THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON (1941)

This week we are featuring THE DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON (1941) this THURSDAY at 3pm in the Library Auditorium.

This is a Western Adventure film starring action/adventure star Errol Flynn as General George Custer, Olivia de Havilland, and directed by Raoul Walsh – a celebrated director of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

The film was one of the top-grossing films of 1941.

They Died with Their Boots On was the eighth and final film collaboration between Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland (including the Adventures of Robin Hood!).

Custer is portrayed as a fun-loving, dashing figure who chooses honor and glory over money and corruption.

The battle of Little Big Horn is portrayed as a crooked deal between politicians and a corporation that wants the land Custer promised to the Native Americans.

This highly-fictionalized account of Custer’s life will reveal more about 1941 and Hollywood’s insistence at hero-making than the historical record.

How can we look back at this from 2023?

Why we have this in our archive: Max Steiner composed the wonderful score. We have his papers in our Special Collections.

Come see the film on celluloid and talk through some history.