The story of Calamity Jane, her saloon, and her romance with Wild Bill Hickok.The story of Calamity Jane, her saloon, and her romance with Wild Bill Hickok.The story of Calamity Jane, her saloon, and her romance with Wild Bill Hickok.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 2 wins & 2 nominations total
Allyn Ann McLerie
- Katie Brown
- (as Allyn McLerie)
Victor Adamson
- Barfly
- (uncredited)
Fred Aldrich
- Chicagoan
- (uncredited)
Leon Alton
- Townsman
- (uncredited)
Monya Andre
- Woman at Fort Dance
- (uncredited)
Beulah Archuletta
- Indian Woman in Saloon Balcony
- (uncredited)
Emile Avery
- Barfly
- (uncredited)
Mary Bayless
- Woman at Fort Dance
- (uncredited)
George Bell
- Barfly
- (uncredited)
Ray Bennett
- Officer at Fort Dance
- (uncredited)
Arthur Berkeley
- Bartender
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- GoofsAfter leaving the ball at the fort, we cut to a shot of Calamity's bare back as she is undressing. Once she gets the dress off she is shown wearing undergarments that clearly cover most of her back.
- Quotes
[the singer is a man in drag]
Wild Bill Hickok: She ain't very good lookin'
Calamity Jane: That ain't all she ain't.
- Alternate versionsThere is an Italian edition of this film on DVD, distributed by DNA Srl: "AMORE SOTTO COPERTA (1948) + CALAMITY JANE (Non sparare baciami, 1953)" (2 Films on a single DVD), re-edited with the contribution of film historian Riccardo Cusin. This version is also available for streaming on some platforms.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff Special (1971)
- SoundtracksThe Deadwood Stage (Whip-Crack-Away)
Written by Sammy Fain
Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster
Sung and whistled by chorus behind credits, then sung by Doris Day and chorus
Featured review
First and foremost, CALAMITY JANE is a fun musical. The 29-year-old Doris Day thoroughly enjoys herself in the central role as a gun-totin' tomboy, the fastest draw in the city of Deadwood, South Dakota - apart from Wild Bill Hickok (Howard Keel). She demonstrates an apparently limitless capacity for telling tall stories, as well as a unique ability to ride a horse. She and Keel make a lovable double-act, especially in their song "I Can Do Without You" - which is of course completely ironic in tone. They clearly cannot do without one another, as proved at the end of the film when they celebrate their nuptials. Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster's score contains at least two classics, "The Deadwood Stage (Whip Crack-Away," which opens and closes the film, and "Secret Love," a typically schmaltzy Day song that topped the charts on its initial release. Yet perhaps the film's most interesting aspect today is the way in which it embodies early Fifties attitudes towards gender. Calamity Jane's decision to don male attire is perceived as something aberrant; she is tolerated by her fellow-citizens of Deadwood, but no one really takes her very seriously. It is only when she is 'educated' in feminine ways by visiting singer Katie Brown (Allyn McLerie) that she understands what her 'proper' role should be. She should accept that females (unlike males) are capricious in nature, apt to make spontaneous decisions without rhyme or reason. In a ball scene towards the end of the film, Calamity appears in a long gown, her blonde hair neatly tied at the back - the male guests stare at her in disbelief, as if they cannot believe they have a "true" woman within their midst. Calamity feels uncomfortable in the role, and returns briefly to her male attire; but when the citizens refuse to speak to her later on (punishing her for her decision to banish Katie from their town), she understands the "error" of her ways. At the film's end she wears a bridal gown and tosses her six-shooter away, in symbolic acknowledgment that she should no longer try to adopt masculine attitudes. Rather she should accept her designated role as wife and (probably) mother.
- l_rawjalaurence
- Mar 5, 2014
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Schwere Colts in zarter Hand
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $3,177
- Runtime1 hour 41 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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