Calamity Jane

A rollicking musical western, featuring Doris Day and Howard Keel both singing their hearts out. It's a simple story and none the worse for that. Above all it's a vehicle for Doris Day - showcasing that sparkling voice. The opening sequence is memorably vibrant and her exuberance also comes to the fore in "Windy City". Howard Keel has a fine solo but perhaps the most memorable moment is Doris's rendition of "Secret Love". This whole sequence has a serenity that is absent from the rest of the film and Doris wears a wonderfully elegant shirt and trouser combination - which shows that a more casual look - a very simple outfit- is what makes a lady look her best. I find it amusing that designer gowns about which so much fuss is made in the media and whose labels and creators are so over praised are here comprehensively put in the shade. These few minutes of film show how bogus the fashion industry is!

Calamity Jane with Doris Day was my first experience with musicals. i was so entranced I talked my mother into letting me stay to watch it again. I was left with an unknown women who had come to watch the next showing. (Something unheard of in this day!) The sheer joy of the singing, dancing and innocence of a time past is something that is sorely missed today.

Doris Day's Calamity Jane is a story of love between men and women and women and women during a time when this love was innocent and people did not worry that someone might look at it in a sexual way. Women could hold hands and hug to support each other in happiness as well as grief.

Songs like 'Secret Love' and 'Take Me Back to the Black Hills' are beautiful even to the audiences today. this type of music will never die.

Calamity Jane is a wonderful way to lose yourself. We have three daughters who love this a lot.

Great, great fun all so professionally packaged that you just lose yourself in the moment.

Great tunes, a great looking cast, and sets, and above all an enormous sense that everyone was really enjoying themselves while making this, make Calamity Jane one of the best musicals for escapist entertainment.

Very easy to watch, and nothing that would shock a six year old it is impossible not to be carried away by Doris Day's and Howard Keel's performances.

While it won't change the world, it will make it a brighter place instantly.

Recommended to bring a genuine smile to anyone's face.

The film is marvelous, but it's been dissected to death; consequently, I can't add any comment you haven't already heard. Lovely Technicolor cinematography of the outdoor frontier and rich period costuming enhances this top-notch cornucopia of story, score, and songs- including 'The Deadwood Stage,' 'I Can Do Without You,' 'Windy City,' 'The Subject of Harry,' and 'Secret Love.' Two special moments for me are Howard Keel singing 'Higher Than A Hawk' to the portrait of Allyn McLerie, and 'A Woman's Touch,' which shows McLerie and Doris Day become sisters in solidarity. They clean the house (in fact, renovate it) while discovering Calamity's femininity at the same time. They joke, they bond, and at the end of the scene our heroine is in a dress and quite the looker. There's no shocking sexist message here; it's a musical showing how a woman gets her man. I don't think in 1953 you could've asked for more. On the other hand, most of Day's scenes with Keel are a locked-horns battle of the sexes- absolutely no question. They compliment each other beautifully- from 'I Can Do Without You', right up to their nearly romantic duet of 'The Black Hills of Dakota.' Enjoy the film again, and look between the lines- some of it is quite timeless.

`Calamity Jane' is a film I love to take from the shelves when I'm feeling blue. It's so exuberant, so joyous, and so colourful that it cannot help but cheer you up!

Doris Day plays the role of her career as the rambunctious `Calam', the wildcat tomboy of Deadwood City. The fun starts when Calamity is sent to the `windy city' of Chicago to find a vaudeville beauty who will perform at the local bar. Instead of the genuine article, Calamity ends up with the star's ambitious maid, Katie, who decides to make her stab at fame in the star's place. Together, the two find fun, love, and a whole lot of catchy tunes.

Sure, the fascinating real-life historical figure Calamity Jane didn't look much like Doris Day - let alone Howard Keel, who is the last person you'd describe as `wild' - and Jane's transformation from independent homesteader to blushing housewife isn't what you'd call P.C., but if you're looking for reality, head to the Martin Scorsese section. This is light-as-a-feather entertainment done very well, and I can't help but love it!