Calamity Jane

"Warner Bros.' sky highest, smile widest, wild and woolliest Western of 'em all!"

1953 1h 41m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 199

Western

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Sharpshooter Calamity Jane takes it upon herself to recruit a famous actress and bring her back to the local saloon, but jealousy soon gets in the way.

“Warner Bros.' sky highest, smile widest, wild and woolliest Western of 'em all!”

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Cast

Doris Day
Calamity Jane
Howard Keel
Wild Bill Hickok
Allyn Ann McLerie
Katie Brown
Philip Carey
Lieutenant Danny Gilmartin
Dick Wesson
Francis Fryer
Paul Harvey
Henry Miller
Chubby Johnson
Rattlesnake
Gale Robbins
Adelaid Adams

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Butler
Writers: James O'Hanlon
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

73 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Butler, shot by Wilfrid M. Cline. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Howard Jackson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Irene Morra shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Doris Day and Howard Keel and Allyn Ann McLerie carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Warner Bros.' sky highest, smile widest, wild and woolliest Western of 'em all!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0045591 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Butler directs. Wilfrid M. Cline behind the camera. Howard Jackson scores. Irene Morra cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

173 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by David Butler, shot by Wilfrid M. Cline. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Howard Jackson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Irene Morra shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Doris Day and Howard Keel and Allyn Ann McLerie carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Warner Bros.' sky highest, smile widest, wild and woolliest Western of 'em all!".
7IMDB entry: tt0045591 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Wilfrid M. Cline
Original score: Howard Jackson
Editing: Irene Morra
Makeup / hair: Gordon Bau
Runtime: 101 min · 1h 41m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Calamity Jane (1953)

Also by

David Butler

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2017-02-18
★ 7/10
As fizzy as a Sarsparilla. Calamity Jane is directed by David Butler and written by James O'Hanlon. It stars Doris Day, Howard Keel, Allyn Ann McLerie, Phillip Carey & Dick Wesson. The score features music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster. Out of Warner Brothers, the film is seen as a response to the success of MGM's production of Annie Get Your Gun in 1950, where Keel was also starring. Plot here is loosely based on the life of Wild West heroine Calamity Jane (Day) and explores the relationship between Wild Bill Hickok (Keel) and herself. I guess the first thing that should be said is that this is no biography of one Martha Jane Cannary Burke (AKA: Calamity Jane), in truth this is more a comedy musical romp built around that famous frontiers woman, so with it being very basic on narrative and direction, this is predominantly appealing to the film fan with musical leanings. However, on that score the film is utterly delightful, such as it is fronted by the spirited lead performances from Day & Keel and a handful of truly great tunes headed by the Oscar winning "Secret Love" (Day luminous and vocally on peak form). Pic also earns some bonus points for giving Day the chance to play something other than the naive innocent girl next door type (it was a personal favourite role of hers). She gets to be spunky and brash without ever losing that adorable appeal that carried her throughout her career. The play on sexual stereotypes is rather humorous without being twee, something that you feel director Butler was under appreciated for, while Wilfred M. Cline's gorgeous colour photography enhances the playfulness of it all. Seen now as a feminist fantasy with a gay following thanks to "Secret Love", there's no denying the film is all very Hollywoodized - with characters so animated they could actually burst. But all told, if one is able to forgive and see past its tiny flaws then this is a film guaranteed to light up the darkest of wintry days. 7.5/10

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