Custer's Last Stand (1936)

Custer's Last Stand - WEISS's first serial

WEISS PRODUCTIONS (owned by Louis Weiss) was a small independent studio with a total cliffhanger output of three (all released in 1936). CUSTER'S LAST STAND was the first of these.

Outdoor scenes for LAST STAND were filmed at Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park (Agua Dulce, CA. - a far cry and distance from South Dakota). Unlike most serials, LAST STAND has several lead characters and storylines that unfold during its 15 episodes. The central theme here (if there is one) is a red herring: the search for an arrow containing directions to a mineral-rich cave-- a cave that we never see. Along the way we do meet some of the Old West's more renowned characters. The topper of course is the 7th Cavalry's ill-fated battle of Little Big Horn.

CAST:
Rex Lease - Kit Cardigan/John C. Cardigan (his father)
Lona Andre - Belle Meade
William Farnum - James Fitzpatrick
Ruth Mix - Elizabeth Custer [Chs. 1,3, 8-11, 15]
Jack Mulhall - Lt. Cook
Nancy Caswell - Barbara Trent
George Chesebro - Lt. Frank Roberts
Dorothy Gulliver - Red Fawn
Frank McGlynn Jr. - Gen. George A. Custer
Helen Gibson - Calamity Jane [Chs. 4-7, 10]
Chief Thundercloud - Young Wolf
Robert Walker - Pete (lead henchman)

also:
Allen Greer - Wild Bill Hickok [Chs. 7-10]
High Eagle - Chief Crazy Horse
Howling Wolf - Chief Sitting Bull
Chief John Big Tree - Medicine Man [Ch. 9]
Iron Eyes Cody - Chief Brown Fox
Yakima Canutt - Renegade/Indian (uncredited)

CHAPTERS:
1. Perils of the Plains
2. Thundering Hoofs
3. Fires of Vengeance
4. The Ghost Dancers
5. Trapped
6. Human Wolves
7. Demons of Disaster
8. White Treachery
9. Circle of Death
10. Flaming Arrow
11. Warpath
12. Firing Squad
13. Red Panthers
14. Custer's Last Ride
15. The Last Stand

LAST STAND trivia:

George Custer was a brevetted brigadier general during the Civil War-- a temporary position. When the Union Army was reduced in size after the war, Custer was also reduced to a lieutenant colonel, the rank he held at the time of his death 13 years later.

Sixty-two actors appeared in LAST STAND (23 were uncredited). The cast was packed with Native Americans such as: White Feather, Tall Tree, Swift Eagle, Red Star, Lone Pine, Little Eagle, Humming Bird, etc.

One man listed as (and believed to be) an Indian was Iron Eyes Cody (Chief Brown Fox). Cody was actually the son of Italian immigrant parents. He denied this even in court in 1996, when his heritage was challenged. Cody's most famous role was his briefest: he was the Indian who sheds a tear for a blighted American environment in "Keep America Beautiful" ads that ran from 1971 into the 1980s.

Young Marty Joyce (Buzz/town fool) was killed in a car wreck shortly after this film was completed.

Stuntman-extraordinaire Yakima Canutt starred in a few silent-era westerns. He was also at times an assistant director, production coordinator, writer and stunt coordinator on dozens of great films. Here, Canutt has a minor role as an Indian.

Robert Walker was a silent screen star whose career deteriorated in the sound era to playing uncredited bit parts-- he did so for a quarter century.

Chief Thundercloud was of Cherokee/Scotch/Irish/German heritage. The title of "Chief" was honorary. Thundercloud created the role of Tonto in two late-1930s LONE RANGER serials. He also was the title character in GERONIMO (1939).

Chief John Big Tree's likeness appears on the Indian head nickel. He was a full-blooded Seneca Indian. (Big Tree portrays a medicine man here.)

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THE BLACK COIN is another WEISS PRODUCTION serial worth checking out. September 6, 2007

Better than I expected.

A pretty good western I ended up watching again and again.George Chesebro, usually seen in lesser roles as a bad guy, steals the show here in a most heroic way and even tugs at the ol' heartstrings. Another big plus was the casting of a number of Arapaho Indian survivors of the actual Little Bighorn battle. That moved "Custer's Last Stand" w-a-a-y up on my list of must-have serials. August 10, 2006

as history forget it,as family fun and adventure saddle up and ride with this one!

i love these old cliffhangers and i show them to my boys all the time. they love all the fast paced action and my wife and i love the fact taht we don't have to worry about bad words or any other problems with newer movies! we watched this one over the weekend and all i have heard all week is if we can watch it again. great family fun and a great way to spur(get it "spur",ok it's corny like the movie but i had to say it)your kids to read more about the history of thr period! June 15, 2006

"The King of Serials...VCI Entertainment ~ Custer's Last Stand (1936)"

VCI Entertainment and Stage and Screen Pictures present "Custer's Last Stand" (1936) (Dolby digitally remastered), with 15 Chapters based loosely on historical facts of the Black Hills and the final days of General George Armstrong Custer ...story line has to do with an "Indian Medicine Arrow" which was stolen during an attack on a wagon train...is there a cave full of yellow stones known as gold....if the arrow is found will Young Wolf (Thundercloud) then tell Blade the local heavy (Howes) where the cave is located...our hero Kit Cardigan (Lease) is bent on finding his fathers killer who was somehow involved with the arrow...will there be more bloodshed and great stuntwork by Yakima Canutt (king of stuntmen) and his band of daredevils.....don't leave the theater until the final chapter is over and done with "The Last Stand"....just remember double thrills, chills, mystery and suspense...hitting the bull's eye with excitement...don't miss a single spine thrilling episode..return next week to this local theater for another episode of action and adventure that will keep you thrilled until the next chapter.

Under director Elmer Clifton, producer Louis Weiss, Original screenplay by George Arthur Durlam, Eddie Granemann, William Lively, musical score by Raphael Penso...the cast include Rex Lease (Kit Cardigan/John C. Cardigan-his father), Lona Andre (Belle Meade), William Farnum (James Fitzpatrick), Ruth Mix (Elizabeth Custer), Jack Mulhall (Lieutenant Cook), Nancy Caswell (Barbara Trent), George Chesebro (Lieutenant Frank Roberts), Dorothy Gulliver (Red Fawn), Frank McGlynn Jr (General George A. Custer), Helen Gibson (Calamity Jane), Josef Swickard (Major Henry Trent), Chief Thundercloud (Young Wolf), Reed Howes (Tom 'Keen' Blade), Bobby Nelson (Bobby Trent), Robert Walker (Pete-henchman), Marty Joyce (Buzz-town fool), Milburn Morante (Buckskin), George Morrell (Sergeant Major Flannigan), Ted Adams (Barney-henchman)/Buffalo Bill Cody), Allen Greer (Wild Bill Hickok), High Eagle (Chief Crazy Horse), Howling Wolf (Chief Sitting Bull), Iron Eyes Cody (Chief Brown Fox), Yakima Canutt (Renegade/Indian)....some outstanding stunt work by Mabel Strickland, Yakima Canutt and Ken Cooper....special note that Chief Thundercloud played faithful Indian companion Tonto in "Lone Ranger" (1938) and "The Lone Ranger Rides Again" (1939) serials...Yakima Canutt doubled for such stars as Clark Gable and John Wayne, never be another like Yakima....meanwhile back to our Stage and Screen Serial which is always good till the last drop and this serial is no exception...there is a great deal of entertainment here for the cliffhanger fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and features.

CHAPTER TITLES:
1. Perils of the Plains
2. Thundering Hoofs
3. Fires of Vengeances
4. Ghost Dancers
5. Trapped
6. Human Wolves
7. Demons of Disaster
8. White Treachery
9. Circle of Death
10.Flaming Arrow
11.Warpath
12.Firing Squad
13.Red Panthers
14.Custer's last Ride
15.The Last Stand

BIOS:
1. Rex Lease
Birth Date: 2/11/1903 - Central City, West Virginia
Died: 1/03/1966 - Los Angeles, CA
2. Chief Thundercloud (aka Victor Daniels)
Birth Date: 4/12/1899 - Muskogee Indian Territory, Okla.
Died: 12/01/1955 - Ventura, CA
3. Yakima Canutt (aka Enos Edward Canutt)
Birth Date: 11/29/1896 - Colfax, Washington
Died: 5/24/1986 - North Hollywood, CA
4. Elmer Clifton (Director)
Birth Date: 3/14/1890 - Chicago, Illinois
Died: 10/15/1949 - Los Angeles, CA

If you're into vintage serials as I am, why not pick up a copy of the following titles from VCI Home Video:
VCI CLIFFHANGER TRAILERS:
1. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)
2. Adventures of the Flying Cadets (Bobby Jordan)
3. Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe)
4. Captain Midnight (Dave O'Brien)
5. Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere (Judd Holdren & I. Stanford Jolley)
6. Dick Tracy's G-Men (Ralph Byrd)
7. Don Winslow of the Navy (Don Terry)
8. Don Winslow of the Coast Guard (Don Terry)
9. Drums of Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon)
10.Fighting Kit Carson (Johnny Mack Brown)
11.Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (Buster Crabbe)
12.The Green Archer (Victory Jory)
13.Jungle Girl (Frances Gifford)
14.Jungle Jim (Grant Withers & Raymond Hatton)
15.Lost City of the Jungle (Russell Hayden & Keye Luke)
16.Mandrake the Magician (Warren Hull & Dick Curtis)
17.Miracle Rider (Tom Mix & Tony Jr)
18.The Painted Stallion (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
19.The Phantom (Tom Tyler)
20.The Return of Chandu (Bela Lugosi)
21.Riders of Death Valley (Dick Foran, Leo Carrillo & Buck Jones)
22.Secret Agent X-9 (1937) (Scott Kolk & Henry Brandon)
23.Secret Agent X-9 (1945) (Lloyd Bridges & Keye Luke)
24.Sky Raiders (Donald Woods & Billy Halop)
25.Undersea Kingdom (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)
26.Winners of the West (Dick Foran, Harry Woods, Roy Barcroft & Charles Stevens)
27.Zane Greys "King of the Royal Mounted" (Allan "Rocky" Lane)
28.Zorro's Cliffhanger Collection (Reed Hadley, John Carroll & Linda Stirling)

Coming soon January 2006 from VCI Home Video on DVD..."FLAMING FRONTIERS" (1938), Universal Serial with 15 chapters, featuring Johnny Mack Brown, Eleanor Hansen, John Archer, James Blaine and Ralph Bowman..."OREGON TRAIL" (1939), another Universal Serial with 15 exciting chapters featuring Johnny Mack Brown, Fuzzy Knight, Roy Barcoft and Charles King..."THE TALL TEXAN" (1953), full length feature starring Lloyd Bridges, Lee J Cobb, Luther Adler and Marie Windsor...watch for more details on VCI Entertainment and Amazon your two favorite sites for serials and B-Westerns.

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing "Custer's Last Stand" (1936), the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '30s, '40s & '50s...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure from the "King of Serials" VCI...just the way we like 'em

Total Time: 315 mins ~ VCI Entertainment 1760 ~ (11/01/2000) November 26, 2005

"The King of Serials...VCI Entertainment ~ Custer's Last Stand (1936)"

VCI Entertainment and Stage and Screen Pictures present "Custer's Last Stand" (1936) (Dolby digitally remastered), with 15 Chapters based loosely on historical facts of the Black Hills and the final days of General George Armstrong Custer ...story line has to do with an "Indian Medicine Arrow" which was stolen during an attack on a wagon train...is there a cave full of yellow stones known as gold....if the arrow is found will Young Wolf (Thundercloud) then tell Blade the local heavy (Howes) where the cave is located...our hero Kit Cardigan (Lease) is bent on finding his fathers killer who was somehow involved with the arrow...will there be more bloodshed and great stuntwork by Yakima Canutt (king of stuntmen) and his band of daredevils.....don't leave the theater until the final chapter is over and done with "The Last Stand"....just remember double thrills, chills, mystery and suspense...hitting the bull's eye with excitement...don't miss a single spine thrilling episode..return next week to this local theater for another episode of action and adventure that will keep you thrilled until the next chapter.

Under director Elmer Clifton, producer Louis Weiss, Original screenplay by George Arthur Durlam, Eddie Granemann, William Lively, musical score by Raphael Penso...the cast include Rex Lease (Kit Cardigan/John C. Cardigan-his father), Lona Andre (Belle Meade), William Farnum (James Fitzpatrick), Ruth Mix (Elizabeth Custer), Jack Mulhall (Lieutenant Cook), Nancy Caswell (Barbara Trent), George Chesebro (Lieutenant Frank Roberts), Dorothy Gulliver (Red Fawn), Frank McGlynn Jr (General George A. Custer), Helen Gibson (Calamity Jane), Josef Swickard (Major Henry Trent), Chief Thundercloud (Young Wolf), Reed Howes (Tom 'Keen' Blade), Bobby Nelson (Bobby Trent), Robert Walker (Pete-henchman), Marty Joyce (Buzz-town fool), Milburn Morante (Buckskin), George Morrell (Sergeant Major Flannigan), Ted Adams (Barney-henchman)/Buffalo Bill Cody), Allen Greer (Wild Bill Hickok), High Eagle (Chief Crazy Horse), Howling Wolf (Chief Sitting Bull), Iron Eyes Cody (Chief Brown Fox), Yakima Canutt (Renegade/Indian)....some outstanding stunt work by Mabel Strickland, Yakima Canutt and Ken Cooper....special note that Chief Thundercloud played faithful Indian companion Tonto in "Lone Ranger" (1938) and "The Lone Ranger Rides Again" (1939) serials...Yakima Canutt doubled for such stars as Clark Gable and John Wayne, never be another like Yakima....meanwhile back to our Stage and Screen Serial which is always good till the last drop and this serial is no exception...there is a great deal of entertainment here for the cliffhanger fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and features.

CHAPTER TITLES:
1. Perils of the Plains
2. Thundering Hoofs
3. Fires of Vengeances
4. Ghost Dancers
5. Trapped
6. Human Wolves
7. Demons of Disaster
8. White Treachery
9. Circle of Death
10.Flaming Arrow
11.Warpath
12.Firing Squad
13.Red Panthers
14.Custer's last Ride
15.The Last Stand

BIOS:
1. Rex Lease
Birth Date: 2/11/1903 - Central City, West Virginia
Died: 1/03/1966 - Los Angeles, CA
2. Chief Thundercloud (aka Victor Daniels)
Birth Date: 4/12/1899 - Muskogee Indian Territory, Okla.
Died: 12/01/1955 - Ventura, CA
3. Yakima Canutt (aka Enos Edward Canutt)
Birth Date: 11/29/1896 - Colfax, Washington
Died: 5/24/1986 - North Hollywood, CA
4. Elmer Clifton (Director)
Birth Date: 3/14/1890 - Chicago, Illinois
Died: 10/15/1949 - Los Angeles, CA

If you're into vintage serials as I am, why not pick up a copy of the following titles from VCI Home Video:
VCI CLIFFHANGER TRAILERS:
1. Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe)
2. Adventures of the Flying Cadets (Bobby Jordan)
3. Drums of Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon)
4. Jungle Girl (Frances Gifford)
5. The Phantom (Tom Tyler)
6. Zane Greys "King of the Royal Mounted" (Allan "Rocky" Lane)
7. Secret Agent X-9 (1945) (Lloyd Bridges & Keye Luke)
8. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)
9. Secret Agent X-9 (1937) (Scott Kolk & Henry Brandon)
10.Zorro's Cliffhanger Collection (Reed Hadley, John Carroll & Linda Stirling)
11.Dick Tracy's G-Men (Ralph Byrd)
12.Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (Buster Crabbe)
13.Jungle Jim (Grant Withers & Raymond Hatton)
14.Miracle Rider (Tom Mix & Tony Jr)

If you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure then this is the place for all of the above...check out another release from VCI Entertainment and Republic Pictures present Zane Grey's "King of the Royal Mounted" (1940) (digitally remastered), 12 Chapters of vintage serial loaded with action sequences...is there a discovered substance called "Compound X", which may cure infantile paralysis...has Tom Merritt stumbled on such a rare find...is there a war between Canada and sources known later as the "Father Land".....get out there as they're going fast, this is the one you've been waiting for.

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing "Custer's Last Stand" (1936), the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '30s, '40s & '50s...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure from the "King of Serials" VCI...just the way we like 'em

Total Time: 315 mins on 2 VHS ~ VCI Entertainment 1760 ~ (11/01/2000) October 20, 2005

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