Wicked Branson

Branson s wholesome brand of entertainment made it the nation s destination for family fun, but the vacation wonderland can t claim a spotless past. Murder and mischief dogged the town s efforts at respectability from the very beginning. The founder s own brother, Galba Branson, was a prominent member of the notorious vigilante gang the Bald Knobbers. He died in a picnic shootout that originated in a church prank. Branson s transformation into a showbiz mecca brought quarrel and scandal in its wake, from provoked orangutans to wire-tapped dressing rooms. Three comedians and authors Ed and Karen Underwood and John Pinney offer this backstage pass to the seamier side of Branson s history.