Main Cast: Doris Day, Howard Keel, Allyn Ann McLerie, Philip Carey, Dick Wesson
Release Year: 1953
Country: US
Run Time: 101 minutes
Plot
Doris Day looks no more like the real Calamity Jane than you or I do, but this 1953 film is intended as a lighthearted musical, not a historical tract. As portrayed by the freckled Ms. Day, Jane is a rootin', tootin' shootin' hoyden in the western town of Deadwood. When she isn't tearing up the town, Jane spends her time cussing out Wild Bill Hickok (Howard Keel). The plot gets under way when Jane promises the citizens of Deadwood that she can persuade classy Chicago stage star Adelaide Adams (Gale Robbins) to perform at the local opry house. Through a case of mistaken identity, Jane brings Adelaide's maid Katie (Allyn Ann McLerie) back to town. Katie proves to be a success all the same, and out of gratitude promises to make a "lady" out of Jane, who is sweet on handsome Lt. Gilmartin (Philip Carey). When the lieutenant chooses Katie over Jane, our heroine is heartbroken--until she realizes that she has loved Wild Bill Hickok all along, and that the feeling is mutual so far as Hickok is concerned. The peppy musical score by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster includes the Oscar-winning Secret Love, which became a million-selling hit for Doris Day. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Doris Day got a real change-of-pace role when she took on Calamity Jane. Day pushes a little too hard as she tries to convince viewers that she's a rough, tough tomboy, and therefore is never quite believable, but Day puts so much energy and effort into it that most viewers will be willing to go along with her. The picture as a whole is one of Day's better musical vehicles. While it's undeniably derivative -- mostly of Annie Get Your Gun, but there's more than a dollop of Oklahoma! and The Harvey Girls as well -- it's well made and appealing. It also boasts a very generous Sammy Fain-Paul Francis Webster score -- some dozen numbers, most of which are winners. The opening, "Deadwood Stage," is a rouser, "Higher Than a Hawk" is an intriguing ballad, and the Oscar-winning "Secret Love" is charming, and very well performed by Day. Even "I Can Do Without You" and "Just Blew in From the Windy City," which are too obviously inspired by Annie's "Anything You Can Do" and Oklahoma's "Kansas City," are entertaining on their own terms. Aside from his sturdy baritone, Howard Keel doesn't contribute much to his part, but Allyn Ann McLerie is a delight, especially in her duet with Day, "A Woman's Touch." Director David Butler had worked with Day on several previous efforts and helmed her next effort, By the Light of the Silvery Moon. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
