It's a rainy day so I thought I'd provide a little entertainment. My buddy and I were recently discussing the old TV series, Then Came Bronson. Both in our teens at the time, we yearned to be Bronson, riding our Sporty's across the country, encountering numerous characters and the usual damsels in distress. Wow, to just hop on your bike and explore the country. It was bliss we were certain.
So, I thought I'd do a little research into the series and share a few nuggets with the class. Just to start things off, here's the series promo from NBC, and it's "In Color"! I don't remember, but were any shows still in B&W in 1969? Anyway, what's interesting is that the sound of the bike is not a Harley but some Jap bike. Madness!!!
Next we have the TCB opening. "Man, I wish I was you", laments the dude in the car. Man, we all did.....we all did.
There was a pilot movie that aired on March 24, 1969. Here's the writeup from TV Guide. "Then Came Bronson" (1969), the adventures of Jim Bronson, a man leaving his San Francisco past to search for meaning in life. On his motorcycle, Bronson heads south, joined at Big Sur by another searching soul - a runaway bride who elects to share his wandering quest. Filmed on location, this is the pilot for a fall series. (Two hours)
In this clip from the pilot, Bronson (Michael Parks) is on a beach when he sees a young girl in a wedding dress (Bonnie Bedelia) running toward the water. He watches as she takes off her ring and removes her dress. They stare at each other for a moment and then she runs off in her underwear. Weird. Hopefully she has some more clothes stashed somewhere. Interestingly, there was a second version of the pilot that was shot for "foreign release" that showed Bonnie in this scene topless. Unfortunately, I have been unable to locate that version as I always thought she was pretty hot. Bob Justman was the producer and here's a quote from him about that scene and how the "Eye of God" on the gas tank came about.
"There was never a "reshoot" of the bare breasted Bonnie Bedelia. There were always two versions: the first with Bonnie clad in the wedding dress and the second bare breasted, for a "foreign" version. We shot the 2 different versions on the same beach and same time. I should know because I was the producer of both the opening 2 hour movie and as well as all 26 episodes of the series. (Incidentially, I came up with the "eye of God" symbol for the Harley "sportster" gas tank. I sketched it out for Gabe, our art director on the 2-hour version and he refined it and printed a number of stick-ons for me. I still have a few left after all these years." - Bob Justman 11-18-2003
Here's some info on the Sporty's used in the series.
The motorcycles used in the series were supplied by Harley-Davidson (according to the closing credits of the episodes); Sportsters (883cc) were used for the road shots and close-ups, with a Harley-Davidson Sprint SS350 and a Czechoslovakian CZ, and possibly a Harley Rapido 125, used occasionally for hillclimbs, beach scenes and other rough-terrain riding.
According to Bud Ekins, the stunt coordinator for the movie and the series, MGM bought two or three Sportsters for the pilot movie (which was filmed in the fall of 1968; the bikes were probably the 1969 model XLH). The bike used in the hill climb and beach scenes was a CZ, provided by Bud, who was a CZ dealer at the time. The bikes were sold after the movie was completed.
After the movie proved popular, and the series was scheduled, Harley-Davidson provided three Sportsters, one of which was customized with a side-car for close-up shots. H-D also provided a Sprint 350 and later a Rapido 125 (used in the moto-cross in the episode entitled Mating Dance For Tender Grass). The Rapido crashed before the shooting of the episode was finished, putting the stunt rider into the hospital. In that episode, the race's first prize was a green 1970 H-D Sportster, with the new "boat tail" seat/fender assembly. (It was first prize for a real race that was actually held for the episode, and was donated by Harley - even though it had been previously promised to another, paying customer of H-D! The customer did get his bike a week or so later.) In the episode entitled The Great Motorcycle Fiasco, the motorcycle, a "1937 Rudge Ulster with a bronze head," used by actor Keenan Wynn, was owned by either Keenan or Bud Ekins, who recommended Keenan for the part.
Bud said he was the one who customized the Sportsters and other cycles, and said the sissy bar came off of a Schwinn bicycle. He also said that no Triumphs, Yamahas or other cycles were used in the movie or episodes in place of the "Bronson" Sportsters, except the CZ (in the pilot movie) and the H-D Sprint and Rapido (in the episodes).
Anyway, lots of info available on the internet if you want to check it out. I know DVD's of the series are available and music, too. Michael Parks also sang quite a bit and did the intro song, "Long Lonesome Highway".
More Links.
THEN CAME BRONSON - NBC-TV 1969-1970 www.JimBronson.com, Welcome to the Long Lonesome Hwy 
If anyone else has any interesting trivia about the series, please post it here.
Then Came Bronson 
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I was 14 that year and the show and Sportster became my addiction! Thanks for posting this. Clif 
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