Summary

One in this series of dramatic specials presented by Hallmark. In this speculative historical drama, George Armstrong Custer survives the massacre at the Little Big Horn and stands trial to determine whether he is guilty of defying orders and knowingly leading his troops to certain death. At issue is whether Custer was given permission to use his own judgment on the mission. Highlights of the program include the following: witness testimony recounts the day of the massacre, the orders given to Custer, and the information Custer received about the number of Sioux warriors in the Little Big Horn valley; a look at letters written by Custer revealing information about his character; Custer's own testimony, in which he shows how incoherent he has become; and Elizabeth Custer secretly looks on as her husband relives the Battle of the Little Big Horn and his brother's death. Commercials deleted.

("Hallmark Hall of Fame" aired on NBC from 1952 to 1978; network affiliation varies after 1978.)

(Beginning with the live telecast of the opera "Amahl and the Night Visitors" on December 24, 1951, Hallmark has sponsored a series of dramatic specials which, since 1952, has aired under the title "Hallmark Hall of Fame." From 1952 to 1955 Hallmark also presented "Hallmark Hall of Fame," a weekly half-hour dramatic anthology series hosted by Sarah Churchill. The first program, "Dr. Serocold," was televised in January 1952 under the title "Hallmark Television Theatre." This series also ran under the title "Hallmark Summer Theatre" in July and August 1952.)