains. They make him a part of a scheme to bilk a rich rancher named Lavery (

). The plan requires a tattoo on Choya's shoulder, but as soon as "Tattoo" creates one, Leffingwell shoots him in the back. Choya rides to Lavery's Bar M ranch and asks foreman Ransome (

Tom Tully Thomas Kane Tulley (August 21, 1908 – April 27, 1982) was an American actor. He began his career in radio and on the stage before making his film debut in ''Northern Pursuit'' (1943). Subsequently, he was nominated for an Academy Award for hi ...

) for a job, but does not get it. While they fight, Lavery and daughter Ruth (

) ride up. Lavery feels the ranch could use another good hand, so Choya is hired. Ruth tells the new man how her 5-year-old brother was a kidnap victim many years ago, never seen again. One day, Lavery notices the tattoo and is amazed because his long-lost son had one just like it. Choya pretends it is a coincidence, but tells a story about a childhood memory that convinces Mr. and Mrs. Lavery that he is "Richard, Jr." Leffingwell turns up and is hired at the ranch. His plot is to kill Lavery so that Choya can inherit the ranch. A guilt-ridden Choya offers him an alternative, stealing Lavery's stock on a cattle roundup. Ruth rides along. Choya likes her so he double-crosses Leffingwell and has the cattle money deposited in the Laverys' account in an

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

bank. He also learns that Leffingwell is the one who kidnapped the kid, only to have a Mexican bandit named Rubriz (

Joseph Calleia Joseph Calleia ( ; born Joseph Alexander Caesar Herstall Vincent Calleja, August 4, 1897 – October 31, 1975) was a Maltese-born American actor and singer on the stage and in films, radio and television. After serving in the British Transport ...

) snatch the boy away. He confesses to Ruth and leaves the ranch. Choya crosses the border and finds Lavery's son has been raised by Rubriz under the name Tonio. He persuades Tonio to return to his real home. Rubriz has raised the boy as his own son, and stung by his apparent betrayal, sends his men after them. Tonio is wounded by Rubriz’ men as he and Choya are riding off. Leffingwell also gives chase, but is killed in a stampede. Choya and Tonio are trapped just on the Texas side of the Rio Grande but are rescued just in time by Lavery and Ransome. Rubriz comes to the ranch with his men to kill them, but is disarmed by Choya. Choya convinces him that Tonio did not betray him. Rubriz has a change of heart and tells Lavery that Tonio should stay with the Lavery family until he has recovered from his wound, and Lavery agrees Rubriz can visit anytime. Choya plans to ride off for good, but Ruth follows him and tells him that if he is leaving, she is going with him. She joins him on his horse, they kiss, and Choya heads his horse back toward the ranch house.

Cast

* Alan Ladd as Choya *

as Ruth Lavery *

as Mr. Richard Lavery * Robert Keith as T. Jefferson Leffingwell *

as Rubriz * Peter Hansen as Tonio *

Selena Royle Selena Royle (November 6, 1904 – April 23, 1983) was an American actress (of stage, radio, television and film), and later, an author. Early life and career Actress Royle was born in New York City to playwright Edwin Milton Royle and actress ...

as Mrs. Lavery *

as Ransom * John Berkes as Tattoo * Milburn Stone as Dawson * Martin Garralaga as Hernandez * Paul Featherstone as Cowhand #1

Production

Original novel

The film was based on the 1933 novel ''Montana Rides''. It was written by

as Evan Evans. (The year before, RKO had released a Tom Keene Western called ''Montana Rides'' but the plot was different.) The novel concerned a gunman, Montana, aka Arizona Kid, aka Mexico Kid, who impersonates the missing son of cattle magnate Richard Lavery. It turns out the real son is raised by a local outlaw, Meteo Rubriz. ''The New York Times'' called it "an exceptionally absorbing an exciting tale." The ''Los Angeles Times'' called it a "swinging, lilting Western... written with incredibly quiet savagery." The novel was so popular it led to a sequel, ''Montana Rides Again''. In this, the Montana Kid is lured into Mexico by bandit Mateo Rubriz and Friar Pacaul, who decide to steal an emerald from the governor which had been looted from a church.

Development

In 1948

Hedda Hopper Hedda Hopper (born Elda Furry; May 2, 1885February 1, 1966) was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, her readership was 35 million. A strong supporter of the House Un-American Activities Committ ...

announced that

Winston Miller Winston Miller (June 22, 1910 – June 21, 1994) was an American screenwriter, film producer, and actor. He wrote for more than 60 films and television shows between 1936 and 1976. He began as an actor in silent films, appearing in eleven fi ...

sold the story to Paramount, who would make it as a vehicle for Alan Ladd, with Miller to write the script and Robert Fellows to produce.

Leslie Fenton Leslie Fenton (12 March 1902 – 25 March 1978) was an English actor and film director. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1923 and 1945. Early life Fenton was born on 12 March 1902 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. He emigrated to ...

was originally set to direct. Fenton was then assigned to make ''The Jewell'', so the film was handed to

Rudolph Maté Rudolph Maté (born Rudolf Mayer; 21 January 1898 – 27 October 1964) was a Polish-Hungarian-American cinematographer, film director and film producer who worked as cameraman and cinematographer in Hungary, Austria, Germany, France and the Unite ...

Mel Epstein Mel Epstein (March 25, 1910 in Dayton, Ohio – December 14, 1994) was an American film director and producer. He produced several films, including '' Secret of the Incas'' and ''Alaska Seas''. He also produced episodes of the 1961 televisio ...

became the producer. In March 1950 the film was retitled ''Branded''.

Shooting

The movie was mostly shot on location in Arizona, in the border country near

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civi ...

. Locations included Salt River Canyon, in the

Dragoon Mountains The Dragoon Mountains are a range of mountains located in Cochise County, Arizona. The range is about 25 mi (40 km) long, running on an axis extending south-south east through Willcox. The name originates from the 3rd U.S. Cavalry Drag ...

, at the Slaughter Ranch and

Cave Creek Canyon A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea c ...

References

External links

* * * *
Review of film
at

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

{{Rudolph Maté 1950 films American historical films Films about farmers Films scored by Roy Webb Films based on American novels Films based on Western (genre) novels Films set on farms 1950 Western (genre) films 1950s historical films Paramount Pictures films American Western (genre) films 1950s English-language films Revisionist Western (genre) films 1950s American films