The Glory Guys (1965)

A Captain (Tom Tryon, I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE) in the U.S. Cavalry is transferred against his will to a platoon under the command of an ambitious, somewhat sadistic General (Andrew Duggan whose character is loosely based on Custer) with whom he has previously clashed. The Captain s also a romantic rival with an Indian scout (Harve Presnell) for the hand of a pretty widow (Senta Berger). Based on the novel THE DICE OF GOD by Hoffman Birney, the screenplay is by Sam Peckinpah. There's a good western in there somewhere but considering Peckinpah's history with the studios at this time, I wouldn't be surprised if his script had been tampered with. For the most part, it's a somber western so that its silly Fordian comic barroom brawls seem out of place. While a couple of the actors (Presnell, Berger) manage not to disgrace themselves, the acting is pretty poor, especially Tryon who's so inadequate that perhaps Otto Preminger did movie audiences a favor. James Caan with an inept Irish accent plays the Victor McLaglen part is cringe worthy. The film's chief asset is the excellent wide screen cinematography by the great James Wong Howe. Except for the battle sequences at the end of the film, Arnold Laven's direction is negligible. With Peter Breck, Slim Pickens, Jeanne Cooper, Wayne Rogers, Laurel Goodwin and Michael Anderson Jr.