If you are looking for a history lesson, DON'T watch "Calamity Jane". While Calamity and her buddy Wild Bill Hickock were real old west figures, this film is pretty much myth from start to finish. The real Calamity Jane was an extremely unattractive prostitute and alcoholic...hardly the stuff of a musical comedy! So, the studio uses the names and hardly anything else about their lives to creative this lively film.
The film finds Calamity (Doris Day) a very manly sort of lady who loved to shoot, spit and dress like a guy. But she also was in love with Wild Bill...but she did a terrible job showing it and you could easily see why they were just friends during most of the movie. Toss into this a handsome officer and a young actress and you've got a romantic comedy western...with a few memorable songs and LOTS of energy. In fact, the film often seems more energy than substance or quality. I found it enjoyable but very, very slight...nothing more.
The film finds Calamity (Doris Day) a very manly sort of lady who loved to shoot, spit and dress like a guy. But she also was in love with Wild Bill...but she did a terrible job showing it and you could easily see why they were just friends during most of the movie. Toss into this a handsome officer and a young actress and you've got a romantic comedy western...with a few memorable songs and LOTS of energy. In fact, the film often seems more energy than substance or quality. I found it enjoyable but very, very slight...nothing more.