It was pretty hilarious watching the creators of "Calamity Jane" work overtime trying to convince themselves and their audience that this story is about anything other than a lesbian and her unrequited love.
Doris Day is charming and funny in a role that you would expect would have gone to someone like Betty Hutton, who would have made a disaster of it. Day butches it up and a running gag in the movie is that no one realizes her Calamity is actually a woman. This was 1953, so her principal dramatic conflict has to be that she's in love with one man who doesn't love her until she realizes she actually loves a different man, in this case Wild Bill Hickcock, played by Howard Keel. But what this movie is really about is her attraction to a fetching stage actress who she brings to her podunk Western town to entertain its citizens. The movie's Oscar winning song "Secret Love," in context of the story, is about her realizing who she truly loves. But come on, I think we all know what her "secret love" really is.
In addition to its song win, "Calamity Jane" was nominated for two other Oscars, Best Musical Scoring and Best Sound Recording.
Grade: B
Doris Day is charming and funny in a role that you would expect would have gone to someone like Betty Hutton, who would have made a disaster of it. Day butches it up and a running gag in the movie is that no one realizes her Calamity is actually a woman. This was 1953, so her principal dramatic conflict has to be that she's in love with one man who doesn't love her until she realizes she actually loves a different man, in this case Wild Bill Hickcock, played by Howard Keel. But what this movie is really about is her attraction to a fetching stage actress who she brings to her podunk Western town to entertain its citizens. The movie's Oscar winning song "Secret Love," in context of the story, is about her realizing who she truly loves. But come on, I think we all know what her "secret love" really is.
In addition to its song win, "Calamity Jane" was nominated for two other Oscars, Best Musical Scoring and Best Sound Recording.
Grade: B