Neville Brand
Encyclopedia
Neville Brand was an American television and movie
actor.
, he helped support the family while employed as a soda jerk
, waiter, and shoe salesman in Kewanee. He entered the Illinois Army National Guard
on October 23, 1939 as a private in Company F, 129th Infantry Regiment. Enlisted as Corporal Neville L. Brand infantryman on March 5, 1941, he was listed as being six feet tall and weighing 169 pounds.
in World War II seeing action with the 331st Infantry Regiment of the 83rd Infantry Division (Thunderbolt Division) in the Ardennes
, Rhineland
, and Central European campaigns. Brand, a sergeant and platoon leader, was wounded in action along the Weser River
on April 7, 1945. His upper right arm was hit by a bullet, and he nearly bled to death. He was discharged from service in October 1945.
He worked on a 1946 U.S. Army Signal Corps film with Charlton Heston
, and next settled in Greenwich Village
and enrolled at the American Theater Wing, working off Broadway, including Jean-Paul Sartre
's The Victors. He also attended the Geller Drama School in Los Angeles on the G.I. Bill.
According to the IMDb
, the claim that he was the fourth most decorated soldier (actor Audie Murphy being the first) is often repeated but is incorrect, though that same article does list many decorations that he did receive. These include a Silver Star
, Purple Heart
, Good Conduct Medal
, American Defense Service Medal
, the European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (with three Service Star
s), American Campaign Medal
, World War II Victory Medal
, one Service stripe
, and the Combat Infantryman Badge
.
In a November 1979 interview with author William R. Horner for his book Bad at the Bijou, Brand admitted to battles with drugs and alcohol.
(1950) as a henchman named Chester. He became well known as a villain when he killed the character played by Elvis Presley
in Love Me Tender
. He has the distinction of being the first actor to portray outlaw Butch Cassidy
in the film Three Outlaws, opposite Alan Hale, Jr.
as the Sundance Kid. Though not the big-budget romp the later Paul Newman-Robert Redford film was, both Brand's Cassidy and Hale's Kid are played as likable outlaws, a rare change from Brand's typecasting as a murderous psycho. He played the villain in so many movies, his self-image became affected, culminating in a television interview on Entertainment Tonight
with the actor moving about in agitation repeating, "I'm a loser. I'm a loser."
However, Brand played a very romantic lead in the movie Return from the Sea with Jan Sterling
and a heartwarming character who was brain damage
d and misunderstood in an episode of the TV show Daniel Boone
. He played Hoss Cartwright's (Dan Blocker
) Swedish uncle "Gunnar Borgstrom" on Bonanza
in the episode "The Last Viking". He also played U.S. Navy Lieutenant Kaminsky, ignored as he tried to warn his commander of the opening skirmish in Tora! Tora! Tora!
, who later waves his arms at the Pearl Harbor
carnage, exclaiming to a shocked Captain John B. Earle (Richard Anderson
) "Sir, THERE'S your confirmation!"
Of the hundreds of roles he played, he is probably most well known as Al Capone
in the TV show The Untouchables
and again in the movie The George Raft Story
. The characterization caused an outcry from the Italian American
community over stereotype
s.
Many will remember him as Bull Ransom, the prison guard of Birdman of Alcatraz
, and as the antagonistic and untrusting, yet dedicated POW
, "Duke", in Stalag 17
.
Known also for his cowboy
roles, he appeared twice on the long running TV western The Virginian
, he then went on to star as Reese Bennet in the television series, Laredo
, with William Smith
, Peter Brown
, and Philip Carey
. Laredo was a spinoff
series from The Virginian. One of the most heart-rending scenes on television showed Brand's character, Reese waiting in torment when he realizes he has been stood up by the love of his life. In another episode, the gruff and dusty Reese has an immaculate and proper lookalike that confounds the other Texas Rangers
. The producers suspended Brand from Laredo due to his heavy drinking and problems between directors and co-stars. Brand admitted "I missed a lot of days I should have been on the set and wasn’t."
In his memoir, actor Bruce Dern
said that "Neville Brand was the baddest guy I’ve ever met in the business. Second baddest was Audie Murphy
". Actress Coleen Gray
described him as "the steely-eyed, evil person of all time... he was mean." She also said "...he was a nice person, and an intelligent person."
Actress Roberta Collins accused him of date rape but did not press charges.
Brand co-starred with George Takei
in "The Encounter
", an episode of the original Twilight Zone
series. Ironically, Brand, a genuine decorated veteran, portrays a phony war hero, a coward who obtained his prize trophy (a Japanese soldier's sword) by murdering a Japanese officer after he had surrendered. After its initial airing, "Encounter" triggered complaints from Japanese-Americans due to the backstory of the character played by Takei: he portrays a Nisei
(the U.S.-born son of Japanese immigrants) whose father spied for the Japanese navy during the Pearl Harbor
attack. Although "Encounter" is a taut drama with excellent performances by Brand and Takei, this historical inaccuracy (and the complaints it engendered) has caused this episode to be omitted from syndicated broadcasts of The Twilight Zone. (This episode, in three parts, is available for view on YouTube.)
Brand was also an insatiable reader, who amassed a collection of 30,000 books over the years, many of which were destroyed in a 1978 fire at his Malibu home.
Neville Brand died from emphysema
at Sutter General Hospital
in Sacramento, California
in 1992. He was cremated and his remains are interred in a niche of the Morning Glory Room at East Lawn Memorial Park in Sacramento.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
actor.
Early life
Neville Brand was born in Illinois. He was born to Leo and Helen Brand as one of seven children. Leo, was an electrician and bridge building steel worker in Detroit, where Neville was raised. After high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, he helped support the family while employed as a soda jerk
Soda jerk
A soda jerk was a person — typically a youth — who operated the soda fountain in a drugstore, often for the purpose of preparing and serving ice cream soda. This was made by putting flavored syrup into a specially designed tall glass, adding carbonated water and, finally, one or two scoops of ice...
, waiter, and shoe salesman in Kewanee. He entered the Illinois Army National Guard
Illinois Army National Guard
The Illinois Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
on October 23, 1939 as a private in Company F, 129th Infantry Regiment. Enlisted as Corporal Neville L. Brand infantryman on March 5, 1941, he was listed as being six feet tall and weighing 169 pounds.
World War II
He trained at Fort Carson, and served nine months and nineteen days in the U.S. ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in World War II seeing action with the 331st Infantry Regiment of the 83rd Infantry Division (Thunderbolt Division) in the Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
, Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
, and Central European campaigns. Brand, a sergeant and platoon leader, was wounded in action along the Weser River
Weser River
The Weser is a river in north-western Germany. Formed at Hann. Münden by the Fulda and Werra, it flows through Lower Saxony, then reaching the historic port city of Bremen before emptying into the North Sea 50 km further north at Bremerhaven, which is also a seaport...
on April 7, 1945. His upper right arm was hit by a bullet, and he nearly bled to death. He was discharged from service in October 1945.
He worked on a 1946 U.S. Army Signal Corps film with Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
, and next settled in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
and enrolled at the American Theater Wing, working off Broadway, including Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
's The Victors. He also attended the Geller Drama School in Los Angeles on the G.I. Bill.
According to the IMDb
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
, the claim that he was the fourth most decorated soldier (actor Audie Murphy being the first) is often repeated but is incorrect, though that same article does list many decorations that he did receive. These include a Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
, Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
, Good Conduct Medal
Good Conduct Medal
The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military awards of the United States military. The Navy Good Conduct Medal was first issued in 1869, followed by a Marine version in 1896. The Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal was issued in 1923 and the Army Good Conduct Medal in 1941. The Air Force was...
, American Defense Service Medal
American Defense Service Medal
The American Defense Service Medal is a decoration of the United States military, recognizing service before America’s entry into the Second World War but during the initial years of the European conflict.-Criteria:...
, the European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (with three Service Star
Service star
A service star, also referred to as a battle star, campaign star, or engagement star, is an attachment to a United States military decoration which denotes participation in military campaigns or multiple bestowals of the same award. Service stars are typically issued for campaign medals, service...
s), American Campaign Medal
American Campaign Medal
The American Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
, World War II Victory Medal
World War II Victory Medal
The World War II Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created by an act of Congress in July 1945. The decoration commemorates military service during World War II and is awarded to any member of the United States military, including members of the armed forces of...
, one Service stripe
Service stripe
A service stripe, commonly called a hash mark, is a decoration of the United States military which is presented to enlisted members of the U.S. military to denote length of service. The United States Army awards each stripe for three years service, while the United States Navy, United States...
, and the Combat Infantryman Badge
Combat Infantryman Badge
The Combat Infantryman Badge is the U.S. Army combat service recognition decoration awarded to soldiers—enlisted men and officers holding colonel rank or below, who personally fought in active ground combat while an assigned member of either an infantry or a Special Forces unit, of brigade size...
.
In a November 1979 interview with author William R. Horner for his book Bad at the Bijou, Brand admitted to battles with drugs and alcohol.
Acting career
Brand started his big screen career in D.O.A.D.O.A. (1950 film)
D.O.A. , a film noir drama film directed by Rudolph Maté, is considered a classic of the genre. The frantically paced plot revolves around a doomed man's quest to find out who has poisoned him – and why – before he dies.Leo C...
(1950) as a henchman named Chester. He became well known as a villain when he killed the character played by Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
in Love Me Tender
Love Me Tender (1956 film)
Love Me Tender is a 1956 American black-and-white CinemaScope motion picture directed by Robert D. Webb, and released by 20th Century Fox on November 21, 1956. The film, named after the song, stars Richard Egan, Debra Paget, and Elvis Presley in his film debut. It is in the Western genre with...
. He has the distinction of being the first actor to portray outlaw Butch Cassidy
Butch Cassidy
Robert LeRoy Parker , better known as Butch Cassidy, was a notorious American train robber, bank robber, and leader of the Wild Bunch Gang in the American Old West...
in the film Three Outlaws, opposite Alan Hale, Jr.
Alan Hale, Jr.
Alan Hale, Jr. was an American film and television actor, best known for his role as Skipper on the popular sitcom Gilligan's Island. Hale was the lookalike son of popular supporting film actor Alan Hale, Sr....
as the Sundance Kid. Though not the big-budget romp the later Paul Newman-Robert Redford film was, both Brand's Cassidy and Hale's Kid are played as likable outlaws, a rare change from Brand's typecasting as a murderous psycho. He played the villain in so many movies, his self-image became affected, culminating in a television interview on Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
with the actor moving about in agitation repeating, "I'm a loser. I'm a loser."
However, Brand played a very romantic lead in the movie Return from the Sea with Jan Sterling
Jan Sterling
Jan Sterling was an American actress.Most active in films during the 1950s, Sterling received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The High and the Mighty , and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the same performance...
and a heartwarming character who was brain damage
Brain damage
"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
d and misunderstood in an episode of the TV show Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone (TV series)
Daniel Boone is an American action/adventure television series starring Fess Parker as Daniel Boone that aired from September 24, 1964 to September 10, 1970 on NBC for 165 episodes, and was made by 20th Century Fox Television. Ed Ames co-starred as Mingo, Boone's Native American friend, for the...
. He played Hoss Cartwright's (Dan Blocker
Dan Blocker
Dan Blocker was an American actor best remembered for his role as Eric "Hoss" Cartwright in the NBC western television series Bonanza.-Early life:...
) Swedish uncle "Gunnar Borgstrom" on Bonanza
Bonanza
Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
in the episode "The Last Viking". He also played U.S. Navy Lieutenant Kaminsky, ignored as he tried to warn his commander of the opening skirmish in Tora! Tora! Tora!
Tora! Tora! Tora!
is a 1970 American-Japanese war film that dramatizes the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, to the extent these facts were known at the time of production. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and stars an all-star cast, including So Yamamura, E.G...
, who later waves his arms at the Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
carnage, exclaiming to a shocked Captain John B. Earle (Richard Anderson
Richard Anderson
Richard Norman Anderson is an American actor in film and television, known to TV audiences as Steve Austin's and Jaime Sommers' boss, Oscar Goldman, in both The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman TV series and their three subsequent TV movies: The Return of the Six-Million-Dollar Man...
) "Sir, THERE'S your confirmation!"
Of the hundreds of roles he played, he is probably most well known as Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
in the TV show The Untouchables
The Untouchables (1959 TV series)
The Untouchables is an American crime drama that ran from 1959 to 1963 on ABC. Based on the memoir of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, it fictionalized the experiences of Eliot Ness, a real-life Prohibition agent, as he fought crime in Chicago during the 1930s with the help of a...
and again in the movie The George Raft Story
The George Raft Story (film)
The George Raft Story is a fictionalized 1961 movie biography of former top Hollywood film star George Raft. Ray Danton portrays Raft and the film was directed by Joseph M. Newman...
. The characterization caused an outcry from the Italian American
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
community over stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
s.
Many will remember him as Bull Ransom, the prison guard of Birdman of Alcatraz
Birdman of Alcatraz (film)
Birdman of Alcatraz is a 1962 film starring Burt Lancaster and directed by John Frankenheimer. It is a fictionalized version of the life of Robert Stroud, a federal prison inmate known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz" because of his life with birds. In spite of the title, much of the action is set at...
, and as the antagonistic and untrusting, yet dedicated POW
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, "Duke", in Stalag 17
Stalag 17
Stalag 17 is a 1953 war film which tells the story of a group of American airmen held in a German World War II prisoner of war camp, who come to suspect that one of their number is a traitor...
.
Known also for his cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
roles, he appeared twice on the long running TV western The Virginian
The Virginian (TV series)
The Virginian is an American Western television series starring James Drury and Doug McClure, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television's first 90-minute western series...
, he then went on to star as Reese Bennet in the television series, Laredo
Laredo (TV series)
Laredo is an NBC Western television series starring Neville Brand, William Smith, Peter Brown, and Philip Carey as Texas Rangers. The program premiered on September 16, 1965, and the final new episode was broadcast on April 7, 1967. The series was produced by Universal Television.-Synopsis:Laredo...
, with William Smith
William Smith (actor)
William Smith is an American actor who has appeared in almost 300 feature films and television productions.Smith began his acting career at the age of 8 in 1942...
, Peter Brown
Peter Brown (actor)
Peter Brown is an American television actor known for his role as Deputy Johnny McKay opposite John Russell in the 1958 Warner Bros. western series Lawman.-Early life:...
, and Philip Carey
Philip Carey
-Biography:He was born as Eugene Joseph Carey in Hackensack, New Jersey. A former U.S. Marine, Carey was wounded as part of the ship's detachment of the USS Franklin during World War II and served again in the Korean War....
. Laredo was a spinoff
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
series from The Virginian. One of the most heart-rending scenes on television showed Brand's character, Reese waiting in torment when he realizes he has been stood up by the love of his life. In another episode, the gruff and dusty Reese has an immaculate and proper lookalike that confounds the other Texas Rangers
Texas Ranger Division
The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
. The producers suspended Brand from Laredo due to his heavy drinking and problems between directors and co-stars. Brand admitted "I missed a lot of days I should have been on the set and wasn’t."
In his memoir, actor Bruce Dern
Bruce Dern
Bruce MacLeish Dern is an American film actor. He also appeared as a guest star in numerous television shows. He frequently takes roles as a character actor, often playing unstable and villainous characters...
said that "Neville Brand was the baddest guy I’ve ever met in the business. Second baddest was Audie Murphy
Audie Murphy
Audie Leon Murphy was a highly decorated and famous soldier. Through LIFE magazine's July 16, 1945 issue , he became one the most famous soldiers of World War II and widely regarded as the most decorated American soldier of the war...
". Actress Coleen Gray
Coleen Gray
Coleen Gray is an American movie and television actress born in Staplehurst, Nebraska. She is known for her roles in the films Nightmare Alley , Red River , in which she played John Wayne's fiancée, and Stanley Kubrick's The Killing .-Early career:Born Doris Jensen, Gray was a farmer's daughter...
described him as "the steely-eyed, evil person of all time... he was mean." She also said "...he was a nice person, and an intelligent person."
Actress Roberta Collins accused him of date rape but did not press charges.
Brand co-starred with George Takei
George Takei
George Hosato Takei Altman is an American actor, author, social activist and former civil politician. He is best known for his role in the television series Star Trek and its film spinoffs, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the...
in "The Encounter
The Encounter
"The Encounter" is an episode of the American television series The Twilight Zone. First broadcast May 1, 1964, its racial overtones caused it to be withheld from syndication in the US.-Synopsis:...
", an episode of the original Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
series. Ironically, Brand, a genuine decorated veteran, portrays a phony war hero, a coward who obtained his prize trophy (a Japanese soldier's sword) by murdering a Japanese officer after he had surrendered. After its initial airing, "Encounter" triggered complaints from Japanese-Americans due to the backstory of the character played by Takei: he portrays a Nisei
Nisei
During the early years of World War II, Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated from their homes in the Pacific coast states because military leaders and public opinion combined to fan unproven fears of sabotage...
(the U.S.-born son of Japanese immigrants) whose father spied for the Japanese navy during the Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
attack. Although "Encounter" is a taut drama with excellent performances by Brand and Takei, this historical inaccuracy (and the complaints it engendered) has caused this episode to be omitted from syndicated broadcasts of The Twilight Zone. (This episode, in three parts, is available for view on YouTube.)
Personal life
Brand's personal life was complicated. He was married three times — Jean Enfield (one daughter Mary Raymer, marriage ended in divorce in 1955), Laura Rae Araujo (married in Mexico April 6, 1957, two daughters Michelle Beuttel and Katrina, divorced in Los Angeles June 1969). His third wife was Ramona. It is possible his marriages to Laura and Ramona overlapped. Obituaries mention a wife named Mae Brand. He was survived by a brother, Bryce; and two sisters, Babara Byrne and Louise Turngren.Brand was also an insatiable reader, who amassed a collection of 30,000 books over the years, many of which were destroyed in a 1978 fire at his Malibu home.
Neville Brand died from emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
at Sutter General Hospital
Sutter General Hospital
Sutter General Hospital, part of the Sutter Health network, is located in midtown Sacramento next to the historic Sutter's Fort State Park. It is also directly adjacent to the Capital City Freeway . The hospital is housed in a five-story building...
in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
in 1992. He was cremated and his remains are interred in a niche of the Morning Glory Room at East Lawn Memorial Park in Sacramento.
Films
- D.O.A.D.O.A. (1950 film)D.O.A. , a film noir drama film directed by Rudolph Maté, is considered a classic of the genre. The frantically paced plot revolves around a doomed man's quest to find out who has poisoned him – and why – before he dies.Leo C...
(1950) - Halls of MontezumaHalls of Montezuma (film)Halls of Montezuma is a 1951 World War II war film starring Richard Widmark, Jack Palance and Karl Malden. The film, which is about U.S. marines fighting on a Japanese-held island, was directed by academy-award winner Lewis Milestone. It also starred Robert Wagner in his first credited screen role...
(1951) - Only the ValiantOnly the ValiantOnly the Valiant is a 1951 western film produced by William Cagney , directed by Gordon Douglas and starring Gregory Peck and Barbara Payton. The screenplay was written by Edmund H...
(1951) - The MobThe Mob (film)The Mob is a 1951 crime thriller film, considered film noir, starring Broderick Crawford as a hard-nosed cop who infiltrates the Mob in order to bust their illegal dockyard activities. Actor Charles Bronson makes one of his first film appearances as a longshoreman...
(1951) - Kansas City Confidential (1952)
- The Turning PointThe Turning Point (1952 film)The Turning Point is a 1952 crime syndicate drama starring Edmond O'Brien. It's based on Horace McCoy's novel "Storm in the City" and inspired by the Kefauver Committee hearings.-Plot:...
(1952) - Stalag 17Stalag 17Stalag 17 is a 1953 war film which tells the story of a group of American airmen held in a German World War II prisoner of war camp, who come to suspect that one of their number is a traitor...
(1953) - Gun FuryGun FuryGun Fury is a 1953 western film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Rock Hudson and Donna Reed. The film is based on the novel Ten Against Caesar by Kathleen B. George and Robert A. Granger...
(1953) - The Charge at Feather RiverThe Charge at Feather RiverThe Charge at Feather River is a 1953 Western film directed by Gordon Douglas, was originally released in 3D with lots of arrows, lances, and other weapons flying directly at the audience in several scenes....
(1953) - The Man from the AlamoThe Man from the AlamoThe Man From the Alamo is a Technicolor Western directed by Budd Boetticher, starring Glenn Ford, Julie Adams, Hugh O'Brian, and Guy Williams .-Plot synopsis:...
(1953) - Riot in Cell Block 11Riot in Cell Block 11Riot in Cell Block 11 is a 1954 drama film starring Neville Brand and Leo Gordon. It was directed by Don Siegel, based on the screenplay by Richard Collins.-Plot:...
(1954) - Return from the Sea (1954)
- The ProdigalThe ProdigalThe Prodigal is a 1955 Biblical epic film made by MGM. It was directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Charles Schnee.The Maurice Zimm screenplay was adapted by Joseph Breen, Jr. and Samuel James Larsen from the New Testament story of the selfish son who leaves his family in search of riches...
(1955) - MohawkMohawk (film)Mohawk is a 1956 Pathécolor drama directed by Kurt Neumann, starring Scott Brady and Rita Gam. Jonathan Adams is an 18th century Boston artist, sent to Mohawk Valley to paint landscapes and portraits of Native Americans.-Cast:...
(1956) - Gun Brothers (1956)
- Three Outlaws (1956)
- Love Me TenderLove Me Tender (1956 film)Love Me Tender is a 1956 American black-and-white CinemaScope motion picture directed by Robert D. Webb, and released by 20th Century Fox on November 21, 1956. The film, named after the song, stars Richard Egan, Debra Paget, and Elvis Presley in his film debut. It is in the Western genre with...
(1956) - The Tin StarThe Tin StarThe Tin Star was first a short story then a movie American western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins, in one of Perkins' first roles. The film became one of the few low budget westerns to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Writing, Story or Screenplay...
(1957) - Cry Terror!Cry Terror!Cry Terror! is a 1958 thriller film starring James Mason, Inger Stevens, and Rod Steiger.-Plot:An innocent family gets caught in the middle when a gang threatens to blow up an airplane unless a ransom is paid.-Cast:*James Mason as Jim Molner...
(1958) - Five Gates to Hell (1959)
- The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960 film)The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a 1960 film directed by Michael Curtiz.Based on the famous Mark Twain novel of the same name, it was the third sound film version of the story and the second filmed by MGM...
(1960) - The Last SunsetThe Last Sunset (film)The Last Sunset is a 1961 western movie starring Rock Hudson, Kirk Douglas, Dorothy Malone and directed by Robert Aldrich.The film was released by Universal studios, shot in Eastman color...
(1961) - Birdman of AlcatrazBirdman of Alcatraz (film)Birdman of Alcatraz is a 1962 film starring Burt Lancaster and directed by John Frankenheimer. It is a fictionalized version of the life of Robert Stroud, a federal prison inmate known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz" because of his life with birds. In spite of the title, much of the action is set at...
(1962) - That Darn Cat!That Darn Cat!That Darn Cat! is a 1965 American Walt Disney Productions feature film starring Hayley Mills and Dean Jones, starring in his first film for Disney in a story about bank robbers, a kidnapping and a mischievous cat. The film was based on the book Undercover Cat by Gordon and Mildred Gordon and was...
(1965) - The DesperadosThe DesperadosThe Desperados is a 1969 western film directed by Henry Levin. The film stars Vince Edwards and Jack Palance.-Plot:A ruthless preacher, Parson Josiah Galt, leads a band of Southern marauders during the Civil War that includes his sons, David, Adam and Jacob...
(1969) - Tora! Tora! Tora!Tora! Tora! Tora!is a 1970 American-Japanese war film that dramatizes the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, to the extent these facts were known at the time of production. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and stars an all-star cast, including So Yamamura, E.G...
(1970) - Cahill U.S. MarshalCahill U.S. MarshalCahill U.S. Marshal is a 1973 American Western film in Technicolor. It stars John Wayne as a driven lawman in a black hat. The movie was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and filmed on location in Durango, Mexico.-Plot:...
(1973) - The Deadly TrackersThe Deadly TrackersThe Deadly Trackers is a 1973 American western film directed by Barry Shear and starring Richard Harris, Rod Taylor and Al Lettieri. It is based on the novel Riata by Samuel Fuller.-Plot:...
(1973) - ScalawagScalawag (film)Scalawag is a 1973 film directed by Kirk Douglas, his first of two films directed, the other being Posse.-Cast:*Kirk Douglas as Peg*Mark Lester as Jamie*Neville Brand as Brimstone / Mudhook*George Eastman as Don Aragon*Don Stroud as Velvet...
(1973) - Killdozer! (1974) (TV)
- Eaten AliveEaten AliveEaten Alive is a 1977 horror film directed by Tobe Hooper...
(1977) - Captains Courageous (1977) (TV)
- The Ninth ConfigurationThe Ninth ConfigurationThe Ninth Configuration, is an American-made film, released in 1980, directed by William Peter Blatty...
(1980) - Without WarningWithout Warning (1980 film)Without Warning is a 1980 science fiction horror film starring Jack Palance, Martin Landau, Tarah Nutter, and Kevin Peter Hall , directed by Greydon Clark...
(1980) - Evils of the NightEvils of the NightEvils of the Night is a 1985 low-budget science fiction/"porno horror" film starring Aldo Ray, Neville Brand, Tina Louise, John Carradine, and Julie Newmar.-Plot:...
(1985)
Television
- Appointment with AdventureAppointment with AdventureAppointment with Adventure is a half-hour adventure/dramatic anthology television series broadcast live on CBS from 1955-1956. The program has no host. It aired at 10 p.m...
(1955) - TightropeTightrope (TV series)Tightrope is an American crime drama series that aired on CBS from September 1959 to September 1960. Produced by Russell Rouse and Clarence Greene in association with Screen Gems, the series stars Mike Connors as an undercover agent named "Nick" who was assigned to infiltrate criminal gangs...
(1959) - The UntouchablesThe Untouchables (1959 TV series)The Untouchables is an American crime drama that ran from 1959 to 1963 on ABC. Based on the memoir of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, it fictionalized the experiences of Eliot Ness, a real-life Prohibition agent, as he fought crime in Chicago during the 1930s with the help of a...
(1959–1961) - The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
episode "The Encounter" (1964) - LaredoLaredo (TV series)Laredo is an NBC Western television series starring Neville Brand, William Smith, Peter Brown, and Philip Carey as Texas Rangers. The program premiered on September 16, 1965, and the final new episode was broadcast on April 7, 1967. The series was produced by Universal Television.-Synopsis:Laredo...
(1965–1967) - BonanzaBonanzaBonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
(November,1960–December,1971 episodes: The Last Viking, The Luck of Pepper Shannon, The Rattlesnake Brigade) - Alias Smith & Jones (1971)
- The QuestThe Quest (TV series)The Quest, a 15-episode Western television series which aired on NBC beginning September 22, 1976, starring Kurt Russell and Tim Matheson.-Overview:...
(1976) - Combat! (TV Series) (1964)
External links
- Neville Brand: Setting the Record Straight by Robert E. Witter