Daily Dialogue — May 13, 2014

Jack Crabb: General, you go down there.
General Custer: You’re advising me to go into the Coulee?
Jack Crabb: Yes sir.
General Custer: There are no Indians there, I suppose.
Jack Crabb: I didn’t say that. There are thousands of Indians down there. And when they get done with you, there won’t be nothing left but a greasy spot. This ain’t the Washite River, General, and them ain’t helpless women and children waiting for you. They’re Cheyenne brave, and Sioux. You go down there, General, if you’ve got the nerve.
General Custer: Still trying to outsmart me, aren’t you, mule-skinner. You want me to think that you don’t want me to go down there, but the subtle truth is you really don’t want me to go down there!

— Little Big Man (1970), screenplay by Calder Willingham, novel by Thomas Berger

This week’s theme: Advice, suggested by Aarthi Ramanathan.

Trivia: Dustin Hoffman was entered into The Guinness Book of World Records as “Greatest Age Span Portrayed By A Movie Actor” for Little Big Man (1970) in which he portrayed a character from age 17 to age 121.

Dialogue On Dialogue: This is the final interaction in a cat and mouse game played by both of these characters. Here Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman) tells the truth, both about the Indians who will be awaiting Custer (Richard Mulligan) and about Crabb’s desire for Custer to be killed. Then Custer over-thinks himself and misinterprets Crabb’s advice… leading to his famous Last Stand. Great movie that is a forerunner to Forrest Gump. 

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