Branded (1950)

Alan Ladd plays Choya, a small-time gunman talked into a get-rich-quick scheme by T. Jefferson Leffingwell.

Seems there’s a well-to-do ranching family — the Laverys — who have been searching for their lost son for 25 years, since he was kidnapped at age 5.

The son has a strange birthmark on his back. If Ladd will allow Leffingwell’s partner, Tattoo, to place the same tattoo on his back, well, they might be able to pass off Choya as the Laverys long-lost son so he’ll inherit the ranch and all it’s holdings.

Choya goes along, lands a job as a cowhand with the Laverys, then reveals the tattoo during a fight with his “dad” (Charles Bickford).

The family takes the bait and welcomes Choya as their long-lost son Richard. Choya’s so trusted, he’s allowed to lead the next cattle drive.

There’s just one problem. Choya never counted on liking the family so much. He’s especially taken with his new sister, Ruth (Mona Freeman).

So he backs out on his deal with Leffingwell, which called for killing Mr. Lavery so Choya could inherit the ranch quickly. Instead, he promises to steal the proceeds from the cattle drive and split that money with his partner.

But it turns out that Choya isn’t the only one keeping a secret. Leffingwell has one too — about what happened to the Laverys real kidnapped son.

Alan Ladd as Choya, quickly tiring of pretending to be someone he isn’t in Branded (1950)

Mona Freeman as Ruth Lavery, the ‘sister’ who finds a special place in her heart for Choya in Branded (1950)

Review:

The first half of the film has the makings of one of Ladd’s best. He’s a manipulator and a conniver, willing to cash in on the Laverys’ good will.

But the interesting premise of Choyas having a birthmark placed on his back so he could fool the family into adopting him is spoiled because the filmmakers just couldn’t let Ladd be bad.

Instead, they send Ladd south of the border for an encounter with a Mexican bandit named Rubriz. That bandit has adopted the real Richard Lavery, called Tonio, as his “son.” And then they serve up an ending right out of a fairytale.

This marked the U.S. film debut for Peter Hansen, who plays the Laverys real son and went on to play small roles in a number of Westerns and Western TV series.

Charles Bickford as Richard Lavery, a cattle king eager to turn the drive to El Paso over to his long-lost son in Branded (1950)

Selena Royal as Mrs. Lavery, trying to figure out whether Choya is really her long-lost son in Branded (1950)

Directed by:
Rudolph Mate

Cast:
Alan Ladd … Choya
Mona Freeman … Ruth Lavery
Charles Bickford … Mr. Lavery
Selena Royle … Mrs. Lavery
Robert Keith … T. Jefferson Leffingwell
Joseph Calleia … Rubriz
Peter Hansen … Tonio
Tom Tully … Ransom
John Berkes … Tattoo
Milburn Stone … Dawson
Martin Garralaga … Hernandez
Edward Clark … Dad Travis
John Butler … Spig

Runtime: 104 min.

Joseph Calleia as the Mexican bandit Rubriz, who took in a 5-year-old boy and raised him as his own son in Branded (1950)

Peter Hansen as Tonio, demanding the truth from Rubriz about his real family in Branded (1950)

Memorable lines:

Storekeeper Travis: “You got any friends?”
Choya: “My guns.”
Storekeeper: “Kinfolk?”
Choya: “My horse.”

Choya: “Make sure you sing out when you come back.”
Leffingwell: “Like a choir. I only got one life. I ain’t no cat.”

Ruth Lavery: “You kind of like yourself, don’t you?”
Choya: “It’s the only affection I can count on.”

Rubriz to Choya: “I will have you flayed a little at a time and let the dogs eat your skin.”

Choya: “All my life I’ve been a snake. Lived by my wits. Gotten what I want any way I wanted it. Just lately, I’ve been wondering if just for once I couldn’t do something straight.”

Robert Keith as T. Jefferson Leffingwell, the man who comes up with a plan to con the Lavery family out of a fortune in Branded (1950)

Tom Tully (center) as Ransom, Richard Lavery’s loyal foreman, flanked by two of the other ranch hands in Branded (1950)

John Berkes as Tattoo, placing a birthmark on Choya’s shoulder under the watchful eye of T. Jefferson Leffingwell (Robert Keith) in Branded (1950)

Edward Clark as Dad Travis, the old man Choya uses as a human shield to escape the law in Branded (1950)

Milburn Stone as El Paso Sheriff Dawson, talking to Choya (Alan Ladd) and Leffingwell (Brian Keith) in Branded (1950)

Alan Ladd as Choya, getting a tattoed birthmark on his back shoulder, who could be worth a fortune in Branded (1950)