Custer

Custer

1967
Custer
Custer

Custer

6.4 | en | Drama

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.

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Seasons & Episodes

1
EP17  Pursued
Dec. 28,1967
Pursued

Custer goes in pursuit of a scout who escaped from Army custody after being convicted of theft and killed a trooper while making his bid for freedom.

EP16  The Gauntlet
Dec. 20,1967
The Gauntlet

Custer enlists the aid of some Kiowas to help him discover the parties responsible for a series of wagon train raids.

EP15  Spirit Woman
Dec. 13,1967
Spirit Woman

Custer is given the task of stopping a band of Irish fanatics who are plotting to invade Canada.

EP14  Dangerous Prey
Dec. 06,1967
Dangerous Prey

Custer tries to protect a Sioux mystic woman from both white and Native American enemies.

EP13  Blazing Arrows
Nov. 29,1967
Blazing Arrows

Custer and two other officers match wits with a dangerous Native American warrior at a remote relay station.

EP12  Death Hunt
Nov. 22,1967
Death Hunt

Custer escorts a survey party through a settlement of former Confederates who aren't very happy to see a former Union foe in their midst.

EP11  Under Fire
Nov. 15,1967
Under Fire

A detachment of the 7th Cavalry ends up killing a peaceful Cheyenne hunting party. This event puts a Cheyenne chief and a female reporter after Custer's scalp.

EP10  Desperate Mission
Nov. 08,1967
Desperate Mission

A renegade scout who hates Custer cuts a deal with Sioux chief Crazy Horse. In return for gold, he'll lead Custer into an ambush.

EP9  Breakout
Nov. 01,1967
Breakout

Custer tries to halt the spread of smallpox amongst the Pawnee tribe.

EP8  Suspicion
Oct. 18,1967
Suspicion

After a period of leave, Custer takes a stagecoach back to Fort Hays that is menaced by both outlaws and hostile Native Americans.

EP7  War Lance and Saber
Oct. 11,1967
War Lance and Saber

Lt. Moreno is a Kiowa in the cavalry who his men suspect him of being a spy. The men of command presume that Moreno is trying to thwart the efforts of making the Arapaho an Allie to the cavalry.

EP6  Massacre
Oct. 04,1967
Massacre

When Custer and Crazy Horse are both captured by Blackfeet who are hostile to both whites and the Sioux, the two enemies must work together in order to escape and stay alive.

EP5  To the Death
Sep. 27,1967
To the Death

Custer and his troops are assigned to take a secret shipment through hostile Native American territory.

EP4  Glory Rider
Sep. 20,1967
Glory Rider

Custer is assigned to track down a Native American prisoner who escaped from Army custody.

EP3  Accused
Sep. 13,1967
Accused

Custer and the 7th must help delivery cattle with a man that hold all cavalrymen in comtempt.

EP2  Episode 2
Oct. 06,1967
Episode 2

We don't have an overview of this episode, please check back later.

EP1  Sabers in the Sun
Sep. 06,1967
Sabers in the Sun

An expedition into the Black Hills becomes deadly when a lieutenant who hates Colonel Custer disobeys orders, forcing the 7th to return to conduct a rescue. The young man's father, responsible for many flaming newspaper articles on the Colonel, follows, placing everyone in greater danger as they seek to avoid further hosilities with the Indians.

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6.4 | en | Drama , Western | More Info
Released: 1967-09-06 | Released Producted By: , Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

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.

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Cast

Wayne Maunder , Peter Palmer , Michael Dante

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Reviews

grizzledgeezer This review is based on the "theatrical" version of the series pilot."Awful" is about the kindest thing I can say. "Custer" shows the general disrespect (I'll avoid the obvious pun) of the TV networks for their audience. The idea that a TV drama aimed at a mass audience //might// be historically accurate and subtle was beyond their conception. The truth of Custer's life is a far-more interesting story than the fictions concocted here for the purpose of simple-minded story telling and the need to strip episodes in syndication.In terms of historical accuracy, even if the viewers didn't know that Custer and Crazy Horse didn't have the convenient meeting portrayed here, they should be able to figure out that it's all too glib to be believable. Of course, Custer is portrayed as rash and self-centered, under constant criticism -- though one has to believe there must have been some palpable arrogance we don't see here.Myles Keogh was an Irish soldier greatly respected during his life, and is still well-remembered in his homeland. He had the good sense to buy a $10,000 insurance policy not long before he was killed at the Little Big Horn. Other than Major Terry, everyone else is likely fictional.Wayne Maunder is wiry and well-built, and his snug trousers show off his body to good effect (especially in fight scenes). But his looks are more "Hollywood handsome" than the rough manliness of the historic Custer.The acting and directing are loud 'n noisy, as befits a cheaply made * TV series that would be viewed on small-screen TVs. The music is equally bad, a compilation of mindless action-movie clichés.It's unfortunate Republic hasn't transferred "Son of the Morning Star" to DVD. (There are at least two pirated versions, one of them copied from the LaserDisc set.)* I mean cheap in the sense of "turning out a product", rather than trying to create something of lasting value.
classicsoncall I picked up a DVD copy of "The Legend of Custer", not realizing it was actually the premiere episode of the short lived 1967 TV Series titled simply "Custer". Wayne Maunder does the honors as the twenty eight year old arrogant and conceited "Boy General", shortly after his demotion in rank from Brevet General to a Lieutenant Colonel, which came as a result of dereliction of duty for leaving his post.The first episode of the series is titled "Sabres in the Sun", and when I say it takes a great deal of historical license in telling it's story, that would be a gross understatement. Central to this episode is a forced alliance between Custer and Lakota Nation War Chief Crazy Horse (Michael Dante), who Custer rescues following his capture by a rival Blackfoot tribe. The story see saws it's way between both men contesting their superiority over each other, before Crazy Horse makes his way free to war on the cavalry troops of Fort Hays. Since the Custer-Crazy Horse team up seems so preposterous, I find it difficult to accept other parts of the story as fact, such as the 7th Cavalry adoption of an Irish tune from Limerick as their theme song; it's the one you hear in many cavalry Westerns. Combine that with the handgun shooting prowess of Colonel Custer portrayed in the film; thanks to a recently viewed episode of "Wild West Tech", be advised that handguns of the era were accurate up to a range of about twenty feet! All of sixteen episodes of this series aired between September and December 1967 before the show met it's own Little Big Horn. In that time, a fair amount of reputable guest stars made their appearance in the show, including Robert Loggia, Ray Walston, Darren McGavin, Rory Calhoun, Agnes Moorehead, and James Whitmore. Series regulars included Robert F. Simon as General Alfred Terry and Slim Pickens as California Joe Milner. Judging by this episode, it's no surprise the series ended abruptly, though in a counter to Western tradition, the final episode had the Kiowas ride to the Cavalry's rescue after being blamed for raids on wagon trains. Had the series gone for comedy instead, it might have been better remembered - as in "F Troop"!
Mark_Marcon Fully disagree with the bad reviews. This show was ahead of its time and was canceled (for the at the time) violence shown. The casting was good and with the great guest stars was not second rate. The show lacked historical accuracy (but not authenticity). The show was canceled not because of ratings but the studio concerns over the so called violent combat shown. I have all 16 episodes and the pilot and this show was underrated as was the other "Monroes" western at the time. Highly recommend for Western fans and for those who can appreciate the production values of the time (60's). Check out the episode featuring "Kirby" from Combat. Intense acting and well scripted drama. Maunder actually plays a smart and responsible Custer and not the foolhardy Custer of real life.
Marta "Custer" lasted 16 episodes, and that's 16 episodes too many. I can't find any reason why a network would have picked poorly-written junk like this up to broadcast. The western story lines the writers used were tired and worn in the 50's, and by the late 60's were just plain ludicrous. "Star Trek" had debuted the year before, and this left-over relic from the early days of TV had no chance. To write a series around a character that everyone in the audience knows will be massacred a year or two later is startling and morbid, to say the least. It gives the series an air of doom that I don't think the network intended.Wayne Maunder plays the title role, and while he was good 4 years later in "The Seven Minutes," he must still have been learning his craft because he's just plain bad as Custer. He resembles a young Errol Flynn more than Custer as he minces and leaps about, and does not have the air of command necessary for someone playing Custer. Tinkerbelle maybe, but not Custer. Slim Pickens co-stars as the requisite wild west trail boss/guide, named "California Joe" (good grief!), and was obviously cast to add verbal witticisms and old west humor to the show. It doesn't help one bit. This series had a stellar guest cast in those 16 episodes: James Whitmore, Agnes Moorehead, William Windom, James Daly, Robert Loggia, Kathleen Nolan, Ray Walston, Darren McGavin, Lloyd Bochner and many more. Even great talent like that couldn't save this series, which should have been battle-axed before it ever hit the air.