Little Big Man (1970)

Jack Crabb, looking back from extreme old age, tells of his life being raised by Native Americans and fighting with General Custer.

Director:

Arthur Penn

Writers:

Thomas Berger (novel), Calder Willingham (screenplay)

Stars:

Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, Chief Dan George

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dustin Hoffman	...	Jack Crabb
Faye Dunaway	...	Mrs. Pendrake
Chief Dan George	...	Old Lodge Skins
Martin Balsam	...	Llardyce T. Merriweather
Richard Mulligan	...	Gen. George Armstrong Custer
Jeff Corey	...	Wild Bill Hickok
Aimee Eccles	...	Sunshine (as Amy Eccles)
Kelly Jean Peters	...	Olga Crabb
Carole Androsky	...	Caroline Crabb (as Carol Androsky)
Robert Little Star	...	Little Horse
Cal Bellini	...	Younger Bear
Ruben Moreno	...	Shadow That Comes in Sight
Steve Shemayne	...	Burns Red in the Sun
William Hickey	...	Historian
James Anderson	...	Sergeant

Storyline

Jack Crabb is 121 years old as the film begins. A collector of oral histories asks him about his past. He recounts being captured and raised by indians, becoming a gunslinger, marrying an indian, watching her killed by General George Armstrong Custer, and becoming a scout for him at Little Big Horn.

---

Plot Keywords:

based on novel | anti establishment | revisionist western | voice over narration | told in flashback | 

---

Taglines:

Little Big Man Was Either The Most Neglected Hero In History Or A Liar Of Insane Proportion!

---

Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Western

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense battle sequences and some sexual content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 December 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pequeño gran hombre

Filming Locations:

Alberta, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$31,559,552

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema Center Films,Stockbridge-Hiller Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

139 min 147 min (copyright length)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (Spanish release) Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The main tune played when the the 7th Cavalry were attacking on the Washita River and during the Battle of Little Big Horn is an Irish jig titled "Garry Owen". This song was the official song of the 7th Cavalry of the U.S. Army, Lieutenant Colonel Custer's cavalry. However, the music is actually a medley which consists of The Garry Owen and St. Patrick's Day.

---

Goofs

When Jack meets Mr. Merriweather late in the movie, Mr. Merriweather has lost his right leg. As he is limping away after their encounter, the outline of his right foot is visible through the back of his duster.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Jack Crabb: I am, beyond a doubt, the last of the old-timers. My name is Jack Crabb. And I am the sole white survivor of the Battle of Little Big Horn, uh, uh, popularly known as Custer's Last Stand.

---

Connections

Featured in Faye Dunaway: Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival (2017)

---

Soundtracks

Amazing Grace
(uncredited)
Traditional
Arranged by Henry Thacker Burleigh
Sung by parishioners in church

User Reviews

" I Didn't Mean to Kill him, . . . just, distract him a little " "

For many years in Hollywood, Native Americans were not allowed to portray themselves in films. One director commented, they neither know how to play Indians, nor can they act. Once this absurd idea was quashed and Native Indians were allowed to portray their own people, not only was the myth crushed, but some of them received the highest tributes the film industry could honor them with. Such was the case with this unusual story which was touted as the most forgotten hero of the southwest. Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman) plays a white boy who landed smack dab in the emerging historical west at the start of the colonization period. Through his own fanciful narrative, we journey along as he survives an Indian massacre, adopted into the native culture, then re-acculturated into the White world near emerging townships, and then through several high frontier adventures which culminates with, The Battle of The Little Big Horn. Chief Dan George is Old Lodge Skins a native American who made himself memorable to American Audiences plays tutor and mentor to Jack Krabb. Faye Dunaway plays Mrs. Louise Pendrake who is both step-mother and temptress to the maturing Krabb. Martin Balsam plays Mr. Merriweather who literally goes to pieces throughout the film. Jeff Corey befriends Crabb as Wild Bill Hickok. Finally there is Richard Mulligan who plays Gen. George Armstrong Custer, both as a serious military man and then as a lunatic officer. The entire film is destined for classic status, depending on history's eventual reflection of modern Native Americans. ****