Young Bill Hickok (1940)

Bill Hickok, assisted by Calamity Jane, is after a foreign agent and his guerrilla band who are trying to take over some western territory just as the Civil War is coming to a close.

Director:

Joseph Kane

Writers:

Norton S. Parker (original screenplay), Olive Cooper (original screenplay)

Stars:

Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Julie Bishop

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Roy Rogers	...	Bill Hickok
George 'Gabby' Hayes	...	Gabby Whitaker
Julie Bishop	...	Louise Mason (as Jacqueline Wells)
John Miljan	...	Nicholas Tower
Sally Payne	...	Miss Calamity Jane Canary
Archie Twitchell	...	Phillip
Monte Blue	...	Marshal Evans
Hal Taliaferro	...	Morrell
Ethel Wales	...	Mrs. Stout
Jack Ingram	...	Henchman Red Burke
Monte Montague	...	Charlie Majors

Storyline

Bill Hickok in his early pre-gunslinger years as a freight-line agent protecting a gold shipment from villains out to steal gold and land out west while America is diverted by the Civil War back east. With the help of Calamity Jane and her horse-trader uncle, Hickok battles the bad guys while trying to win the love of his life, Louise, in a formulaic B western adventure with songs.

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Plot Keywords:

cowboy in tight pants | cowboy horse relationship | older cowboy younger cowboy relationship | calamity jane character | jailbreak | 

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Taglines:

BILL HICKOK...PATHFINDER...PLAINSMAN...PIONEER...reliving America's most colorful days!

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | History | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aconteceu em Cheyenne

Filming Locations:

Burro Flats, Simi Hills, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

59 min (original) 54 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The failure of the original copyright holder to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film.

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Quotes

Wild Bill Hickok: Louise, this is Calamity Jane or Miss Canary in polite society.
Miss Calamity Jane Canary: Well, I never get in it, so just call me Calamity. Howdy.
Louise Mason: How do you do.
Wild Bill Hickok: An' this is Gabby Witacker.
'Gabby' Whitaker: [Gesturing to Calamity] I'm her uncle.
Miss Calamity Jane Canary: Don't a have the derndest luck?
'Gabby' Whitaker: Meanin' Me?
Miss Calamity Jane Canary: No, that pony's gone lame. We've gotta go see about it.
'Gabby' Whitaker: We ain't got no lame pony.
Miss Calamity Jane Canary: Well then come on out and help me trip one.

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Connections

Edited into Six Gun Theater: Young Bill Hickok (2015)

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Soundtracks

A Cowboy Wedding
(uncredited)
Written by Milo Sweet and Nat Vincent
Played on guitar and sung by Roy Rogers

User Reviews

Calamity Jane and an Exciting End

Roy Rogers stars as "Young Bill Hickok", saving California and its gold from wicked invaders like John Miljan (as Nicholas Tower)… against a Civil War back-story… with references to Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth. This time George "Gabby" Hayes brings along his niece, none other than Calamity Jane (well played by Sally Payne) to assist Mr. Rogers. It's an interesting team-up concept, however unlikely.

The film's highlight is its posse / stagecoach chase scene, near the film's end. Rogers and Yakima Canutt -- I assume the stuntman is the stunning Mr. Canutt -- perform well in an exciting man-under-the-stage sequence. That sequence followed one of the typical Rogers songs. Otherwise, this is nothing more than a fair Rogers western.

*** Young Bill Hickok (1940) Joseph Kane ~ Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Sally Payne