Friday, May 22, 2009

Radio review – Cavalcade – “They Died with Their Boots On” (1941) *

Errol Flynn reprises his role as Custer; because the film version covered so much, this turns out to be quite easy to adapt to half an hour – they simply concentrate on the final bit, namely Custer being assigned out to the West and coming up against gun traders who causes the whole Little Big Horn massacre. In other words it’s a complete whitewash of history. 

The film had some glimpses of Custer’s instability but they’re cut out here. There’s a laughable scene where a soldier goes to see Custer to ask him if there’s any chance of getting back from Little Big Horn because his wife is worried and Custer admits the soldier will probably die, he should lie to his wife about it. 

Olivia de Havilland reprises her movie role and they do their farewell scene, so it’s good that that’s captured on radio but that’s about all you can recommend to it. (We get no final battle)

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