Custer
Custer, also known as The Legend of Custer, is a 17-episode military-western television series which ran on ABC from September 6 to December 27, 1967, with Wayne Maunder in the starring role of then Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. During the American Civil War, Custer had risen to the rank of major general, the youngest in the Union Army. He was demoted after the war during force reductions to the rank of Captain, but was reinstated in 1866 as a Lieutenant Colonel in command of the Seventh Cavalry, stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas. Many of the soldiers in the regiment were derelicts, former Confederates, or even criminals. The series was cancelled before the script timeline would have reached the Little Big Horn River of southeastern Montana, where all perished on June 25, 1876, in a Sioux Indian ambush, Robert F. Simon played Custer's commanding officer, U.S. General Alfred H. Terry, who disapproved of Custer's long hair and much of his methodology of fighting Indians. Slim Pickens starred as a scout named California Joe Milner. Michael Dante appeared as Sioux Chief Crazy Horse. Peter Palmer played Sergeant James Bustard, a former Confederate soldier. Grant Woods appeared as Captain Myles Keogh. Read Morgan, formerly a cavalry officer on NBC's The Deputy, appeared in the episode "Spirit Woman" in the role of a medicine man.
Insights
Plot Summary
The film chronicles the life and career of George Armstrong Custer, from his Civil War days as a heroic Union cavalry officer to his controversial final stand at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. It depicts his ambition, his perceived recklessness, and the tragic events leading to his demise.
Critical Reception
Reviews were mixed, with some critics praising Robert Shaw's performance and the film's epic scope, while others found its historical accuracy questionable and its pacing uneven. It was not a major critical success but found an audience among Western enthusiasts.
What Reviewers Say
- Praised for Robert Shaw's powerful portrayal of Custer.
- Criticized for historical inaccuracies and a somewhat melodramatic tone.
- Appreciated by some for its grand scale and action sequences.
Google audience: Audience reviews are scarce for this older film, but general sentiment suggests it's a standard Western with a strong lead performance, though not without its historical liberties.
Fun Fact
Director Raoul Walsh, a legendary figure in Western filmmaking, was nearly blind during the filming of 'Custer', a condition that had progressively worsened over the years.
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