Custer's Last Stand (serial)
| Custer's Last Stand | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Elmer Clifton |
| Produced by | Louis Weiss |
| Screenplay by |
George Arthur Durlam Eddie Granemann William Lively |
| Story by |
George Arthur Durlam Eddie Granemann William Lively |
| Starring |
Rex Lease Lona Andre William Farnum Ruth Mix Jack Mulhall |
| Music by | Hal Chasnoff |
| Cinematography | Bert Longenecker |
| Edited by |
George M. Merrick Holbrook N. Todd |
| Distributed by | Stage & Screen Productions |
Release dates |
January 2, 1936 April 3, 1936 (film) |
Running time |
15 chapters (328 min) 84 min (film) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
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 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.
In April of the same year, the serial was edited into an 84-minute feature film, which was released under the same name.
Plot overview
The serial follows multiple plot threads, centering on a Medicine Arrow taken in battle and a secret gold mine, in the lead up to the Battle of Little Big Horn.
Cast
- Rex Lease as Kit Cardigan and his father John C. Cardigan
- Lona Andre as Belle Meade
- William Farnum as James Fitzpatrick
- Ruth Mix as Elizabeth Custer
- Jack Mulhall as Lieutenant Cook
- Nancy Caswell as Barbara Trent
- George Chesebro as Lieutenant Frank Roberts
- Dorothy Gulliver as Red Fawn
- Frank McGlynn Jr. as General George A. Custer
- Helen Gibson as Calamity Jane
- Josef Swickard as Major Henry Trent, MD
- Chief Thundercloud as Young Wolf
- Allen Greer as Wild Bill Hickok
- High Eagle as Crazy Horse
- Howling Wolf as Sitting Bull
Production
Commenting on the plot, Cline notes that this serial contains several historical characters in a purely fictitious setting. "The story rambled through a series of loosely connected plots and sub plots" leading to Little Big Horn.[1]
Stunts
- Yakima Canutt
- Ken Cooper
- Carl Mathews
- Mabel Strickland (riding double)
- Wally West
Release
Theatrical
Custer's Last Stand was well received by action fans, regardless of its historical inaccuracies.[1]
Chapter titles
- Perils of the Plains
- Thundering Hoofs [sic]
- Fires of Vengeance
- The Ghost Dancers
- Trapped
- Human Wolves
- Demons of Disaster
- White Treachery
- Circle of Death
- Flaming Arrow
- Warpath
- Firing Squad
- Red Panthers
- Custer's Last Ride
- The Last Stand
Source:[2]
See also
References
External links
- Custer's Last Stand at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Custer's Last Stand at the Internet Movie Database
- Custer's Last Stand at AllMovie