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Summary: "CALAMITY JANE" Hits The Entertainment Bulls-Eye!
Review: "Calamity Jane" is one of the best musicals I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot of them. It's not often that musicals combine perfectly the elements of wonderful songs, unforgettable characters, and unalloyed delight. "Calamity" hits it right on the bulls-eye. Based on the tales of the legendary wild woman of the west, the light-hearted musical is as fresh and fun today as it ever was.Starring as the rough-housing, energetic "Calam", Doris Day is sensational and absolutely irresistible. She sings the rooftops off of saloons, she shoots beer bottles flying through the air, and she's a rootin-tootin' barrel of fun. Howard Keel costars as the suave and smart-aleck Wild Bill Hickock, Calam's old friend and sometime heel, who can match her shot for shot, insult for insult. A supporting cast including Allyn McLerie and Philip Carey, and Dick Wesson couldn't be better. The bright and bouncy story is a alot of fun and makes for some irresistible scenes. When Calam makes a foolhardy promise to the hardy cowpokes of Deadwood to bring a famous actress, Adelaid Adams, to their town for their enjoyment, she saddles up for the town of "Chicah-gee". There she meets Adelaid's sweet and pretty maid, Katie (McLerie), who poses as Adelaid to try to become a star. Katie becomes a sensation in Deadwood, and she innocently steals the affections of Lieutenant Danny Gilmartin (Carey)... whom Calam just happens to have her eye on. That's when the fur really begins to fly and the town full of " yeller lily-livered buffaloes" will never be the same. The rich Oscar-nominated score is one of the best I've ever heard for a musical, just as irresistible as anything the movie has to offer. Day's brilliant opening number, "Whip-Crack-Away" is a pure delight, and Day steals scene after scene belting numbers like "I Just Flew In From The Windy City" and "I Could Do Without You" with Keel in heady suit. McLerie's "Keep It Under Your Hat" performed in a skimpy dance hall outfit ("nothin' but underwear" sputters Calam) is perfectly fetching, and Keel's baritoned solo, "My Heart Is Higher Than A Hawk" is a marvelous, warm number. Day and McLerie's bouncy "A Woman's Touch" is a delightfully amusing and charming song. One of the score's most charming numbers is the beautiful "Black Hills of Dakota" sung to heartwarming perfection by Day, Keel, and company. And the treasure of the score is the Academy-Award winning "Secret Love", in which Calam tells the world that "now my heart's an open door, and my secret love's no secret anymore." It's a beautiful score, and Day is absolutely charming singing it. A marvelous vehicle for Doris Day, and a marvelous musical, "Calamity Jane" is a rafter-raisin', heckuva darned good time. It's a timeless show, and your pleasure will never end while you watch it. It brings a smile to my face every time I watch it, and I hope it does to you, to.
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Summary: Surprisingly, I loved it
Review: I didn't think I'd like it THIS much. I really enjoyed it. The songs were great too. The whole family can see this one. Doris Day has a wonderful voice.
Rating: 
Summary: "Take Me Back To The Black Hills"
Review: Two years ago, I began to rent a musical whenever I went to the video store. I started with the ones that I had at least heard of and then moved on to others (the workes still think I deranged). "Calamity Jane" was my first meeting with Doris Day, and I fell in love with this actress. This movie, completely historically inaccurate, is wonderful. It has everything without the vulger lanuage or sex scenes of today's movies. My one problem with this movie is its attitude and treatment of women and minorities (the Dakota Indians). This movie, if taken only for fun, music, and with a grain of salt--is absolutley delightful. My favorite part of this movie is the music. As the one songs says, "Take Me Back To The Black Hills." --Becky, 17 yearold girl
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Summary: I Couldn't Do Without Her!
Review: Doris Day gives an excellent performence in this movie as Calamity Jane. She puts so much energy in every line and every movement. Howard Keel really is the star. He gives what I believe to be his best performence ever. Her really does a good job of giving Calamity a hard time and when him and Doris Day sing I get tears in my eyes. I don't know what I would do without this movie. I would have to say this is the best movie I have ever had the privilage of viewing, and I reccomend this to everyone, even if you don't like musicals. If you enjoy Calamity Jane you will enjoy Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
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Summary: Her Best Yet!
Review: All I have to say is this is the best movie I have ever seen. Howard Keel gives an award winning performance as "Wild" Bill Hickock. The songs they sing are excellent. If you like this movie, you will like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
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Summary: Best Musical of the 50's
Review: This is the movie that made me fall in love with Doris Day and Howard Keel. It was so much better than Annie Get Your Gun where Betty Hutton sang to herself or to the last row in the audience. There was so much chemistry and great songs. The Black Hills song is great and I thought all the songs were meant for Mr. Keel and Ms. Day. She was great in both "characters" and he is my hero! A must have.
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Summary: DAYS "JANE" HITS A BULLSEYE!!
Review: Warner Brother's 1953 musical, "Calamity Jane" is easily the best film Doris Day made during her seven years at Warner Brothers. It's everything that MGM's "Annie Get Your Gun" released in 1950, wasn't, with all deference to the vastly superior stage version of "Annie". Reportedly Day was among those considered to replace Judy Garland when she was unable to continue with the film version of "Annie Get Your Gun". Jack Warner would not lend out his blonde moneymaker and the role ultimately went to Betty Hutton who spent most of the play playing to the fourth balcony. It was not one of her more subtle performances. When Doris Day was handed "Calamity Jane" she was the biggest moneymaker on the Warners lot and, for once, was given a script and songs that allowed her to truly soar. She is dazzling, both as the tomboyish "Calam" and later as the more feminine "Jane", after she discovers, "A Woman's Touch"! She is almost unrecognizable in the film's earlier sequences, garbed in buckskins and snapping a whip to the film's vibrant opener, "The Deadwood Stage". She sings, dances, and acts up a storm with an especially beguiling accent that she achieves by lowering her voice a tad. The effect is remarkable. She is aided and abbetted by Howard Keel who seems to be having a great time, Allyn McLerie, and Phil Carey among others. The film score, including the Oscar winning "Secret Love" is memorable and it's impossible not to get caught up in the infectious nature of this ageless charmer. While it may take liberties with the true story of "Calamity Jane", as Hollywood doing what it does best, it's irrestible! I'll never forget seeing this film on television with a group of 20 recruits at the Great Lakes Training Center. They seemed hardly the sort who would find enjoyment from a musical western. Nevertheless they applauded, laughed, cheered, and fell completely in love with this effervescent pick-me-upper! It's the perfect cure for anything that ails you.
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Summary: DVD has arrived...great picture and sound!
Review: Calamity Jane is in my top ten list of favorite musicals. Doris Day is fabulous in the title role along with Howard Keel as Wild Bill Hickok. Briefly, the plot involves Calamity going to Chicago in hopes of bringing an actress named Adelaide Adams to perform in Deadwood City South Dakota. Trouble is, Calamity mistakenly brings back Ms. Adams' maid Katie instead! After the fraud is revealed, which is hilarious, Calamity befriends Katie. All is peachy until their female hormones kick in. They seemingly fall for the same man which threatens their friendship. Seems to me that after the huge success of MGM's 1950 musical "Annie Get Your Gun", Warner Brothers wanted to cash in on the musical craze (and the 1950's was an outstanding decade for musicals) with this 1953 classic. They even got Howard Keel, who was in Annie Get Your Gun! Warner Brothers knew what they were doing because "Calamity" turned out to be another huge hit. The movie has it all; an enjoyable story, humor, glorious technicolor, and great music. This is the movie that introduced the beautiful song "Secret Love", which has become a Doris Day trademark tune. This is a musical that I never get tired of watching. Just bought the DVD and the picture and sound are great! However, there are no extras on the DVD. Highly recommended.
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Summary: ONE OF THE BEST MUSICALS EVER!
Review: This is the movie that made me love Doris Day! I feel that "Calamity Jane" is the best movie she has ever made! Day has encaptured Calam better than anyone else ever could and has made this one of my favorite musicals. Taking us from Deadwood to Chicago and back, she exudes confidence yet innocent vulnerability in her character and you can see how much Day and Calamity are the same. Howard Keel and the rest of the cast are also wonderful and you get to really know and understand what makes Deadwood such a great western town. With all of the great songs (that I love to sing along with) and the funny, charming story of love and jealousy, this is a show that I never tire of seeing again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Doris Day as Calamity Jane
Review: Doris Day is an American original; talented so far beyond today's stars it almost embarasses me to younger than her generation. This movie is a perfect illustration of all that Hollywood once was and could be with people like Day on the scene. Calamity is western girl raised all her life as a boy. She takes great pride in her abilities to ride, shoot, and wrangle with the best of men. Chief among those men is a relatively well mannered "Wild Bill Hickock" who Calamity pals and wrestles with like any couple of guys would. But the appearance of a pretty and feminine actress in town causes Calamity Jane to wrestle with a greater force, her womanhood. Eventually, faced with her true natural yearnings, Calamity puts her boyish facade away for good. The movie is charming, funny, delightful... a movie (rare these days) that can be enjoyed by all family members. The songs are excellent and show us why Howard Keel and Doris Day were two of the most talented and respected singers in show business history. Day's awesome yet relatively gruff voice through out the picture is replaced by a sweet melodic Doris in her of singing 'Secret Love', the movie's musical climax. This is a highly recommended picture that can and will be watched over and over and over again.
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