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Calamity Jane

Calamity Jane

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $15.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Forget history, just enjoy the movie
Review: Roughly based upon "Calamity Jane" Canary's claim to have been secretly married to Wild Bill Hickok (her last request, which was honored, was to be buried beside him, and their graves can still be seen in the Deadwood cemetery), this lively Western-musical is definitely a product of its times, with its chauvinistic central message that a woman (however competent at male doings) will never be truly happy or accepted unless she assumes a feminine role and finds a good man. Day's Jane, whom we first meet riding as guard on the Deadwood stage, is a strong, cocky, slangy woman, given to tall tales and boasting (much prettied up from the reality, of course), who believes herself in love with Cavalry Lt. Danny Gilmartin (Carey) and looks upon Hickok (Keel) as "a very good friend of a friend of mine"--someone with whom she has an ongoing rivalry expressed in their vocal dual, "[I Can Do] Without You." After the woman-starved miners of Deadwood nearly riot over the masquerade-as-female of stage performer Francis Fryer (Wesson) in her favorite saloon-theater, she offers to go to Chicago and bring home their favorite pinup, Adelaid Adams (Robbins)--but mistakes Adelaid's maid, Katie Brown (McLerie) for the genuine article and brings her instead. Yet she's also good-hearted and generous, recklessly brave (as she proves by riding out alone to rescue Gilmartin after he is captured by the Sioux), true to her word, devoted to justice (as shown in her speech to the miners after they discover Katie's true identity), and deeply appreciative of beauty (demonstrated in her second duet with Keel, "Take Me Back to the Black Hills"). When Katie acepts Gilmartin's proposal, Jane literally runs her out of town--only to discover, in classic musical style, that it's really Hickok she loves, an epiphany which occurs to him simultaneously (up to then he thought he and Gilmartin were rivals for Katie). She races after the stage and brings Katie "home," and the movie ends with a double wedding.

Of course, the real Hickok was killed in 1876 without ever (openly) marrying anyone, and by that time his eyesight was failing to the point where he probably couldn't have done any of the trick shooting Keel demonstrates. But once you suspend your disbelief on this and other historical points and accept the inevitable way the scriptwriters will resolve the story, it's thoroughly enjoyable, a gentle, family-oriented romp. The best part, of course, is the original songs by Fain & Webster: the joyous "Deadwood Stage," the music-hall numbers "Hive Full of Honey," "It's Harry I'm Planning to Marry," and "Keep It Under Your Hat," Keel's "Higher Than a Hawk," Day's strutting "Just Blew In From the Windy City," the two Keel-Day duets, and the classic "Secret Love." All in all, a good introduction of its kind to a pair of fascinating Wild West characters.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Calamity Jane
Review: This movie is one of the greatest movies that there was ever made.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome
Review: I loved dealing with Orderbox. The service was great and very personal and I appreciated that. Definetly a plus!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: WIDESCREEN?
Review: Surley this film must have a widescreen print?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Plenty of cross dressing and quirkiness for everyone........
Review: ...What were the brothers Warner thinking? Doris Day plays
Calamity Jane in buckskins. Howard Keel loses a bet and
dresses as an Indian Squaw (complete with papoos--and in a
bar!). Dick Wesson does a number in drag. Doris behaves
rather badly...due to lack of role models, I think, but maybe
because she just wants to. Perhaps one of the strangest little
musicals ever. Then...they tacked on "Secret Love" when it
became a bit hit song...and kind of spliced it into the movie.
Still, Doris is delightful quite a bit of the time...and when
these characters are not exploring their quirks, the can be
quite pleasant, and sometimes they are. Buy it! Run it on long
winter evenings when you want something trivial to worry about.
You won't be sorry.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: *Awesome Musical-Western*
Review: This is one of my favorite Doris Day Movies. It's a Musical-Western-Comedy that everyone can love. Everytime I see it I just have to sing along with her. It is also one of her funniest. Her Son, Terry Melcher once said that Calimity Jane best personifies what Doris is really like. I would recommend this movie for anyone who likes westerns and musicals. Not to mention, anyone who loves Doris Day.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Look Back
Review: This Movie is a hit! For me this movie brings back a mood from better times. The music is wonderful and stiring and the love triangles are wonderfully funny. I especially enjoy the relationship between the two women. I enjoy watching this movie over and over. It reminds me of being in junior high school and acting in the play version of this great film.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Modern in its own way.
Review: 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, rich period costuming, art direction, and a top-notch score of 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 Day become sisters in solidarity. They renovate their house while discovering Calamity's 'femininity' at the same time. 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, all of Day's scenes with Keel are electric and very much on an even fronting- from their first verbal duel ("in the ointment you're the fly!!"), to their near-romantic duet of "Black Hills of Dakota," all the way to their discovery that love each other after all.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Doris Day - the legend.
Review: Who could really sing ,act ,dance and make you laugh at the same time? answer - the legendary Doris Day.The rest of the cast like Howard Keel is also A's . Sammy Fain's music is a classic.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Doris Day in the Old West
Review: Howard Keel and Doris Day are superb in this spoof of the old west and western heroes Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickock. Never mind that it isn't accurate historically-- you won't care! The songs are great and Dick Wesson is a scream as Francis Fryer. This is Day's best film and one of Keel's best (his "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" is also great). If you like musicals, you gotta see this!


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