Branded

Rancher Charles Bickford comes to believe that drifter Alan Ladd is his long-lost son. In truth, Ladd is a crook, in league with Brian Keith to con Bickford out of his fortune. Intending to go through with the scheme, Ladd has second thoughts when Bickford and his “mother” Selena Royle shower him with the familial affection that he has lacked all his life. Making Ladd even more uncomfortable is the presence of his “sister” Mona Freeman, whom he has grown to love in a manner that might be misconstrued were he really related to her. Fed up with his masquerade, Ladd confesses the hoax and sets about to find Bickford’s real son-who turns out to be the foster son of bandit Keith! This psychological western plays much better than it reads. For reasons unknown, a clip of Branded showed up in the 1977 Burt Reynolds vehicle Hustle., Alan Ladd plays a con artist who poses as a long-lost son to gain wealth. Ruth: Mona Freeman. Lavery: Charles Bickford. Leffingwell: Robert Keith. Ransome: Tom Tully. Rubriz: Joseph Calleia. Directed by Rudolph Mate., Western adapted from a Max Brand’s novel about an outlaw gunfighter who is convinced to pose as the long-lost son of a rich rancher, so he could inherit his ranch and fortune., Twenty years ago, seven men were involved in a murder. Some are now respectable citizens and no one knows about their past until one by one they are scalped and killed. Now the homicide team has to find the serial killer. Stars award-winner, Peter Lohmeyer.