Cultural depictions of George Armstrong Custer
Encyclopedia
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
.
completed his painting Custer's Last Stand in 1899. In 1963 Harold McCracken
, director of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center
, deemed Paxson's painting "the best pictoral representation of the battle" and "from a purely artistic standpoint...one of the best if not the finest pictures which have been created to immortalize that dramatic event."
(1912 twice), Ned Finley (1916), Dustin Farnum
(1926), John Beck (1926), Clay Clement
(1933). John Miljan
(1936), Frank McGlynn (1936), Paul Kelly
(1940), Addison Richards
(1940), Ronald Reagan
(1940), Errol Flynn
(1941), James Millican
(1942), Sheb Wooley
(1952), Douglas Kennedy
(1954), Britt Lomond
(1958), Philip Carey
(1965), Leslie Nielsen
(1966), Robert Shaw
(1967), Wayne Maunder
(1967 & 1990), Richard Mulligan
(1970), Marcello Mastroianni
(1974), Ken Howard
(1977), James Olson
(1977), Gary Cole
(1991), Josh Lucas
(1993), Peter Horton
(1996), William Shockley
(1997) and Bill Hader
(2009).
stories.
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
(1839–1876) was a United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
cavalry commander in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and the Indian Wars
Indian Wars
American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...
. He was defeated and killed by the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho
Arapaho
The Arapaho are a tribe of Native Americans historically living on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Sioux. Arapaho is an Algonquian language closely related to Gros Ventre, whose people are seen as an early...
tribes at the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Battle of the Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand and, by the Indians involved, as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was an armed engagement between combined forces of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho people against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army...
.
Paintings
In 1896, Anheuser-Busch commissioned from Otto Becker a lithographed, modified version of Cassily Adam's painting Custer's Last Fight, which was distributed as a print to saloons all over America. It is reputed to still be in some bars today. Edgar Samuel PaxsonEdgar Samuel Paxson
Edgar Samuel Paxson was an American frontier painter, scout, soldier and writer, based mainly in Montana. He is best known for his portraits of Native Americans in the Old West and for his depiction of the Battle of Little Bighorn in his painting "Custer's Last Stand".- Biography :Paxson was born...
completed his painting Custer's Last Stand in 1899. In 1963 Harold McCracken
Harold McCracken
Harold McCracken was an American author, Alaskan grizzly bear hunter, biplane stunt photographer, cinematographer, producer and museum director...
, director of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center
Buffalo Bill Historical Center
The Buffalo Bill Historical Center is a complex of museums displaying artifacts and art of the American West located in Cody, Wyoming. Founded in 1917, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center is the oldest museum in the West...
, deemed Paxson's painting "the best pictoral representation of the battle" and "from a purely artistic standpoint...one of the best if not the finest pictures which have been created to immortalize that dramatic event."
Films
Custer has been portrayed in motion pictures by Francis FordFrancis Ford (actor)
Francis Ford was a prolific film actor, writer, and director. He was the older brother of film director John Ford. He also appeared in many of John Ford's movies, including Young Mr. Lincoln and The Quiet Man.He starred in the 1912 two-reeler The Deserter by Thomas H. Ince and acted in over 400...
(1912 twice), Ned Finley (1916), Dustin Farnum
Dustin Farnum
Dustin Lancy Farnum was an American singer, dancer and an actor in silent movies during the early days of motion pictures. After a great success in a number of stage roles, in 1914 he landed his first film role in the movie 'Soldiers of Fortune', and later in Cecil B. DeMille's The Squaw Man...
(1926), John Beck (1926), Clay Clement
Clay Clement
Clay Clement was an American film actor. He appeared in 87 films between 1918 and 1947. Clement was one of the earliest members of the Screen Actors Guild.He was born in Greentree, Kentucky and died in Watertown, New York....
(1933). John Miljan
John Miljan
John Miljan was an American actor of Serbian origin. He appeared in 201 films between 1924 and 1958.He died from cancer.-Selected filmography:* The Lone Chance * Silent Sanderson...
(1936), Frank McGlynn (1936), Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly (actor)
Paul Michael Kelly was an American child actor who later as an adult became a stage, film, and television actor.-Child actor:...
(1940), Addison Richards
Addison Richards
Addison Richards was an American film actor. He appeared in over 300 films between 1933 and 1964. He died from a heart attack...
(1940), Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
(1940), Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
(1941), James Millican
James Millican
James Millican was an American actor with over 200 film appearances mostly in western movies.-External links:*...
(1942), Sheb Wooley
Sheb Wooley
Shelby F. "Sheb" Wooley was a character actor and singer, best known for his 1958 novelty song "Purple People Eater"...
(1952), Douglas Kennedy
Douglas Kennedy (actor)
Douglas Richards Kennedy was an American supporting actor who appeared in over 190 films between 1935 and 1973. He was born in New York City.-Career:...
(1954), Britt Lomond
Britt Lomond
Britt Lomond was an American actor and television producer.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Lomond is best known for his role as Capitán Monastario in the first season of the 1957 TV series Zorro....
(1958), Philip Carey
Philip Carey
-Biography:He was born as Eugene Joseph Carey in Hackensack, New Jersey. A former U.S. Marine, Carey was wounded as part of the ship's detachment of the USS Franklin during World War II and served again in the Korean War....
(1965), Leslie Nielsen
Leslie Nielsen
Leslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
(1966), Robert Shaw
Robert Shaw (actor)
Robert Archibald Shaw was an English actor and novelist, remembered for his performances in The Sting , From Russia with Love , A Man for All Seasons , the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three , Black Sunday , The Deep and Jaws , where he played the shark hunter Quint.-Early life...
(1967), Wayne Maunder
Wayne Maunder
Wayne E. Maunder is a retired actor, originally from Canada, who starred in three American television series between 1967 and 1974.-Three television series:...
(1967 & 1990), Richard Mulligan
Richard Mulligan
Richard Mulligan was an American television and film actor best known for his role as Burt Campbell in the 1970s sitcom Soap and later as Dr. Harry Weston on The Golden Girls and its spin-off Empty Nest.-Early life:He was born in New York City, the younger brother of director Robert Mulligan...
(1970), Marcello Mastroianni
Marcello Mastroianni
Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni, Knight Grand Cross was an Italian film actor. His honours included British Film Academy Awards, Best Actor awards at the Cannes Film Festival and two Golden Globe Awards.- Personal life :...
(1974), Ken Howard
Ken Howard
Kenneth Joseph "Ken" Howard, Jr. is an American actor, best known for his roles as Thomas Jefferson in 1776 and as basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in the television show The White Shadow...
(1977), James Olson
James Olson (actor)
-Life and career:Olson was born in Evanston, Illinois and graduated from Northwestern University. He performed stage work in and around Chicago before his 1956 film debut in The Sharkfighters...
(1977), Gary Cole
Gary Cole
Gary Michael Cole is an American actor. Cole is known for his supporting roles in numerous film and television productions since the 1990s.-Early life:...
(1991), Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas is an American actor. He has appeared in many films, including Glory Road, A Beautiful Mind, and Poseidon.-Early life:...
(1993), Peter Horton
Peter Horton
Peter Horton is an American actor and director. He played the role of Prof. Gary Shepherd on the popular television series Thirtysomething until 1991.-Early life:...
(1996), William Shockley
William Shockley (actor)
William Shockley is an actor and musician.Shockley was born in Lawrence, Kansas and found his love for music at the age of seven...
(1997) and Bill Hader
Bill Hader
William "Bill" Hader is an American actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is best known for his work as a creative consultant on the hit show South Park and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for his supporting roles in comedy films such as Superbad, Hot Rod, Tropic Thunder,...
(2009).
- Custer's Last FightCuster's Last FightThe silent film Custer's Last Fight is the first movie about George Armstrong Custer and his final stand at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. It was shot in Inceville, Santa Ynez Canyon and Los Angeles, California.- Cast :...
(a.k.a. Custer's Last Raid) (1912) - with Francis FordFrancis Ford (actor)Francis Ford was a prolific film actor, writer, and director. He was the older brother of film director John Ford. He also appeared in many of John Ford's movies, including Young Mr. Lincoln and The Quiet Man.He starred in the 1912 two-reeler The Deserter by Thomas H. Ince and acted in over 400...
as Custer - Colonel Custard's Last Stand (1914) - with Lloyd HamiltonLloyd HamiltonLloyd Vernon Hamilton was a major silent film star. Hamilton is best remembered as the stocky half of silent comedy's "Ham and Bud" , and later, his own series of short comedies...
as Colonel Custard - Britton of the Seventh (1916) - with Ned Finley as Custer
- Bob Hampton of Placer (1921) - with T. D. CrittendenT. D. CrittendenT. D. Crittenden was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 69 films between 1912 and 1924...
as Custer - Wide Open Spaces (a.k.a. Wild Bill Hiccup) (1924) - with Al Forbes as Custer
- The Flaming Frontier (1926) - with Dustin FarnumDustin FarnumDustin Lancy Farnum was an American singer, dancer and an actor in silent movies during the early days of motion pictures. After a great success in a number of stage roles, in 1914 he landed his first film role in the movie 'Soldiers of Fortune', and later in Cecil B. DeMille's The Squaw Man...
as Custer - General Custer at Little Big Horn (a.k.a. Custer of Big Horn) (1926) - with John Beck as Custer
- The Last FrontierThe Last Frontier (serial)The Last Frontier is a 12-chapter serial, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures in 1932. The serial starred Lon Chaney, Jr. as the zorro-esque hero The Black Ghost. Dorothy Gulliver was the leading female star. The total running time of the serial is 213 minutes.-Plot:The outlaw "Tiger" Morris attempts...
(1932) - with William DesmondWilliam Desmond (actor)William Desmond was an Irish-born American actor. He appeared in 205 films between 1915 and 1948. He was nicknamed "The King of the Silent Serials."...
as Custer - The World Change (1933) - with Clay ClementClay ClementClay Clement was an American film actor. He appeared in 87 films between 1918 and 1947. Clement was one of the earliest members of the Screen Actors Guild.He was born in Greentree, Kentucky and died in Watertown, New York....
as Custer - Custer's Last StandCuster's Last Stand (serial)Custer's Last Stand is an independent 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...
(1936) - with Frank McGlynn, Jr. as Custer - The PlainsmanThe PlainsmanThe Plainsman is a 1936 American Western film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and starring Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur. The film presents a highly fictionalized account of the adventures and relationships between Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill Cody, and General George Custer, with a...
(1936) - with John MiljanJohn MiljanJohn Miljan was an American actor of Serbian origin. He appeared in 201 films between 1924 and 1958.He died from cancer.-Selected filmography:* The Lone Chance * Silent Sanderson...
as Custer - WyomingWyoming (1940 film)Wyoming is a 1940 Western film starring Wallace Beery. The movie was directed by Richard Thorpe.-Cast:* Wallace Beery as "Reb" Harkness* Leo Carillo as Pete Marillo* Ann Rutherford as Lucy Kincaid* Lee Bowman as Sgt...
(1940) - with Paul KellyPaul Kelly (actor)Paul Michael Kelly was an American child actor who later as an adult became a stage, film, and television actor.-Child actor:...
as Custer - Santa Fe TrailSanta Fe Trail (film)Santa Fe Trail is a 1940 western film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. The film was one of the top-grossing films of the year, being the seventh Flynn-de Havilland collaboration. The film also has nothing to do with its namesake, the famed Santa Fe Trail...
(1940) - with Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
as Custer - Badlands of Dakota (1941) - with Addison RichardsAddison RichardsAddison Richards was an American film actor. He appeared in over 300 films between 1933 and 1964. He died from a heart attack...
as Custer - They Died with Their Boots OnThey Died with Their Boots OnThey Died with Their Boots On is a 1941 western film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Despite being rife with historical inaccuracies, the film was one of the top-grossing films of the year, being the last of eight Flynn–de Havilland collaborations.Like...
(1941) - with Errol FlynnErrol FlynnErrol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
as Custer - WarpathWarpath (film)Warpath is a 1951 film directed by Byron Haskin. It stars Edmond O'Brien and Dean Jagger.-Cast:*Edmond O'Brien as John Vickers*Dean Jagger as Sam Quade*Forrest Tucker as Sgt. O'hara*Harry Carey Jr. as Capt. Gregerson*Polly Bergen as Molly Quade...
(1951) - with James MillicanJames MillicanJames Millican was an American actor with over 200 film appearances mostly in western movies.-External links:*...
as Custer - Bugles in the Afternoon (1952) - with Sheb WooleySheb WooleyShelby F. "Sheb" Wooley was a character actor and singer, best known for his 1958 novelty song "Purple People Eater"...
as Custer - TonkaTonka (film)Tonka is a 1958 Walt Disney Western adventure film about the US cavalry horse that survived the Battle of the Little Big Horn; it stars Sal Mineo as a Sioux who fought there. It was filmed in Bend, Oregon and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures....
(a.k.a. A Horse Named Comanche) (1958) - with Britt LomondBritt LomondBritt Lomond was an American actor and television producer.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Lomond is best known for his role as Capitán Monastario in the first season of the 1957 TV series Zorro....
as Custer - The Great Sioux Massacre (1965) - with Philip CareyPhilip Carey-Biography:He was born as Eugene Joseph Carey in Hackensack, New Jersey. A former U.S. Marine, Carey was wounded as part of the ship's detachment of the USS Franklin during World War II and served again in the Korean War....
as Custer. It depicts Custer as a bastion of tolerance whose efforts to secure fair treatment for the Indians leads to several confrontations with corrupt government officials. - Custer of the WestCuster of the WestCuster of the West is a 1967 American Western film directed by Robert Siodmak. It tells a highly fictionalised version of the life and death of George Armstrong Custer. It was directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Robert Shaw as Custer, Robert Ryan and Mary Ure...
(1967) - Robert ShawRobert Shaw (actor)Robert Archibald Shaw was an English actor and novelist, remembered for his performances in The Sting , From Russia with Love , A Man for All Seasons , the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three , Black Sunday , The Deep and Jaws , where he played the shark hunter Quint.-Early life...
depicts Custer as an Indian sympathizer, having disagreements with his superiors about fighting the Indians, but duty-bound as an officer of the U.S. Cavalry to enforce orders given to him. - Little Big Man (1970) - Custer, played by Richard MulliganRichard MulliganRichard Mulligan was an American television and film actor best known for his role as Burt Campbell in the 1970s sitcom Soap and later as Dr. Harry Weston on The Golden Girls and its spin-off Empty Nest.-Early life:He was born in New York City, the younger brother of director Robert Mulligan...
, is portrayed as a ruthless megalomaniaMegalomaniaMegalomania is a psycho-pathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of power, relevance, or omnipotence. 'Megalomania is characterized by an inflated sense of self-esteem and overestimation by persons of their powers and beliefs'...
c who massacres Indians in this revisionist WesternRevisionist WesternThe Revisionist Western, Modern Western or Anti-Western traces to the mid 1960s and early 1970s as a sub-genre of the Western movie....
.
Television
- Custer was portrayed by Grant WilliamsGrant WilliamsGrant Williams was an American film actor and operatic tenor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of Scott Carey in the seminal science fiction film The Incredible Shrinking Man , which has since become a cult classic.-Early life:Born John Joseph Williams in New York City to a Scottish father...
in "Longhair", a 1959 episode of the TV series Yancy DerringerYancy DerringerYancy Derringer is an American Western series that ran on CBS from 1958 to 1959, with Jock Mahoney in the title role. It was produced by Derringer Productions and filmed in Hollywood by Desilu Productions...
, in which he wrongly accused series regular Pahoo (a Pawnee) of several attempts on Custer's life during a visit to New Orleans. - Barry AtwaterBarry AtwaterGarrett "Barry" Atwater was an American character actor who appeared frequently on TV from the 1950s into the 1970s...
played Custer in a two-part episode of the TV series CheyenneCheyenne (TV series)Cheyenne is a western television series of 108 black-and-white episodes broadcast on ABC from 1955 to 1963. The show was the first hour-long western, and in fact the first hour-long dramatic series of any kind, with continuing characters, to last more than one season...
, broadcast in 1960. The first part was titled, "Gold, Glory and Custer - Prelude"; the second was titled "Gold, Glory and Custer — Requiem". - Custer was portrayed on the television series F TroopF TroopF Troop is a satirical American television sitcom that originally aired for two seasons on ABC-TV. It debuted in the United States on September 14, 1965 and concluded its run on April 6, 1967 with a total of 65 episodes. The first season of 34 episodes was filmed in black-and-white, but the show...
in 1965 by John StephensonJohn Stephenson (actor)John Stephenson is an American actor and voice actor. He has also been credited as John Stevenson...
. - CusterCuster (TV series)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...
was a short-lived 1967 television series starring Wayne MaunderWayne MaunderWayne E. Maunder is a retired actor, originally from Canada, who starred in three American television series between 1967 and 1974.-Three television series:...
in the title role. The 17 episodes have been re-issued on DVD. - Custer was a recurring character on the TV series Dr. Quinn, Medicine WomanDr. Quinn, Medicine WomanDr. Quinn, Medicine Woman is an American post-Civil War western/drama series created by Beth Sullivan. Dr. Michaela "Mike" Quinn, played by Jane Seymour, left Boston in search of adventure. She goes to Colorado Springs, Colorado where she establishes herself as doctor/adviser.The show ran on CBS...
, a 1990s TV drama. He was first played by Taylor NicholsTaylor NicholsCecil Taylor Nichols is an American actor best known for roles in the Whit Stillman films Metropolitan, Barcelona, and The Last Days of Disco. His characters in these films were insecure, stuttering sidekicks to those of the more outgoing Chris Eigeman...
in the episode "Epidemic", Darren DaltonDarren DaltonDarren Jack Dalton is an American actor, screenwriter, and film producer.-Acting career:Dalton's career began in 1982 when cast as Randy Anderson by Francis Ford Coppola during a nationwide talent search for the ground breaking teen ensemble The Outsiders.After The Outsiders Dalton reunited with C...
in "The Prisoner" and by Jason Leland AdamsJason Leland AdamsJason Leland Adams is an American actor and Producing Director at the Bootleg Theater. He is perhaps best known for his role as Preston A. Lodge III, on the popular television series Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.- Early life :...
in "The Abduction", "Washita" and "For Better or Worse" - Custer was featured an episode of the 1966 TV show Time Tunnel titled Massacre. He was portrayed by Joe MarossJoe MarossJoe Maross was an American actor who appeared in movies and made guest appearances on many television series from the 1950s to the 1980s. He served in World War II and was stationed in Hawaii....
. - Custer was played by Andrew Garringer (in a walk-on role) in the TV miniseries "North & South" (1986).
- Custer was played by Gary ColeGary ColeGary Michael Cole is an American actor. Cole is known for his supporting roles in numerous film and television productions since the 1990s.-Early life:...
in the two-part 1991 TV movie Son of the Morning StarSon of the Morning StarSon of the Morning Star is a 1984 non-fiction book on the subject of George Armstrong Custer, with the subtitle 'Custer and the Little Bighorn'. A 1991 television film was based on the book. Both the book and the film chronicle the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the personalities involved, and the...
. - Custer was portrayed by Jonathan ScarfeJonathan ScarfeJonathan Scarfe is a Canadian actor. He is married to actress Suki Kaiser and is the son of actors Alan Scarfe and Sara Botsford....
on the mini-series Into the WestInto the West (TV miniseries)Into the West is a 2005 miniseries produced by Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks, with six two-hour episodes . The series was first broadcast in the U.S. on Turner Network Television on six Fridays starting on June 10, 2005...
(2005). - Custer was played by Toby StephensToby StephensToby Stephens is an English stage, television and film actor who has appeared in films in both Hollywood and Bollywood. He is best known for playing megavillain Gustav Graves in the James Bond film Die Another Day , Edward Fairfax Rochester in the BBC television adaptation of Jane Eyre and Philip...
in the 2007 BBC documentary series The Wild West.
Fictional portrayals
A number of Westerns have featured characters that, while not specifically Custer, are very closely based on his character. Some of the more noteworthy examples:- Fort ApacheFort Apache (film)Fort Apache is a 1948 Western film directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne and Henry Fonda. The film was the first of the director's "cavalry trilogy" and was followed by She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Rio Grande , both also starring Wayne...
(1948, John FordJohn FordJohn Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
) featured Henry FondaHenry FondaHenry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
as Colonel Owen Thursday, a West Point-educated cavalryman . Similarities between Thursday and Custer include the following (a)Thursday is presented as having been a heroic Civil War cavalry leader (he is presented as genuinely talented - cf his ambush of the first Apache band, which is effective though takes unacceptable risks with his men's lives; (b) In the run-up to the battle with Cochise's Apaches he suggests dividing his forces to attack the main Indian encampment from two sides - as Custer did at Little Big Horn. - The Glory GuysThe Glory GuysThe Glory Guys is a 1965 motion picture based on the novel The Dice of God by Hoffman Birney. Filmed by Levy-Gardner-Laven and released by United Artists, it stars Tom Tryon, Harve Presnell, Senta Berger, James Caan, and Michael Anderson, Jr. The film's screenplay was written by Sam Peckinpah long...
(1965, Arnold LavenArnold LavenArnold Laven was an American film and television director and producer. He was one of the founders and principals of the American film and television production company Levy-Gardner-Laven. Laven was a producer of, among other things, the long-running western television series The Rifleman and...
) saw Andrew DugganAndrew Duggan-Career:During World War II, Duggan was in the 40th Special Services Company, led by actor Melvyn Douglas in the China Burma India Theater of World War II. His contact with Douglas later led to his performing with Lucille Ball in the play Dreamgirl. He developed a friendship with Broadway...
playing General Frederick McCabe, a US cavalry officer who leads his outfit in a suicidal campaign against the Apaches. The battle scenario in the climax is nearly identical to that at Little Bighorn. - Spirit: Stallion of the CimarronSpirit: Stallion of the CimarronSpirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is a 2002 American animated film that was released by DreamWorks. It follows the adventures of a young Kiger mustang stallion living in the 19th century wild west. The film, written by John Fusco and directed by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook, was nominated for the...
(2002, Kelly AsburyKelly AsburyKelly Adam Asbury is an American director, writer, voice actor, author and illustrator.He attended Lamar University for two years before, in 1980, transferring to California Institute of the Arts, where he studied animation and filmmaking...
/Lorna Cook), an animated film, features a story told from the perspective of a wild horse living on the American Frontier in the late 19th century. One of the major characters in the film, a U.S. Army officer known only as "the Colonel," is apparently based on Custer. - Don't Touch The White Woman!Don't Touch The White Woman!Don't Touch The White Woman! is a 1974 French-Italian farce, an absurd "Western" set in Paris, directed by Marco Ferreri. Marcello Mastroianni stars as a vain General George Armstrong Custer. Richard Nixon is the American president. Buffalo Bill Cody is here portrayed as a charlatan media impresario...
is a 1974 French/Italian absurd "Western" set in Paris, with a farcical portrayal by Marcello MastroianniMarcello MastroianniMarcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni, Knight Grand Cross was an Italian film actor. His honours included British Film Academy Awards, Best Actor awards at the Cannes Film Festival and two Golden Globe Awards.- Personal life :...
as a vain and bumbling General George Armstrong Custer. - Custer was portrayed by Bill HaderBill HaderWilliam "Bill" Hader is an American actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is best known for his work as a creative consultant on the hit show South Park and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for his supporting roles in comedy films such as Superbad, Hot Rod, Tropic Thunder,...
in the 2009 film Night at the Museum: Battle of the SmithsonianNight at the Museum: Battle of the SmithsonianNight at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is an American adventure comedy film directed by Shawn Levy, and starring Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, and Steve Coogan. The film is a sequel to Night at the Museum...
. He is a museum piece brought back to life (along with other historical characters and museum pieces) and leads a charge against the villains. He is portrayed as a born leader but bumbling and unintelligent.
Literature
- Custer appears as a prominent minor character in Flashman and the RedskinsFlashman and the RedskinsFlashman and the Redskins is a 1982 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. It is the seventh of the Flashman novels.-Plot introduction:Presented within the frame of the supposed discovery of a trunkful of papers detailing the long life and career of a Victorian officer, this series centres around...
– the seventh of George MacDonald FraserGeorge MacDonald FraserGeorge MacDonald Fraser, OBE was an English-born author of Scottish descent, who wrote both historical novels and non-fiction books, as well as several screenplays.-Early life and military career:...
's FlashmanHarry Paget FlashmanSir Harry Paget Flashman VC KCB KCIE is a fictional character created by George MacDonald Fraser , but based on the character "Flashman" in Tom Brown's Schooldays , a semi-autobiographical work by Thomas Hughes ....
novels – in which Flashman unwillingly becomes caught up in the Battle of the Little Bighorn after being captured by Lakota warriors. - The 1964 novel Little Big Man by Thomas Berger has Custer as a secondary character. The novel was the basis for the 1970 film Little Big Man.
- Custer Died for Your Sins, a 1969 book by Vine Deloria, Jr.Vine Deloria, Jr.Vine Deloria, Jr. was an American Indian author, theologian, historian, and activist. He was widely known for his book Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto , which helped generate national attention to Native American issues in the same year as the Alcatraz-Red Power Movement...
, covers Custer and American relations with Indians in general.
Alternate history
The larger than life nature of Custer's life has made him a popular subject for several alternate historyAlternate history (fiction)
Alternate history or alternative history is a genre of fiction consisting of stories that are set in worlds in which history has diverged from the actual history of the world. It can be variously seen as a sub-genre of literary fiction, science fiction, and historical fiction; different alternate...
stories.
- In the "Fallen Cloud Saga," a series of five novels by Kurt R.A. Giambastiani, George Armstrong Custer survives an alternate campaign against the Plains Indians, becomes President of the United States, and confronts his own son as the two sides battle toward a resolution.
- The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer, a novel by Douglas C. Jones, is set in an alternate history built on the premise that George Armstrong Custer did not die at the Battle of Little Bighorn. Instead, he was found close to death at the scene of the defeat and was brought to trial for his actions. Blending fact and fiction, the novel portrays what might have happened at that trial. It was made into a TV movie in 1977 with James OlsonJames Olson (actor)-Life and career:Olson was born in Evanston, Illinois and graduated from Northwestern University. He performed stage work in and around Chicago before his 1956 film debut in The Sharkfighters...
as Custer and Blythe DannerBlythe DannerBlythe Katherine Danner is an American actress. She is the mother of actress Gwyneth Paltrow and director Jake Paltrow.-Early life:...
as his wife Libbie. - The short story "Custer's Last Jump" by Howard WaldropHoward WaldropHoward Waldrop is a science fiction author who works primarily in short fiction.Waldrop's stories combine elements such as alternate history, American popular culture, the American South, old movies , classical mythology, and rock 'n' roll music. His style is sometimes obscure or elliptical...
and Steven UtleySteven UtleySteven Utley is an American writer. He has written poems, humorous essays and other non-fiction, and worked on comic books and cartoons, but is best known for his science fiction stories.-Biography:...
is set in an alternate history that takes as its point of departure the use of aircraft in the American Civil War. - In Harry TurtledoveHarry TurtledoveHarry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.- Life :...
's Southern Victory Series alternate history novels, the Little Bighorn did not take place, and Custer became a Colonel in Kansas by 1881, chasing Indians and then doing battle with rebel MormonsMormonsThe Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....
in Utah Territory and an Anglo-Canadian column invading MontanaMontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
in the Second Mexican War, becoming a war hero. In World War I, he led a tank offensive that crushed the Confederate States of AmericaConfederate States of AmericaThe Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
, and later became Governor-GeneralGovernor-GeneralA Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
of occupied CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, dying of old age in early 1930. Turtledove's version of Custer is loosely based on the German military figure and statesman Paul von HindenburgPaul von HindenburgPaul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian-German field marshal, statesman, and politician, and served as the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934....
. - Wes AndersonWes AndersonWesley Wales Anderson is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer of features, short films and commercials....
satirizesSatireSatire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
such portrayals of Custer-as-survivor in his film The Royal TenenbaumsThe Royal TenenbaumsThe Royal Tenenbaums is a 2001 American comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson and co-written with Owen Wilson. The film stars Gene Hackman and Anjelica Huston, with Danny Glover, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, and Owen Wilson....
, in which the character Eli Cash writes a book called “Old Custer". - In the collection of short alternate history stories Drakas!, Custer became persona non grata after refusing to lead troops against apparently overwhelming Indian forces. Drummed out of the military in America, he responded to the invitation of an old associate to go to Africa where the DrakaThe DominationThe Domination of Draka is a dystopian alternate history series by S. M. Stirling. It comprises a main trilogy of novels as well as one crossover novel set after the original and a book of short stories...
empire was looking for experienced field officers. - In Percival EverettPercival EverettPercival Everett is an American writer and Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California.-Life:Everett lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife, novelist Danzy Senna and their two sons....
's novel God's Country, Custer is portrayed as a cross-dressing homosexual who eats raw meat. - A 1960 episode of Peabody's Improbable HistoryMister PeabodyMr. Peabody is a fictional dog who appeared in the late 1950s and early 1960s television animated series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show produced by Jay Ward, collectively referred to as Rocky and Bullwinkle...
has the General surviving the battle. When his boy Sherman questions Peabody about this historical twist, the dog points out a vendor's pushcart as being the actual Custer's Last "Stand".
Music
- The first and probably best-known Custer pop song was "Mister CusterMr. Custer"Mr. Custer" is a novelty song, sung by Larry Verne, and written by Al DeLory, Fred Darian, and Joseph Van Winkle. It was a number-one song in the United States in 1960, topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for the issue dated October 10, 1960, and remained there for one week...
" ("Please Mister Custer, I don't wanna go"), a Billboard #1 novelty hit of 1960 for performer Larry VerneLarry VerneLarry Verne was an American novelty song singer. Verne scored two U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart hit singles in 1960: "Mister Livingston" and "Mr. Custer" . "Mr. Custer" was written by Fred Darian, Al DeLory, and Joe Van Winkle. The record sold over one million copies, earning a gold disc. In the...
, in which "a voice from the rear" of the Seventh Cavalry charge asks "What'm I doing here?" and "Mind if I be excused the rest of the afternoon?" The song's words and music were by Fred Darian, Al DeLory, and Joe Van Winkle. In the UK, it was successfully covered by Charlie DrakeCharlie DrakeCharlie Drake was an English comedian, actor, writer and singer.With his small stature , curly red hair and liking for slapstick he was a popular comedian with children in his early years, becoming nationally-known for his "Hello, my darlings" catchphrase...
. - The Kingston TrioThe Kingston TrioThe Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and Nick Reynolds...
recorded a song on their 1963 album The New Frontier titled "Some Fool Made A Soldier Of Me". The song's final verse has a trooper complaining of thirst to "General Custer", who retorts "...have no fear/There's a big river near." - On Johnny CashJohnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
's 1964 album Bitter Tears, the song "Custer" mocks the popular veneration of George Custer. A truncated version of the song has been covered in concert by Buffy Sainte-MarieBuffy Sainte-MarieBuffy Sainte-Marie, OC is a Canadian Cree singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. Throughout her career in all of these areas, her work has focused on issues of Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Her singing and writing repertoire includes...
as "Custer Song". - The Native American rock band RedboneRedbone (band)Redbone is a Native American rock group that was most active in the 1970s. They reached the Top 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1974 with the million-selling gold-certified single, "Come and Get Your Love".-History:...
recorded the song "Custer Had It Coming" in 1989. - General Custer's legacy was memorialized by the Italo discoItalo discoItalo disco encompasses much of the dance music output in Europe during the 1980s. It is one of the world's first forms of mostly electronic dance music and evolved during the late 1970s and early 1980s in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and other parts of Europe...
group Swan in their 1986 hit "General Custer". - Custer is prominently featured in Johnny HortonJohnny HortonJohn Gale "Johnny" Horton was an American country music and rockabilly singer most famous for his semi-folk, so-called "saga songs" which began the "historical ballad" craze of the late 1950s and early 1960s...
's 1960 song "Jim Bridger": "He spoke with General Custer and said 'Listen Yellow Hair/'The Sioux are a great nation, so treat 'em fair and square/'Sit in on their war council, don't laugh away their pride'/But Custer didn't listen, and at Little Big Horn Custer died." - Experimental-pop group Perky Custer derived their name from General George Custer and a generic version of Dr PepperDr PepperDr Pepper is a soft drink, marketed as having a unique flavor. The drink was created in the 1880s by Charles Alderton of Waco, Texas and first served around 1885. Dr Pepper was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904 and is now also sold in Europe, Asia, Canada, Mexico, Australia ...
. - Influential AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
punkPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/alternativeAlternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band The Minutemen mocked Custer's defeat and questioned the dignity - or lack thereof - in which he died during the Battle of the Little Bighorn, on the title track of their 19811981 in musicSee also:* Timeline of musical eventsThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1981.-January–April:*January 10 – A revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance opens at Broadway's Uris Theatre, starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith.*January 24 –...
LP The Punch LineThe Punch LineThe Punch Line is the first 12-inch and third record release by influential American punk rock band Minutemen, and the fourth-ever release from SST Records. Less than half the length of most LPs, the total playing time for all eighteen songs is a mere fifteen minutes...
: "I believe when they found the body of General George A. Custer/Quilled like a porcupinePorcupinePorcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
with Indian arrowArrowAn arrow is a shafted projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.An arrow usually consists of a shaft with an arrowhead attached to the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other.- History:...
s/He didn't die with any honor, dignity, or valor/I believe when they found the body of George A. Custer/American general, patriot, and Indian fighter/That he died with shit in his pants." - The Arrogant WormsThe Arrogant WormsThe Arrogant Worms are a Canadian musical comedy trio that parodies many musical genres. They are well known for their humorous on-stage banter in addition to their music.-History:...
's song "History Is Made by Stupid People" mocks him with the line "General Custer's a national hero, for not knowing when to run." - On his 1996 album Cowboy Celtic, Canadian singer David Wilkie sang "Custer Died A-Runnin'".
- A 1991 album, Blazon StoneBlazon StoneBlazon Stone is the sixth album by German band Running Wild.The album has sold over 340,000 records worldwide. According to Rolf Kasparek in an interview to a Brazilian heavy metal/hard rock magazine Blazon Stone is the sixth album by German band Running Wild.The album has sold over 340,000 records...
, by the German Heavy metalHeavy metal musicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Running WildRunning Wild (band)Running Wild is a German heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Hamburg. They were part of the German heavy/speed/power metal scene to emerge in the early to mid 1980s. The band has carved its niche in the metal world as the first "pirate metal" band, a theme which took off with the release of Under...
, includes a song about Custer's final battle called "Little Big Horn". It starts with the words "Hey Mr. Custer, why did you dare the hand of fate?" - In the 1997 song "Banner Year", skaSkaSka |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
band Five Iron FrenzyFive Iron FrenzyFive Iron Frenzy is a Christian ska band formed in Denver, Colorado in 1995 and disbanded in 2003. The band announced they were recording new material on November 22, 2011....
blames the death of Black KettleBlack KettleChief Black Kettle was a leader of the Southern Cheyenne after 1854, who led efforts to resist American settlement from Kansas and Colorado territories. He was a peacemaker who accepted treaties to protect his people. He survived the Third Colorado Cavalry's Sand Creek Massacre on the Cheyenne...
, at the Battle of Washita, on Custer. "Where Custer shot and killed Black Kettle." - The 1999 song Bulimic Beats by the Indie rockIndie rockIndie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band CatatoniaCatatoniaCatatonia is a state of neurogenic motor immobility, and behavioral abnormality manifested by stupor. It was first described in 1874: Die Katatonie oder das Spannungsirresein ....
includes the line "A front line with labels where I witness custard's last stand". - American composer and musicologist Kyle GannKyle GannKyle Eugene Gann is an American professor of music, critic and composer born in Dallas, Texas. As a critic for The Village Voice and other publications he has been a supporter of progressive music including such Downtown movements as postminimalism and totalism.- As composer :As a composer his...
created a multimedia work titled Custer and Sitting Bull in which monologues by the two figures are recited, accompanied by a microtonal musical score and projected images from the time period. The piece premiered in Los Angeles in 1999 and played in New York to positive reviews in the year 2000. - The rapper NellyNellyCornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
mentioned Custer in his song "Heart of a Champion" from his 2004 album Sweat: "My last stance be a stance of a General Custer, I hot dog cause I can, I got the cheese and mustard." - Custer is one of only two Army officers to be referenced in the army songThe Army Goes Rolling Along"The Army Goes Rolling Along" is the official song of the United States Army and is typically called "The Army Song."-The Caisson Song:The song is based on the "Caisson Song" written by field artillery First Lieutenant Edmund L...
(the other is George Patton). - The satirical song "I Love America", in which Alice Cooper portrays a stereotypical American as naïve and ignorant (even when it comes to his own country's history), includes the lyrics "I love what the Indians did to Custer".
- A 2004 album, Stripping CaneStripping CaneStripping Cane is the second solo album from American singer/songwriter Jeffrey Foucault, released in 2004.-Reception:Writing for Allmusic, critic Jason McNeil wrote that "The thread that seems to hold this album so tightly is how Foucault paints a vivid vignette with simple turns of phrases,...
, by singer/songwriter Jeffrey FoucaultJeffrey FoucaultJeffrey Foucault is a singer-songwriter from Whitewater, Wisconsin. His 2001 debut album, Miles from the Lightning, won much praise from critics and helped to kick-start a career of tours across the United States, Canada, and Europe. Along the way, he has played with such artists as Greg Brown,...
, includes a song called "Pearl Handled Pistol". It mentions G.A. Custer and Buffalo Bill: "He was a mighty handsome man. He loved dogs and children, he loved the military band." - In the 2009 Dave Matthews BandDave Matthews BandDave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
song "Little Red Bird" off their bonus disc to Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux KingBig Whiskey and the Groogrux KingThe track listing was made available on April 14 on the Dave Matthews Band website, and the first single from the album, "Funny the Way It Is", was made available for free download on the Dave Matthews Band website for the week of 14 April 2009.-Little Red Bird:...
, Custer is mentioned in the second verse. "General Custer is sad / Overestimated his abilities to win / Sitting Bull turned the table on him / A comfort to count the battles won after the war is lost / Little red bird".
Video games
- In Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs, Custer makes an appearance, but is seen as a stubborn leader who declares war on the SiouxSiouxThe Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
. In the end, the player defeats him and his army with help from the Sioux. - A controversial adultSex industryThe sex industry consists of businesses which either directly or indirectly provide sex-related products and services or adult entertainment...
video game, known as Custer's RevengeCuster's RevengeCuster's Revenge is a controversial video game made for the Atari 2600 by Mystique, a company that produced a number of adult video game titles for the system...
, was published for the Atari 2600Atari 2600The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
. This game consisted of Custer's moving from the left hand side of the screen to the right hand side of the screen through a barrage of arrows emerging from the top of the screen. Once Custer reaches the right hand side of the screen, he sexually assaults a Native AmericanNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
woman who is tied to a cactusCactusA cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
. - In the game Darkest of DaysDarkest of DaysDarkest of Days is a first-person shooter video game developed by 8monkey Labs and published by Phantom EFX. It was released in North America on September 8, 2009 for Microsoft Windows and the Xbox 360...
, the player starts out as a member of the 7th Cavalry with Custer at the Little Big Horn. The player is saved by a time-travel organization just as Custer is killed in the background. - Custer is mentioned in the game Turok; when Turok finishes a flashback about using a compound bowCompound bowA compound bow is a modern bow that uses a levering system, usually of cables and pulleys, to bend the limbs.The limbs of a compound bow are much stiffer than those of a recurve bow or longbow. This limb stiffness makes the compound bow more energy-efficient than other bows, in conjunction with the...
, Slade responds, "That would be a great weapon, if we were fighting Colonel Custer".