The Time Tunnel (TV Series) Massacre (1966) User Reviews

The Day Luck Runs Out

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 10 October 2009]

Doug and Tony are transported to the summer of 1876 and witness soldiers slaughtered by Indians in the middle of the desert. They are hunted and captured by three Indians; however Doug is rescued by the Trumpeter Tim that survived the massacre and is bringing a dispatch from General Crook to General George Armstrong Custer. Doug escapes but the leader of the Indians, Crazy Horse, brings Tony to the Indian camp to get information about the "Yellow Hair". Meanwhile, the Time Tunnel personnel summon the specialist in the Indian Wars period and Sioux descendant Dr. Charles Whitebird to provide information about the location. The researcher advises that the place is Montana and the day is the eve of the day of The Battle of the Little Bighorn, where Custer and the 7th Cavalry Regiment where defeated and annihilated by the Indians led by Sitting Bull.

"Massacre" is among the weakest episodes of The Time Tunnel. Based in the defeat of the United States Army led by General Custer in The Battle of the Little Bighorn, this episode is totally unrealistic, with Tony never being wounded or murdered by Crazy Horse in a period of Indian Wars. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Túnel do Tempo" ("The Time Tunnel")

The defining moment at The Little Bighorn!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 22 December 2019]

At least for me it was one of most disable episode of The Time Tunnel, when Tony and Doug fell down there, often they had split on both sides, Tony on Sioux tribe and Doug was taken to Custer's 7th Calvary, Tony tries to talk to Sitting Bull that the Indians will win the battle, however the US's Amy will strikes back with devastating consequences to Indian Nation, in other hand Doug has the same speech with the greedy Yellow Hair Custer, the famous battle of the Litlle Bighorn takes place, totally inaccurate by the way, the writer Carey Wilber should be lousy pupil at school, this battle was at Montana nearby the Black Hills, totally distinct as show in the episode near of the desert, anyhow it doesn't matter at all, enjoy It's Time Tunnel!!

Resume:

First watch: 1971 / How many: 5 / Source: TV-Cable TV-DVD / Rating: 7

Not One Of The Best

[StuOz · 4 November 2016]

It is 1876 and Indians are all over the place.

The other reviewers are obviously not too big on this episode and I have to admit it is my least favourite hour of the 30 shows. My knowledge of 1876 history is limited so I don't really care if it got a few things wrong.

Normally, any lesser Tunnel episode can be saved by what happens in the 1968 Tunnel complex but not much of interest is going on with General Kirk (Whit Bissell) and the gang.

Despite being my least favourite episode of the series, I still enjoyed watching it for the pleasing location filming and the odd interesting guest character. It held me from beginning to end.

What a load of (Sitting) Bull.

[BA_Harrison · 3/10 · 25 August 2022]

Doug and Tony are in heap um big trouble when they land in the Western plains in 1876, when General Custer is about to take his last stand against the Sioux. Not having learnt a thing from their past adventures, the pair attempt to interfere in matters but once again they are unable to alter the course of history. I don't understand why they bother.

I find the episodes that take place in recent American history (i.e. The past 200 years) rather dull, and this one is no exception. I imagine this is done to keep costs down, using props, costumes and footage from old movies (so many Westerns to pilfer from), but it feels lazy when there is so much time for the chaps to explore, both past and future. Here's hoping they get a bit wilder and more creative with the stories as the season progresses...

Neither dramatic nor visually accurate

[equesrosa · 3/10 · 12 March 2010]

If only Time Tunnel had stayed with the formula used in The Last Patrol or the story about the eruption of Krakatoa, this episode might have been more successful. Instead Massacre tries to increase the drama of the story and the visual effects on screen and fails to do either.

Rather than Tony and Doug getting caught up in the flow of the actual event as participants (which they did in both the aforementioned episodes), most of the episode has the pair trying to convince the Indians and the Cavalry to call the whole thing off. Any viewer with a bit of knowledge about the American West knows the Battle of Little Bighorn happened, so dramatic tension is destroyed, not created.

Likewise, the visual effect is negated by an unnecessary bit of borrowing. Viewers are treated to scenes taken from a fairly big-budget movie Western. Result -- the original scenes shot for Time Tunnel look like home movies. Worse, all geographical veracity is lost since the "borrowed" material takes place in the desert Southwest. Surely there must have been someplace nearby with a broad grassy field (and without mountains or an ocean) that could have been used? Add to this the dreadful wigs and the hazel and blue eyes of various actors playing Indians and this episode is the worst of the first ten I've now seen.