Calamity Jane (1953) By Julie

I cannot imagine any other actress than Doris Day playing the part of Calamity Jane in the 1953 Musical of the same name. Full of fun, humour, and great catchy songs including one of Doris Day’s best “Secret Love”, Calamity Jane is a childhood favorite of mine.
The Wild West Musical also stars Howard Keel as Wild Bill Hickok, Philip Carey as Lieutenant Danny Gilmartin and Allyn Ann McLerie as Katie Brown.
From the opening sequence of the Deadwood Stage heading toward Deadwood, we see Calamity Jane dressed up as a cowboy, singing “The Deadwood Stage (Whip Crack Away!)” and we are introduced to the characters. Calamity Jane is quick with a gun, never afraid to speak her mind, and stand up to the men. Especially when the Theatre owner makes a mistake over the act the men have been expecting to perform for them, Miss Francis Fryer who turns out to be a Mr. Francis Fryer. Calamity gets the men to calm down, and promises them a famous actress named Adelaide Adams, to make up for it, which seems impossible for her to do.
We learn the kind of love / hate friendship Calamity and Wild Bill have through their very entertaining song together “I can do without you”.
Calamity heads off to Chicago on her promise to bring back Adelaide Adams, and is somewhat surprised at some of the sights she witnesses when she arrives, such as the way the women dress in the latest fashions.
“Scalps…! A massacre!” She exclaims at the wigs in the shop window, and what’s even funnier is how the women think she’s a man because of the clothes she is wearing.
Even Katie Brown believes Calamity Jane is a man when she first meets her, but Calamity thinks Katie is Adelaide Adams. Katie Brown is actually Adelaide Adams maid dressed in Adelaide’s clothing which Adelaide left behind in her dressing room after closing night in Chicago.
Katie is so desperate to be on the stage she pretends to be Adelaide and agrees to go back to Deadwood with Calamity to perform at the Golden Garter.
Katie is nervous at the thought of pretending to be Adelaide Adams, which is made worse when Francis Fryer who is still in Deadwood, recognises Katie as Adelaide’s maid. He doesn’t say anything to anyone but Katie is unable to perform as Adelaide Adams and admits the truth. Lieutenant Danny Gilmartin already has a crush on Katie and is not bothered that she is not Adelaide.
Calamity has to tell the angry men off for a second time and tells them to give Katie Brown a chance to perform in her own style which turns out to be more fun and full of energy than the original attempt. Katie is a hit with the men in Deadwood and decides to stay on a more permanent basis.
Katie moves into Calamity’s old dusty cabin and helps her fix it up, also helping Calamity take more care with her appearance, still Calamity Jane but a more feminine version.
Whilst Calamity is out, Bill and Danny arrive at the cabin to visit Katie whilst competing with each other for her affections. Calamity has feelings for Danny but Danny believes they are simply friends. Katie is drawn to Danny as well but doesn’t want to ruin things for Calamity, and tells Danny that Calamity is in love with him. Danny thinks this is ridiculous.
When the men mention a ball coming up and with both men wanting to take Katie, the loser of a straw draw has to take Calamity, which turns out to be Wild Bill. This Calamity knows nothing of. Calamity is an absolute vision at the ball and all the men think she looks absolutely stunning. The evening is going well until Calamity witnesses Katie and Danny kissing outside. Turning into old Calamity once again she shoots at Katie’s glass, startling her. Bill isn’t too happy either, knowing his hopes for a romance with Katie are now dashed.
When Katie next performs at The Golden Garter, she is stopped mid-song by Calamity’s presence. Calamity tells Katie to get out of town, to which Katie responds by asking for a gun. She asks Calamity to hold up her glass and she shoots. The glass is hit and everyone applauds, but it was shot secretly by Wild Bill who thought Calamity needed to be taught a lesson. Katie’s bullet ends up in a barrel!
Calamity storms out and Bill follows her and tries talking sense into her about the way she is acting over Danny and Katie’s romance, admitting he had feelings for Katie.
“I’ll get over it, you will too” Bill tells her.
Whilst Calamity and Bill are talking they realise their hidden feelings for one another and they kiss.
“Hey whatever happened to that Lieutenant?” Bill asks.
“I’ve never heard of him” Calamity happily replies.
Now truly in love and having forgotten about Danny, Calamity heads into town and wonders why no-one is talking to her. She realises Katie did listen to her warning and has left town. Telling everyone she didn’t mean what she said to Katie, Calamity jumps on a horse and catches up with the stage taking Katie back to Chicago, in order to bring her back to Deadwood and Danny. Katie and Calamity are friends once more and go back to Deadwood.
Our film ends with a double wedding, Calamity and Wild Bill, and Katie and Danny.
“Hey, what’s this for?” Bill asks, pulling a gun from Calamity’s wedding dress.
“That’s in case any more actresses roll in from Chica-gi’!” Calamity replies!
Calamity Jane is full of action, and guaranteed to get your feet tapping and singing a song from the film long after “The End”.
Calamity Jane won The Academy Award in 1953 for Best Song: Secret Love.

Calamity Jane [Blu-ray](1953)
Doris Day shines as the Old West’s sassy female sharpshooter in a rip-roarin’ musical comedy. Calamity travels to Chicago to bring a famed singer back to the frontier town of Deadwood but instead returns with the woman’s maid, who goes on to become a star and Calamity’s rival for the attentions of a handsome Cavalry officer. With Philip Carey, Allyn Ann McLerie, and Howard Keel as “Wild Bill” Hickok; songs include “Secret Love” and “It’s Harry I’m Planning to Marry.” 101 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English.