Calamity Jane (1953)

Lack of good storyline.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

A fictitious biography of the notorious lady crackshot and set in Deadwood where really lived Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickock . From the opening in which Doris Day singing a wonderful song on top of a stageoach , this movie is pure amusement , delight , and fun . Here Calamity Jane/Doris Day sets out to show that anything a man can do Calamity can do better , but only Wild Bill seems to be unimpressed . It takes a lot of sings and dances before Jane can convince Wild Bill/Howard Keel that under her two-fisted exterior there is a woman's heart . As the film happens in an on-again, off-again romance with Philip Carey and Howard Keel . Doris Day gives a funny portrayal of the famous frontier wilcat and she certainly puts full of fire and mirth into the character . Doris Day shines in one of her best Warner Bros musicals , Day splendidly stars as the gun-toting , rip-snorting Calamity Jane of Western lore . It packs one of the best soundtracks ever written for the screen . As Doris Day stands out singing marvelous songs such as : Whipecrack a way , Just blew in from the windy city , The black Hills of Dakota and the hit song from which , ¨Secret love¨ won an Academy Award . She is accompanied by a cast plenty of Hollywood stalwarts includes Allyn Ann McLerie as Katie Brown , Philip Carey , Dick Wesson , Paul Harvey and Chubby Johnson.This breeze-fresh movie filled with get-up-and-go was well directed by David Butler . He was a good craftsman who directed all kinds of genres with special penchant for comedy , musical and drama . As he directed : April in Paris , Tea for two , Playmates , Doubting Thomas , Caught in the draft , The story of Seabiscuit , Lullaby in Broadway , The princess and the pirate , Captain January , The road to Morocco , and Westerns as : San Antonio and this Calamity Jane .Other films about Calamity are : ¨Calamity Jane and Sam Bass¨ 1949 by George Sherman with Yvonne De Carlo , Howard Duff ; ¨Calamity Jane¨1982 by James Goldstone with Jane Alexander , Frederic Forrest ; ¨Wild Bill¨1995 by Walter Hill with Jeff Bridges , Ellen Barkin ; ¨Seven hours of gunfire¨ by Joaquin Romero with Gloria Milland , Rik Van Nutter , Adrian Hoven . Although the events are fictious , the picture is partially based on Calamity Jane and his relationship to Wild Bill . The real happenings are the following ones : Martha Jane Canary or Cannary (May 1, 1852 - August 1, 1903), better known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman and professional scout known for being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok and fighting against Indians. Late in her life, she appeared in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. She is said to have exhibited compassion to others, especially to the sick and needy. This facet of her character contrasted with her daredevil ways and helped to make her a noted frontier figure .She was also known for her habit of wearing men's attire.Much of what she claimed to have witnessed and participated in cannot be proven. It is known that she had no formal education and was an itinerant alcoholic.. In 1876, Calamity Jane settled in the area of Deadwood, South Dakota in the Black Hills . There she became friends with Dora DuFran, the Black Hills' leading madam, and she was occasionally employed by her. She also became friendly with Wild Bill Hickok and Charlie Utter, having traveled with them to Deadwood in Utter's wagon train.Calamity Jane does seem to have had two daughters, although the father's identity is unknown. In the late 1880s, she returned to Deadwood with a child whom she claimed to be her daughter.Jane also claimed that, following Hickok's death, she went after his murderer Jack McCall with a meat cleaver, since she had left her guns at her residence in the excitement of the moment.

Doris Day plays an unrefined tomboy who is handy with a gun and learns about refinement on the way to finding romance and singing some hit songs. If that sounds like a rehash of 1950's successful "Annie Get Your Gun", it's probably no coincidence. And both starred Howard Keel as the male lead.Even if "Calamity Jane" can't match the array of notable, classic tunes that "Annie Get Your Gun" boasts, it can an stand on its own as a solid musical with songs by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster. In fact, the film relies mostly on its music and the wholesomely talented Miss Day to make its mark.Ms. Day, besides displaying her usual enthusiasm while singing the film's musical numbers, including its best song "Secret Love", also plays the role of Calamity with a physicality that deserves special praise. Not only does she adapt a carriage that rings true for a woman who tries to be manlier than any man, but she also talks the talk and performs stunts that most actresses would hesitate to consider.The other major female character, Katie Brown, is portrayed by Allyn Ann McLerie (in only her fourth screen credit). Ms. McLerie holds her own with Doris and has a presence that seems to portend more leading roles in her future.Fans of fifties musicals should find what they're looking for in "Calamity Jane" unless they are seeking biographical truth.

The reviews for this little movie are funnier than the film. Complaints about "cross-dressing" and shooting "Indians". Lighten up! It's a 1950's musical Western after all. It's not going to be "PC" but it's mostly innocent fun for all. Certainly not "Annie Get Your Gun", but a light, happy show with a few good tunes (not all) and an Oscar-winning song:"Secret Love". Howard Keel is in good form here, but the songs are not up to "7 Brides" or "Showboat" quality. Doris appears to do some of her own stunts, some of the riding, and appears to be hauled-up to the 2nd floor of the saloon (probably on a wire). She's quite athletic. Watch this with either of the Bob Hope "Paleface" movies and you will see the easy comparison between the two. Like I said, fun to watch.

Not the most obvious subject for a movie musical, Calamity Jane is one of the best.Decked out with a variety of subplots (the drag artist, the dresser impersonating the star, the ensuing romantic triangle) the main thrust of the film - Calam's gradual progression from scruffy tomboy to feminine woman and proud of it, and her realisation that her heart has always belonged to Hickock - is hardly a story at all, yet informs everything else which happens.All the principals are delightful, but this is Doris Day's film. Her portrayal of Calamity Jane - a role which demands, and gets, overplaying - is a tour de force. Keel is also excellent playing a macho man who can deal with gentle self-deprecation.And above everything else are the songs. The majestic Secret Love dwarfs everything else, even the punchy and pithy Deadwood Stage and Windy City numbers, but my personal favourite is Higher Than A Hawk, one of the most underrated songs from Hollywood's musical heyday.