Though a fictionalized Western based on George Armstrong Custer's 7th Cavalry Regiment at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, the film is almost a generic war story covering the enlistment, training, and operational deployment of a group of recruits that could take place in any time period.
Score
Riz Ortolani's bombastic 'Eee-Yo' theme song is unhinged.
Acting
Harve Presnell's booming baritone steals every scene.
Practical Effects
Real cavalry drills with 300 actual horses.
Director
Arnold Laven
Tom Tryon
Capt. Demas Harrod
Harve Presnell
Sol Rogers
Senta Berger
Lou Woddard
Michael Anderson Jr.
Pvt. Martin Hale
James Caan
Pvt. Anthony Dugan
Slim Pickens
Sgt. James Gregory
Erik Holland
Pvt. Clark Gentry
Adam Williams
Pvt. Lucas Crain
Andrew Duggan
Gen. Frederick McCabe
Michael Forest
Fred Cushman
Robert McQueeney
Maj. Oliver Marcus
Wayne Rogers
Lt. Mike Moran
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Arnold Laven later produced 'The Rifleman' and 'The Big Valley'—this is basically a feature-length TV Western with a budget.
Released during Vietnam escalation, the film's gung-ho military glorification feels increasingly uncomfortable knowing what was coming for American soldiers.
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