Could it have been the great director, Michael Curtiz, who came up with the idea of casting Ronald Reagan, complete with an immaculate shave, his basic staid, conservative personae and his signature greased black hair, as the wild haired, bearded mad man, George Armstrong Custer? Has there ever been a better example of truly inspirational casting, in the history of American cinema? And did people actually have greased, flat top hairstyles, in 1864? I'm sure Keir Dullea, Richard Mulligan and Robert Shaw all spent many long hours studying the Bonzo interpretation, before attempting to portray the Custer character.
The one thing I don't quite grasp is, when Johnny Carson was making nightly jokes about President Reagan's age, why didn't he ever show the clip from this film, of young Ronny at a White House party, shaking hands with the older statesman, Abraham Lincoln?
The one thing I don't quite grasp is, when Johnny Carson was making nightly jokes about President Reagan's age, why didn't he ever show the clip from this film, of young Ronny at a White House party, shaking hands with the older statesman, Abraham Lincoln?