MovieChat Forums > The Glory Guys (1965) Discussion > What was the fictional Date?

What was the fictional Date?

posted 7 years ago by MAGolding (1096)
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Does anyone know the fictional date of The Glory Guys?

I remember that years ago I saw the Glory Guys movie and the sign over the fort gate said "Fort Doniphan established 1867".

So if I remember correctly The Glory Guys must happen in or after 1867.

Since the story is based on the Little Bighorn June 25 1876 with the names changed, maybe the climatic battle of the campaign happens on June 25 1876. Does it happen instead of the Little Bighorn? Or do both happen on the same day in different parts of Sioux Territory?

Or maybe McCabe's defeat happens earlier or later in 1876 than the Little Bighorn and Custer learns nothing from history and repeats McCabe's mistakes, or vice versa.

Or McCabe's defeat could happen anytime from about 1867 to maybe 1897 in the wild west of the movies. It's not like movies are restricted to having war and peace at the same dates as historical times of war or peace.

And what about the earlier battle where McCabe sacrificed a troop of 43 men to trap and defeat the Apaches at the Battle of Fishbone or Wishbone Creek?

Does anyone know how many years earlier that battle was said to be?

Has anyone read the source novel the Dice of God, by Hoffman Birney, and know the fictional dates, if any, in the novel?

[–] MAGolding (1096) 6 years ago

A new idea about the possible date 11-27-2017.

Early in the movie General McCabe returns from Washington with information about the coming campaign against the Sioux, saying that General Osborne will be in overall command. Later, during the campaign, another general meets McCabe and General Hoffman and orders them to converge on the Sioux. Naturally I assumed that General Osborne was the general in charge at the meeting.

But it was planned that General William "Squawkiller" Harney would command the Utah Expedition in 1858 but he was later replaced by Albert Sidney Johnston.

The Marquis of Santa Cruz, the first choice to command the Spanish Armada died and so The Duke of Medina Sidonia became the commander.

And General Sheridan planned that George Armstrong Custer command the Dakota Column in the Great Sioux War in 1876, but Custer got in trouble and was banned from the campaign. Custer finally managed to be reinstated, but only as commander of the 7th cavalry, General Terry replacing Custer in command of the entire Dakota Column.

These examples show that military plans, including the choice of commander, change in real life.

The credits of The Glory Guys don't list General Osborne. Instead Paul Birch is listed as "Commanding General", the general in command, in the credits. Paul Birch portrayed U.S. Grant several times. And who was the commanding general of the United States Army from 1864 to March 4, 1869? U.S. Grant.

So possibly in the fictional universe of The Glory Guys, it was planned that General Osborne command the campaign against the Sioux but General U.S. Grant, the commanding general of the US Army, replaced him as the commander of the campaign, perhaps in a plot by President Andrew Johnson to get the popular Grant out of the public eye for a while.

Since the sign at Fort Doniphan says it was founded in 1867 if I remember correctly, the campaign would have to happen in 1867, 1868, or early 1869 if U.S. Grant was the general in command of the campaign.