''Custer's Last Stand'' is a 1936 American

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, ge ...

based on the historical

Custer's Last Stand The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota people, 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 Si ...

at the

Little Bighorn River The Little Bighorn River is a tributary of the Bighorn River in the United States in the states of Montana and Wyoming. The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was fought on its banks on June 25–26, 187 ...

. It was directed by

Elmer Clifton Elmer Clifton Forsyth (March 14, 1890 – October 15, 1949) was an American director, screenwriter, and actor from the early silent days. Early life Elmer Clifton Forsyth was born in Toronto, Canada, to Cecil Carl Forsyth and Margaret Nicoll ...

, 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 The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. This serial stars many famous and popular

B-Western The B movie, whose roots trace to the silent film era, was a significant contributor to Hollywood's Golden Age of the 1930s and 1940s. As the Hollywood studios made the transition to sound film in the late 1920s, many independent exhibitors began ...

actors as well as silent serial star

Helen Gibson Helen Gibson (born Rose August Wenger; August 27, 1892 – October 10, 1977) was an American film actress, vaudeville performer, radio performer, film producer, Horse riding stunts, trick rider, and rodeo performer; and is considered to be the f ...

playing Calamity Jane, Frank McGlynn Jr. as General Custer, and Allen Greer as Wild Bill Hickok. 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, but centers on a "

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

arrow" taken from the local Indian tribe in a battle with white settlers. On the arrow is writing that points the way to a secret gold mine. A corrupt

Indian agent In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the U.S. government. Agents established in Nonintercourse Act of 1793 The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the Un ...

(

William Farnum William Farnum (July 4, 1876 – June 5, 1953) was an American actor. He was a star of American silent cinema, and he became one of the highest-paid actors during this time. Biography Farnum was born on July 4, 1876, in Boston, Massachuset ...

) and his co-conspirators seek to recover the arrow in order to find the gold, and are willing to kill to do so. The film depicts several historical characters, but in a purely fictitious setting. Cline (1984) writes that "the story ramble through a series of loosely connected plots and subplots" leading up to the

Battle of Little Big Horn 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, Northe ...

Cast

Rex Lease Rex Lloyd Lease (February 11, 1903 – January 3, 1966) was an American actor. He appeared in over 300 films, mainly in Poverty Row Westerns. Biography Rex Lease arrived in Hollywood in 1924. He found bit and supporting parts at Film Booki ...

as Kit Cardigan and his father John C. Cardigan *

Lona Andre Lona Andre (born Launa Anderson; March 2, 1915 – September 18, 1992) was an American film actress, golfer, and businesswoman. Biography Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Andre attracted attention with her first films in Hollywood and was named ...

as Belle Meade *

as James Fitzpatrick *

Ruth Mix Nadine Ruth Mix or Ruth Jane Mix (July 13, 1912 – September 21, 1977) was an actress. Early years Mix was born in Dewey, Oklahoma, to Tom and Olive Stokes Mix. She had a half-sister, Thomasina Mix. After they divorced, when Mix was 15, he ...

Elizabeth Custer Elizabeth Bacon Custer ( Bacon; April 8, 1842 – April 4, 1933) was the wife of Brevet Major General George Armstrong Custer, United States Army. She spent most of their twelve-year marriage in relative proximity to him despite his numerous mi ...

Jack Mulhall John Joseph Francis Mulhall (October 7, 1887 – June 1, 1979) was an American film actor beginning in the silent film era who successfully transitioned to sound films, appearing in over 430 films in a career spanning 50 years. Early years Mu ...

as Lieutenant Cook *

Nancy Caswell Nancy Caswell (October 28, 1913 – February 2, 1987) was an American child actress of the silent era and later as an adult in talkies, including a Three Stooges work.Maurer, John Howard; Lenburg, Jeff; Mauer, Joan Howard; Lenburg, Greg; Maue ...

as Barbara Trent *

George Chesebro George Newell Chesebro (July 29, 1888 – May 28, 1959) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 400 films between 1915 and 1954. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and died in Los Angeles, California. Partial filmography * ''Mi ...

as Lieutenant Frank Roberts *

Dorothy Gulliver Dorothy Kathleen Gulliver (September 6, 1908 – May 23, 1997) was an American silent film actress, and one of the few to make a successful transition when films began using sound. Biography The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Gulliver, she wa ...

as Red Fawn *Frank McGlynn Jr. as General George A. Custer *

Calamity Jane Martha Jane Canary (May 1, 1856 – August 1, 1903), better known as Calamity Jane, was an American American frontier, frontierswoman, Exhibition shooting, sharpshooter, sex worker, and storyteller. In addition to many exploits, she was known f ...

Josef Swickard Josef Swickard (June 26, 1866 – March 1, 1940) was a Prussian-born American stage and screen character actor, who had toured with stock companies in Europe, South Africa, and South America. Career Swickard emigrated to the United States from ...

as Major Henry Trent, MD *

Chief Thundercloud Victor Daniels (April 12, 1899 – December 1, 1955), known professionally as Chief Thundercloud, was an American character actor in Westerns. He is noted for being the first actor to play the role of Tonto, the Lone Ranger's Native-American ...

as Young Wolf * Allen Greer as

Wild Bill Hickok James Butler Hickok (May 27, 1837August 2, 1876), better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, reconnaissance, scout, lawman, cattle rustler, gunslinger, gambler, s ...

*High Eagle as

Crazy Horse Crazy Horse ( , ; – September 5, 1877) was a Lakota people, Lakota war leader of the Oglala band. He took up arms against the United States federal government to fight against encroachment by White Americans, White American settlers on Nativ ...

*Howling Wolf as

Sitting Bull Sitting Bull ( ; December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota people, Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against Federal government of the United States, United States government policies. Sitting Bull was killed by Indian ...

Stunts

Yakima Canutt Enos Edward "Yakima" Canutt (November 29, 1895 – May 24, 1986) was an American champion rodeo rider, actor, stuntman, and action director. He developed many stunts for films and the techniques and technology to protect stuntmen performing them ...

*Ken Cooper *

Carl Mathews Carl Mathews (February 19, 1903 – May 3, 1959), also sometimes credited as Carl Matthews, was an American character actor and stuntman of the 1930s through 1950s. Born on February 19, 1903, in Oklahoma, his first film role would be in '' Rough ...

*Mabel Strickland (riding double) *Wally West

Reception

''Custer's Last Stand'' was well received by action fans, regardless of its historical inaccuracies.

Chapter titles

The chapters of the serial are titled as follows: # Perils of the Plains # Thundering Hoofs ic# 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

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Custer's Last Stand (Serial) 1936 films 1936 Western (genre) films 1930s independent films American Indian Wars films American Western (genre) films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films directed by Elmer Clifton Film serials Films set in 1876 American independent films Battle of the Little Bighorn Cultural depictions of George Armstrong Custer Cultural depictions of Sitting Bull Cultural depictions of Wild Bill Hickok Cultural depictions of Crazy Horse Cultural depictions of Calamity Jane Films about Native Americans 1930s American films English-language Western (genre) films