Les compagnons de la gloire

The story of how General George Armstrong Custer led his troops to their deaths at the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876 is a textbook example of military megalomania writ large in American history, and clearly a story ripe for a budding writer, which is what Sam Peckinpah was in the 1950s, when, at the request of the production team of Arthur Gardner, Jules Levin, and Arnold Laven (for whom he would create the legendary TV western series "The Rifleman"), he was commissioned to write the screenplay for Hoffman Birney's novel "The Dice Of God", loosely based on the Custer story, and which was to become the basis for THE GLORY GUYS. But by the time the story went behind the cameras in mid-1964, Peckinpah, due to the fury that he had caused in Hollywood with the extreme production conflicts on MAJOR DUNDEE, was about to be virtually blackballed from Hollywood. And while the end result is nowhere near a terrible product, one has to wonder just how much further this film would have gone had Peckinpah been given the opportunity to direct his own script, which he in fact never did, contrary to what has been reported here at the Internet Movie Database (I for one would like to see corroborating evidence of that claim that he directed even a small part of it).

Even in the finished film, there are themes Peckinpah had broached upon that are still there--the conflict between two men (Harve Presnell; Tom Tryon) and their commanding officer, a steely-eyed, almost dictatorial Cavalry commander (Andrew Duggan) out to put the Sioux in their place. As this kind of scenario had loosely played itself out in MAJOR DUNDEE, however, Laven, who directed the film, seemed to shift the film away from this critical look at personal and military obsession to the love triangle between Tryon, Presnell, and a pioneer woman (Senta Berger, returning from MAJOR DUNDEE) at their fort. It was a point that Peckinpah strongly (and unsurprisingly) found highly disagreeable, since his focus was on the near-fundamentalist behavior of Duggan's character. In the meantime, Laven does stage plenty of good action scenes, including the attack on the Sioux, but they don't have the kind of raw (let alone bloody) energy that Peckinpah would have bought to them, and the editing of these scenes, while more than competent, isn't quite up to what was even done in the action scenes of the unfairly butchered DUNDEE.

Still, it's hard to say too many bad things about a film that is still as far removed from the old John Ford/John Wayne cavalry films as MAJOR DUNDEE had been; and Tryon and Presnell are extremely competent in their roles (though rumor has it that Lee Marvin and James Coburn were both considered first, before salary conflicts forced Laven to settle for the other two). There are also early roles for James Caan as an Irish-born cavalryman; and Wayne Rogers, later to star in the long-running TV series M*A*S*H, as another cavalry officer. Slim Pickens, who is never anything less than memorable, also does a good turn as one of the members of the cavalry. Perhaps the best thing about THE GLORY GUYS, besides those moments when the film lays Duggan's military megalomania bare, is the superb cinematography, most of it done on location near Durango, Mexico, of James Wong Howe, who had won an Oscar in 1963 for HUD.

All in all, THE GLORY GUYS does hold up as an extremely competent film. But it still leaves one to wonder just how much further up the ladder of quality sagebrush film making it would have gone had Peckinpah been the one in the director's chair, as opposed to the more workmanlike direction of Laven. One can, unfortunately, only speculate.

Great acting and based on the Custer debacle. Peckinpah does a great job with little blood and gore but great scenes of combat. I note that a viewer says he saw additional scenes so let me comment on that; I saw the movie at the drive-in my first time and the version currently on video from MGM/UA is complete. TV versions cut out one specific scene for extra commercials, the entire scene where the troop leaves the fort with no weapons and suffers a simulated Indian attack, with Duggan nearly strangling one acting Indian (about 12-15 min.)The only thing missing is the widescreen version as the video is P&S. I also saw the movie in France, dubbed in French in widescreen and the many off-screen elements show that this movie needs a WS release. Of note is the historical accuracy of the weapons and uniforms. WIDESCREEN please!

Nice example of the Cavalry and Indians from the sixties, it is full of action, thrills, emotion and good characterization. It is set during the Sioux war in which the third US cavalry regiment under command of the stiff and egoistic General Frederick: Andrew Duggan, is recruiting new soldiers for the upcoming battle against Indians. Captain Harrod, Tom Tryon, is in charge of the naive troops. He is also in love with Lou Woodard, Senta Berger, who equally is in love with a frontier scout, Sol Rogers : Harve Pesnell, as she claims to be attracted to both suitors. Rogers exudes the quiet authority and natural casual humor that makes one instantly identify with him . Both rivals go into conflict that often times finishing into brawls and fist fights. As both of whom battle each other for the same woman.

Good Western , one of the best of the 60s , with plenty of noisy action, colour, military parades, impressive soldier charges, and firm characterization . This is a tale about Cavalry as a master rather than about individual people .Stars the tough Tom Tryon well accompanied by the gorgeous Senta Berger and the sympathetic Harve Pesnell. There are well-grafted support cast with interesting portrayals from the rugged James Caan as a garrulous Irishman , the ruthless and proud General Andrew Duggan , Slim Pickens who gives a magnetically sincere acting , Peter Breck, Wayne Rogers, Claudio Brook, Jeanne Cooper, Walter Scott , Michael Forest, and Michael Anderson Jr as a very young private , among others .

Brilliant and colorful cinematography by expert veteran James Wong Howe. Rousing and gutsy musical score by the Italian Riz Ortalani, including enjoyable leitmoti. Screenplay by prestigious Sam Peckinpah, Sam not only wrote the original script but he partially directed but he was subsequently replaced by Laven. Sam directed the best Westerns of the sixties such as Wild Bunch , Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia, Ride the high county, Deadly companions , Ballad of Cable Hogue and Major Dundee that bears remarkable resemblance to this one, in fact , Peckinpah used at least 3 actors as Senta Berger, Slim Pickens, Michael Anderson and both of them were shot around the same time. Lavishly produced by Jules V Levy, Arthur Gardner, Arnol Laven. When they were discharged from wwII resolved that they would start their own production company, the first was a Thriller titled Without warning. In the decades since they have produced dozens of additional features and several Tv series. As Arnold Laven has produced or directed a lot of Tv films such as Rifle man, Law of the Plainsman, Detectives , The big valley, A Team, Hunter, Mike Hammer, Hill street blues, Chips, Back to the planet of the apes, Alfred Hitchcock presents, Dan August , Dog and cat. Laven also directed some movies such as Vice squad, The rack and this Glory guys.

Although producer Arnold Laven got the directorial credit he did this film along the lines laid out by Sam Peckinpah who wrote the script and started directing the film. The usual 'creative differences' were the official reason given for Peckinpah leaving the film, but more than likely it had something to do with Sam's undisciplined nature.

The Glory Guys is a wonderful cavalry western with a plot borrowed partially from Fort Apache and part from the story in the Bible about David, Bathsheba, and Uriah the Hittite. Uriah in this case is Captain Tom Tryon and not because of jealousy, but because of his lust for glory and medals, General Andrew Duggan has decided that a troop of raw recruits is to be the Judas Goat led to the slaughter, a troop which Tryon commands and has a month to whip in some kind of shape so they can have a fighting chance against the Sioux.

Fort Apache itself is a southwestern version of the Custer and the Little Big Horn story and The Glory Guys takes much of its tone about the camaraderie of the soldiers from those Ford westerns. The characters you see played by Slim Pickens, Michael Anderson, Jr., and James Caan could easily have been found at and in Fort Apache.

Romance is a rough thing at this army post as Tryon and scout Harve Presnell have a nice rivalry going for Senta Berger. But when it comes to the business of the cavalry, these two bury the hatchet lest an Sioux hatchet be buried in them.

Without the presence of some big box office stars The Glory Guys tends to get overlooked. But if you see it broadcast, don't you overlook it.

The Glory Guys is directed by Arnold Laven and written by Sam Peckinpah who adapts from the Hoffman Birney novel, The Dice of God. It stars Tom Tryon, Harve Presnell, Senta Berger, James Caan, Andrew Duggan, Slim Pickens and Michael Anderson Jr. It's shot in Panavision with colour by Deluxe, with James Wong Howe the photographer, and music is scored by Riz Ortolani.

The Glory Guys are young recruits to the 3rd Regiment of the United States Cavalry, film follows them as they live and love thru their initial training and onwards to impending war with the Indians. They be at the mercy of a warmongering general, their passions and fate, cruel avoidable fate.

It's one of those War Westerns that cried out for some quality actors to tell the tale. For the story is a great one, no doubt inspired by the Custer legend from Battle of Little Big Horn, the scenery (Durango, Mexico) is first rate and the score is suitably perky and rousing: with the title song tremendous in its power. There's even some terrific action, especially for the major battle in the last quarter, where the use of 100's of extras provides excitement as the bloody carnage convincingly unfolds. But getting to that last third in the company of wooden lead actors is not that easy to do, Pickens, Duggan and Caan aside (tho Caan's Irish accent fluctuates), the principal actors are unable to put real urgency into the drama. Laven's pacing is questionable too, but the director comes out in credit because his final flourish, the battle construction, really is worth the wait. But one can't help wondering what Peckinpah in his pomp could have done with his own script.

A very mixed bag when put under scrutiny, but with a glorious and potent final third bringing it to closure, The Glory Guys is safely recommended to fans of the Custer legend, and indeed, fans of film's like Major Dundee & Fort Apache. 6.5/10