Little Big Man

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

• Director: Arthur Penn
• Genre:Adventure / Comedy / Drama / War / Western
• Runtime:139 minutes

Cast

Dustin Hoffman : Jack Crabb
Faye Dunaway : Mrs. Pendrake
Chief Dan George: Old Lodge Skins
Martin Balsam : Mr. Merriweather
Richard Mulligan: Gen. George Armstrong Custer

A dying centenarian, 121-year-old Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman), recalls several facets of his life to a curious historian (William Hickey). His long and episodic story includes being a member of the Cheyenne tribe, a gunslinger, a sidekick to Wild Bill Hickok (Jeff Corey), and a scout for General George Armstrong Custer (Richard Mulligan). The central theme is his adoption by the Cheyenne, enabling him to view both the Caucasian and Native American cultures of the 19th century.

Jack and his older sister Caroline (Carole Androsky) survive the massacre of their parents’ wagon train at the hands of the Pawnee. Found by a Cheyenne warrior, Jack and his sister are taken back to a Cheyenne village. Caroline runs away, but Jack remains and is raised by the Cheyenne leader, Old Lodge Skins (Chief Dan George). It proves to be an idyllic life, though Jack unwittingly makes an enemy of Younger Bear (Cal Bellini). Jack is given the name “Little Big Man” because he’s short but very brave. Jack is captured by the U.S. Cavalry and quickly put into the care of Reverend Pendrake (Thayer David) and his wife Louise (Faye Dunaway). She is attracted to young Jack, but he cannot accept the dichotomy between Louise’s pious attitude and her sexual appetite and promptly leaves her home.

Jack decides to become the apprentice of the snake-oil salesman Merriweather (Martin Balsam). They are tarred and feathered for selling fraudulent products. He reunites with his sister Caroline. She attempts to mold her brother into a gunslinger named the Soda Pop Kid (so called because of his chosen beverage). Jack runs into Wild Bill Hickok (Jeff Corey), who takes a liking to the young man. When Hickok is forced to kill a man in self defense, Jack loses his taste for gunslinging and Caroline deserts him. Read more