Ever get that feeling of déjà vu while watching an old Western? You’re scrolling through cable or a niche streaming service, and you see George Armstrong Custer on the screen. Again. But it’s not Errol Flynn and it’s definitely not Richard Mulligan from Little Big Man. If the movie looks like a mid-60s production with high-saturation Technicolor and a certain grit, you’ve likely stumbled upon the 1965 film The Great Sioux Massacre.
Honestly, the The Great Sioux Massacre cast is a fascinating time capsule of 1960s Hollywood. It’s a mix of aging leading men, reliable character actors who worked on every TV set in town, and a few faces that would eventually become icons for entirely different reasons. When people talk about this movie today, they usually focus on the historical inaccuracies—which are, frankly, everywhere—but the real story is in the performers who tried to sell this dramatized version of the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
Philip Carey as the Man Who Would Be Custer
At the center of it all is Philip Carey.
🔗 Read more: Amie: Why This 70s Classic Still Feels Like a Mystery
You might know him better as Asa Buchanan from One Life to Live. He spent decades playing that billionaire patriarch, but in 1965, he was stepping into the boots of George Armstrong Custer. It’s a tough role. Custer is a polarizing figure in American history, and Carey plays him with a sort of rigid, simmering intensity.
Carey wasn't a newcomer. He had been around the block, appearing in films like Mister Roberts and starring in the TV series Laredo. In this film, he has to navigate a script that tries to have it both ways—showing Custer as a man driven by ambition but also a victim of political maneuvering. It’s a "pro-Custer" lean, which was common for the era but feels very dated now. Carey’s performance is physical. He’s got the stature. He looks the part in the uniform, even if the script asks him to do things the real Custer never would have dreamt of.
He’s flanked by Joseph Cotten. Now, let’s talk about Cotten for a second. This is a guy who was in Citizen Kane and The Third Man. By the time he joined The Great Sioux Massacre cast as Major Reno, he was in the "elder statesman" phase of his career. He brings a level of gravitas that the movie probably didn't deserve. Cotten plays Reno as a man plagued by doubt and a bit of a drinking problem, which aligns with some of the historical criticisms of the real Marcus Reno. Watching Cotten and Carey square off is basically a masterclass in two different eras of Hollywood acting clashing on screen.
Iron Eyes Cody and the Question of Authenticity
We have to address the elephant in the room when looking at a 1965 Western cast.
Iron Eyes Cody appears as Crazy Horse.
If you grew up in the 70s or 80s, you remember him as the "Crying Indian" from the anti-pollution public service announcements. Here’s the thing: Iron Eyes Cody was actually of Italian descent. His real name was Espera Oscar de Corti. For decades, he lived his life as a Native American man, and Hollywood cast him in almost every "Indian" role available. While he was a fixture in the industry and contributed a lot to Native causes, his presence in The Great Sioux Massacre cast is a reminder of how the industry handled representation back then.
It’s weird to watch today. He plays Crazy Horse with a stoic, almost mystical quality. But knowing the backstory of the actor adds a layer of artifice to a movie that already struggles with historical truth.
Then you have Michael Pate as Sitting Bull. Pate was an Australian actor. Yeah, Australian. He made a career out of playing Native American characters because he had "the look" that casting directors wanted in the 50s and 60s. He’s actually quite good in the role if you can get past the casting choice, playing Sitting Bull with a quiet dignity that stands in contrast to the frantic energy of the cavalry officers.
The Supporting Players: From Batman to The Munsters
The deeper you go into the credits, the more "Hey, I know that guy!" moments you have.
Take Darren McGavin. He plays Captain Benton. McGavin is a legend. Before he was the grumpy dad in A Christmas Story or the supernatural investigator in Kolchak: The Night Stalker, he was a prolific Western actor. In this film, he’s essentially the moral compass. He’s the guy telling Custer, "Hey, maybe this isn't a great idea." McGavin has this natural, fast-talking charisma that makes him stand out even when he’s just standing in the background of a camp scene.
And then there’s Julie Adams. She plays Libbie Custer. You likely recognize her as the woman in the white swimsuit from Creature from the Black Lagoon. In this film, she doesn't have a whole lot to do other than look worried and support her husband, but she was a massive star in the B-movie and Western circuit. Her presence gave the movie a bit of "prestige" for the drive-in audience.
A few other names in the mix:
- Frank Ferguson: Played James Schuyler. You’ve seen him in a million things, including Peyton Place.
- John Matthews: Played Dakota.
- Don Haggerty: Played Senator Blaine. He was a staple of 1950s TV Westerns like The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.
Why This Cast Worked (And Why It Didn't)
Director Sidney Salkow was a pro at making movies on a budget. He knew that if you couldn't afford a cast of thousands for the battle scenes, you needed faces the audience recognized. By hiring Carey, Cotten, and McGavin, he bought instant credibility.
The chemistry between the men is what keeps the movie afloat. The 1870s frontier was a hyper-masculine, ego-driven environment, and this cast nails that vibe. There’s a lot of posturing. A lot of shouting in tents. A lot of dramatic staring over maps. Carey and McGavin, in particular, have a great rapport that feels like two guys who have spent way too much time together in the dirt.
However, the movie suffers from the "Hollywood-itis" of the time. Everyone is a bit too clean. The hair is a bit too perfectly styled for 1876. Joseph Cotten, despite being a brilliant actor, looks like he’d be more comfortable in a library than on a horse in the Montana Territory. It's a "movie-movie." It’s not trying to be a documentary, and the cast reflects that. They are playing archetypes, not necessarily three-dimensional historical figures.
The Legacy of the 1965 Ensemble
When you look back at The Great Sioux Massacre cast, you’re looking at the end of an era. By the late 60s, the "Revisionist Western" was taking over. Movies like The Wild Bunch or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were about to change the tone of the genre forever. The Great Sioux Massacre was one of the last gasps of the traditional, mid-budget Western where the hero wore a white hat (metaphorically) and the drama was served with a side of melodrama.
Philip Carey never became a massive movie star, but his Custer remains one of the more interesting portrayals because he plays him as a man who is clearly out of his depth but too proud to admit it. It’s a nuanced take hidden inside a fairly standard action flick.
If you’re a fan of 60s cinema, the cast is the main reason to watch. It’s a collection of professionals who knew exactly how to work a camera, how to ride a horse, and how to make a scripted line about "glory" sound like it actually mattered.
How to Explore This Film Today
If you’re looking to dive deeper into this specific era of filmmaking or want to track down the work of these actors, here are a few ways to contextualize what you're seeing:
- Compare the Custers: Watch Philip Carey side-by-side with Errol Flynn in They Died with Their Boots On. Flynn is a romantic hero; Carey is a weary soldier. It tells you everything about how the American perception of Custer shifted between 1941 and 1965.
- Follow the Character Actors: Look up Darren McGavin’s filmography. The guy was a workhorse. Seeing him in this film helps you appreciate how he developed that cynical, fast-talking persona that made Kolchak such a hit a decade later.
- Analyze the Setting: Much of the film was shot in Mexico, not Montana. Look at the background scenery. The "Massacre" happens in a landscape that looks nothing like the actual Little Bighorn site. It adds to the surreal, theatrical quality of the performances.
- Check the Credits: Look for names like John Napier or Boyd 'Red' Morgan. These were the "stunt-heavy" actors who did the literal heavy lifting during the battle sequences. Their work is what makes the final third of the movie watchable.
The movie isn't a masterpiece. It's not a historical record. But the performers involved were part of a specific Hollywood ecosystem that doesn't exist anymore. They were "contract-style" actors who could show up, hit their marks, and deliver a convincing performance regardless of the budget or the accuracy of the script. That’s a skill set worth respecting.
Practical Next Steps for Film Buffs
- Search for the DVD/Blu-ray: This film often pops up in "Classic Western" multi-packs. If you’re a collector, look for the Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases, as they usually have the best transfers of the Techniscope footage.
- Verify the History: If you’re curious about how much the movie got wrong (spoiler: a lot), read Son of the Morning Star by Evan S. Connell. It’s widely considered the definitive account of the battle and will give you the "real" version of the characters played by Carey and Cotten.
- Cross-Reference the Cast: Use a site like Letterboxd to see what else Philip Carey and Joseph Cotten did in 1965. You’ll find that they were incredibly prolific, often filming multiple projects back-to-back.