Custer (TV series)

Last updated
Custer
Wayne Maunder Custer 1967.JPG
Wayne Maunder as Custer.
Starring
Composers
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes17
Production
Producer Frank Glicksman
Running time60 minutes
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseSeptember 6 (1967-09-06) 
December 27, 1967 (1967-12-27)

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. Criticizing the series as "glamorizing Custer," a concerted protest headed by the Tribal Indians Land Rights Association successfully halted broadcast of the series under the FCC fairness doctrine. [1]

Contents

Format

[2]

Robert F. Simon played Custer's commanding officer, U.S. General Alfred H. Terry. Slim Pickens starred as California Joe Milner. Michael Dante appeared as Sioux Chief Crazy Horse. Peter Palmer played Sergeant James Bustard, a former Confederate soldier. [2] Grant Woods appeared as Captain Myles Keogh. Read Morgan appeared in the episode "Spirit Woman" in the role of a medicine man.

Guest stars included Lloyd Bochner (as James Stanhope), Rory Calhoun (as Zebediah Jackson), Philip Carey (as Benton Conant), James Daly (as John Rudford), Alexander Davion (as Capt. Marcus A. Reno), Burr DeBenning (as Uvalde), Yvonne De Carlo (as Vanessa Ravenhill), Gene Evans (as Deedricks), Arthur Franz (as Grey Fox and Bledsoe), Billy Gray (as Billy Nixon), Barbara Hale (as Melinda Terry), Stacy Harris (as John Glixton), Earl Holliman (as Dan Samuels), Robert Loggia (as Lt. Carlos Moreno), Darren McGavin (as Jeb Powell), Ralph Meeker (as Kermit Teller), Mary Ann Mobley (as Ann L'Andry), Agnes Moorehead (as Watoma), Edward Mulhare (as Col. Sean Redmond), Kathleen Nolan (as Nora Moffett), Larry Pennell (as Chief Yellow Hawk), Paul Petersen (as Lieutenant Cox), Donnelly Rhodes (as War Cloud), Chris Robinson (as Lt. Tim Rudford), Ned Romero (as Running Feet), Barbara Rush (as Brigid O'Rourke), Albert Salmi (as Capt. John Mark Charrington), William Smith (as Chief Tall Knife), Dub Taylor (as Trader), Ray Walston (as Ned Quimbo), James Whitmore (as Eldo), Terry Wilson (as Brownsmith), and William Windom (as Clark Samson). In the last episode entitled "The Raiders", Custer enlists the aid of Kiowa Indians to help him to locate the parties responsible for a series of wagon train raids. [3]

Maunder was twenty-eight when he was cast as the 28-year-old Custer. The show was canceled due to poor reviews [4] and protests by Native American tribes throughout the United States. [5] [6]

Two episodes, No. 1 and No. 6, were later combined and released as a feature length film, entitled "Crazy Horse and Custer, The Untold Story". On June 7, 2016, Custer: The Complete Series (Collector's Edition) was released on dvd by Shout! Factory.

Episodes

No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Sabers in the Sun" Sam Wanamaker Samuel A. Peeples September 6, 1967 (1967-09-06)
2"Accused" Lawrence Dobkin Al C. WardSeptember 13, 1967 (1967-09-13)
3"Glory Rider"Lawrence DobkinJack TurleySeptember 20, 1967 (1967-09-20)
4"To the Death" Herschel Daugherty Samuel A. PeeplesSeptember 27, 1967 (1967-09-27)
5"Massacre"Herschel DaughertyDaniel MainwaringOctober 4, 1967 (1967-10-04)
6"War Lance and Saber"Norman FosterShimon WincelbergOctober 11, 1967 (1967-10-11)
7"Suspicion"Alex MarchJohn DunkelOctober 18, 1967 (1967-10-18)
8"Breakout" László Benedek Shimon WincelbergNovember 1, 1967 (1967-11-01)
9"Desperate Mission"László BenedekWarren DouglasNovember 8, 1967 (1967-11-08)
10"Under Fire"Lawrence DobkinArthur Browne Jr.November 15, 1967 (1967-11-15)
11"Death Hunt"Leo PennSteve McNeil & Richard BartlettNovember 22, 1967 (1967-11-22)
12"Blazing Arrows"Christian NybyBob and Wanda DuncanNovember 29, 1967 (1967-11-29)
13"Dangerous Prey"Leo PennRichard SaleDecember 6, 1967 (1967-12-06)
14"Spirit Woman"László BenedekWilliam BlinnDecember 13, 1967 (1967-12-13)
15"The Gauntlet"Don RichardsonShimon WincelbergDecember 20, 1967 (1967-12-20)
16"The Raiders"Norman FosterShimon WincelbergDecember 27, 1967 (1967-12-27)
17"Pursued"Leo PennJohn DunkelJanuary 3, 1968 (1968-01-03)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Little Bighorn</span> 1876 battle of the Great Sioux War

The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes and the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army. It took place on June 25–26, 1876, along the Little Bighorn River in the Crow Indian Reservation in southeastern Montana Territory. The battle, which resulted in the defeat of U.S. forces, was the most significant action of the Great Sioux War of 1876.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Armstrong Custer</span> United States cavalry commander (1839–1876)

George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Washita River</span> U.S. Cavalry attack on Plains Indian camp

The Battle of the Washita River occurred on November 27, 1868, when Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer's 7th U.S. Cavalry attacked Black Kettle's Southern Cheyenne camp on the Washita River.

<i>The Adventures of Rin-Tin-Tin</i> American childrens television series (1954–1959)

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin is an American children's Western television series that aired 164 episodes from October 1954 to May 1959 on the ABC television network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crazy Horse</span> Lakota war leader (c. 1840–1877)

Crazy Horse was a Lakota war leader of the Oglala band in the 19th century. He took up arms against the United States federal government to fight against encroachment by White American settlers on Native American territory and to preserve the traditional way of life of the Lakota people. His participation in several famous battles of the Black Hills War on the northern Great Plains, among them the Fetterman Fight in 1866, in which he acted as a decoy, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, in which he led a war party to victory, earned him great respect from both his enemies and his own people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Carey</span> American actor (1925–2009)

Philip Carey was an American actor, well-known for playing the role of Asa Buchanan on the soap opera One Life to Live for nearly three decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Abraham Lincoln</span> Park in North Dakota, US

Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park is a North Dakota state park located 7 miles (11 km) south of Mandan, North Dakota, United States. The park is home to the replica Mandan On-A-Slant Indian Village and reconstructed military buildings including the Custer House.

John Terry is an American retired film, television, and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Christian Shephard in the TV series Lost, as Larry McCoy in the TV series Las Vegas and for portraying Slim in Of Mice and Men (1992). His daughter is professional association football player Hanna Terry.

<i>They Died with Their Boots On</i> 1941 film

They Died with Their Boots On is a 1941 American biographical western war film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland and Arthur Kennedy. It was made and distributed by Warner Bros. and produced by Hal B. Wallis and Robert Fellows,

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ned Romero</span> American actor and opera singer

Ned Romero was an American actor and opera singer who appeared in television and film.

George Armstrong Custer (1839–1876) was a United States Army cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. He was defeated and killed by the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. More than 30 movies and countless television shows have featured him as a character. He was portrayed by future U.S. president, Ronald Reagan in Santa Fe Trail (1940), as well as by Errol Flynn in They Died With Their Boots On (1941).

<i>Custers Last Stand</i> (serial) 1936 American film

Custer's Last Stand is a 1936 American film serial based on the historical Custer's Last Stand at the Little Bighorn River. It was directed by Elmer Clifton, and starred Rex Lease, William Farnum and Jack Mulhall. It was produced by the Poverty Row studio Stage & Screen Productions, which went bust shortly afterwards as a victim of the Great Depression. This serial stars many famous and popular B-Western actors as well as silent serial star Helen Gibson playing Calamity Jane, Frank McGlynn Jr. as General Custer, and Allen Greer as Wild Bill Hickok.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Sioux War of 1876</span> Battles and negotiations between the US and the Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne

The Great Sioux War of 1876, also known as the Black Hills War, was a series of battles and negotiations that occurred in 1876 and 1877 in an alliance of Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne against the United States. The cause of the war was the desire of the US government to obtain ownership of the Black Hills. Gold had been discovered in the Black Hills, settlers began to encroach onto Native American lands, and the Sioux and the Cheyenne refused to cede ownership. Traditionally, American military and historians place the Lakota at the center of the story, especially because of their numbers, but some Native Americans believe the Cheyenne were the primary target of the American campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert F. Simon</span> American actor (1908–1992)

Robert Frank Simon was an American character actor.

The Battle of Honsinger Bluff was a conflict between the United States Army and the Sioux people on August 4, 1873 along the Yellowstone River near present-day Miles City, Montana. This was a U.S. territory that was acquired from the Crow Nation in the year 1868. The main combatants were units of the U.S. 7th Cavalry under Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, and Native Americans from the village of the Hunkpapa medicine man, Sitting Bull, many of whom would clash with Custer again approximately three years later at the Battle of the Little Big Horn in the Crow Indian Reservation.

<i>Chief Crazy Horse</i> (film) 1955 film by George Sherman

Chief Crazy Horse is a 1955 American CinemaScope Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Victor Mature, Suzan Ball and John Lund. The film is a fictionalized biography of the Lakota Sioux Chief Crazy Horse. It was also known as Valley of Fury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Mower McDougall</span> United States Army officer (1845–1909)

Thomas Mower McDougall was an officer in the United States Army. The salient point in his military career occurred when he took part in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, surviving because he and his unit was not with George Armstrong Custer and the main body of the 7th Cavalry Regiment. Early on the day of battle, McDougall's Company B was assigned to escort the regiment's pack train, but the mules were not used to carrying packs and lagged far behind the other three detachments under Custer, Reno, and Benteen as they went into combat. After viewing the Indian village, and being surprised by its size, Custer sent two urgent orders to bring the mules with the ammunition packs to his detachment of five companies, but by the time these messengers reached Captain McDougall the distance between the pack train and Custer made this order difficult if not impossible to comply with, though a debate on this topic remains to this day.

<i>Son of the Morning Star</i> (film) 1991 film

Son of the Morning Star is a 1991 American two-part Western television miniseries released by Chrysalis based on Evan S. Connell's best-selling 1984 book of the same name. It starred Gary Cole and featured Dean Stockwell, Rosanna Arquette, Rodney A. Grant, Nick Ramus, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Floyd Red Crow Westerman.

<i>The Great Sioux Massacre</i> 1965 film by Sidney Salkow

The Great Sioux Massacre is a 1965 American Western war film directed by Sidney Salkow in CinemaScope using extensive action sequences from Salkow's 1954 Sitting Bull. In a fictionalized form, it depicts Custer's descent from a defender of the Indians from Federal interference to an incompetent warmonger, and the Indians as his victims, and covers events leading up to the Battle of the Little Bighorn and Custer's Last Stand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne Maunder</span> Canadian-born American actor

Wayne Ernest Maunder was a Canadian-born American actor who starred in three American television series between 1967 and 1974.

References

  1. Tahmahkera, Dustin. Tribal Television: Viewing Native People in Sitcoms. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2014, p. 11
  2. 1 2 Alex McNeil, Total Television, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, 4th ed., p. 190
  3. "Custer". TV.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  4. "Time Tunnel".
  5. Vine., Deloria (1988). Custer died for your sins : an Indian manifesto. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 24. ISBN   0806121297. OCLC   17234301.
  6. Brian W. Dippie, Custer's Last Stand: The Anatomy of an American Myth. Lincoln, NE, University of Nebraska Press, 1994 ISBN   0803265921, (p.120)