The 7th Is Made up of Phantoms (6 Dec. 1963)
"The Twilight Zone" The 7th Is Made up of Phantoms (original title)

Three 1960's Army National Guard soldiers on maneuvers near the Little Big Horn battle site find themselves unwittingly involved in Custer's last stand.

Director:

Alan Crosland Jr.

Writers:

Rod Serling (creator), Rod Serling

Stars:

Ron Foster, Warren Oates, Randy Boone

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Ron Foster	...	MSG William Connors
Warren Oates	...	CPL Richard Langsford
Randy Boone	...	Pvt. Michael McCluskey
Greg Morris	...	Lt. Woodard
Jeff Morris	...	Radio Operator (as Jeffrey Morris)
Wayne Mallory	...	Scout
Robert Bray	...	Capt. Dennet

Storyline

Three 1960's Army National Guard soldiers on maneuvers near the Little Big Horn battle site find themselves unwittingly involved in Custer's last stand.

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Plot Keywords:

soldier | battle of little big horn | time warp | time travel | doubt | 

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 December 1963 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cayuga Productions, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

There is a motorized vehicle speeding by over the shoulder of the character Langsford as he is speaking, 17 minutes 38 seconds from the start.

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Quotes

Narrator: [Closing Narration] Sergeant William Connors, Trooper Michael McCluskey, and Trooper Richard Langsford, who, on a hot afternoon in June, made a charge over a hill - and never returned. Look for this one under 'P' for phantom, is a historical ledger located in a reading room known as the Twilight Zone.

User Reviews

Fascinating premise that just misses.

The premise of the episode is certainly an intriguing one: Montana National Guard three-man tank crew becomes isolated in the Little Big Horn area during June 25, 1964, and encounters events convincing them they are moving back to June 25, 1876, the day of the famous battle.

Creates a good sense of mystery and a feeling of being pursued and overcome by powerful unnatural forces -- and that's not easy to do. (Sudden, freakish wind gusts create psychological shifts among two of the characters.)

But - and this is a big "but" - the tank commander, actor Ron Foster, has a working knowledge of the battle down to the most minute detail, which demands a greater suspension of disbelief by the viewer than the characters being caught in an historical time warp. This is exacerbated by the ponderous and dispassionate way he dispenses his knowledge to his crew, and we the audience.

I have published articles on the battle, and I would be hardpressed to reel off the kind of knowledge Foster dispenses with almost nonchalant ease. (Another issue: A couple of "historical" references seemed to be the invention of writer Rod Serling.) I know Serling must have been suffering writer's fatigue at this point in the series' run.

I can only imagine what he might have done with this fascinating idea had he scripted it during The Twilight Zone's first year. It could have been one of his 10 best.

As it stands, it is a "what might have been" episode that misses. Still, it's fun to watch.