Calamity Jane and Sam Bass (1949)

Good luck with horses and women pushes Sam Bass toward outlawry.

Director:

George Sherman

Writers:

George Sherman (story), Maurice Geraghty

Stars:

Yvonne De Carlo, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Yvonne De Carlo	...	Calamity Jane
Howard Duff	...	Sam Bass
Dorothy Hart	...	Katherine 'Kathy' Egan
Willard Parker	...	Sheriff William 'Will' Egan
Norman Lloyd	...	Jim Murphy aka Gordon
Lloyd Bridges	...	Joel Collins
Marc Lawrence	...	Harry Dean
Houseley Stevenson	...	Dakota
Milburn Stone	...	Abe Jones
Clifton Young	...	Link
John Rodney	...	Morgan
Roy Roberts	...	Marshal Peak
Ann Doran	...	Mrs. Lucy Egan
Charles Cane	...	J. Wells
Walter Baldwin	...	Doc Purdy

Storyline

Drifter Sam Bass shows up in Denton, Texas (soon to host a great horse race) looking for work. Before long, he attracts the attention of pretty storekeeper Katherine Egan (the sheriff's sister) and that wild frontiers woman, Calamity Jane. Circumstances make Sam richer by a very fast race horse. But his seemingly good luck with horses and women leads him to disaster. Will he be forced into a life of crime?

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Plot Keywords:

calamity jane character | romantic rivalry | romantic triangle | brother sister relationship | homosexual subtext | 

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Taglines:

Fighting! Loving! Looting!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Calamity Jane and Sam Bass were both in Deadwood, South Dakota in 1876 and 1877, when they were in their 20's, but there is nothing to show that the two ever met and the rather flimsy plot of this film has little or no relation to reality. Sam Bass (born on July 21, 1851) ran away from home and eventually got to San Antonio, Texas. He drove cattle to Kansas, moved on to Deadwood, and held up the Deadwood stage seven times. On September 19, 1877 he robbed the Union Pacific train at Big Springs, Nebraska, got away and returned to Texas. He was shot during an aborted bank robbery in Round Rock, Texas and died the next day, on his birthday, July 21, 1878. When her family moved west, Martha Jane "Calamity Jane" Cannary (born May 1, 1852) eventually settled in Deadwood, South Dakota, where she became friendly with Wild Bill Hickok and later claimed to have borne his child. Hickok was killed during a poker game on August 2, 1876. Jane died in Terry, South Dakota on August 1, 1903, allegedly saying, "Bury me beside Wild Bill - the only man I ever loved."

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Goofs

During the Denton, Texas horse race about 20 minutes into the movie the horses run out to red rock desert country with mountains in the distance. The area around Denton Texas is almost flat black land prairie with no desert cactus around.

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Quotes

[Sam Bass and friends have just held up a stagecoach and removed only part of the money from the strong box]
Joel Collins: Well, we could've had our ranch out of that box.
Sam Bass: No, we couldn't, Joel. The way we did it, even if this thing comes out, people will know that we took back only what he stole from us. They'll be on our side.
Dakota: Sure, we wouldn't want 'em to think we robbed this stage dishonestly.

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Connections

Featured in Night Across the Street (2012)

User Reviews

Horses and women and guns

Even though there is no record that Calamity Jane and Sam Bass even met and furthermore that by Calamity's own record the only man she ever loved was Wild Bill Hickok, Universal nevertheless made this film Calamity Jane And Sam Bass. Billing should have been in reverse this was really Sam Bass's story.

Sam Bass as played by Howard Duff arrives in Denton, Texas completely busted, but he's got a way with the ladies and he attracts the attention of the famous Calamity Jane and the sheriff Willard Parker's sister. The sheriff's sister is Dorothy Hart. He also has a great love and good eye for horses. That and the two women are both the key his success and his downfall.

It's fascinating how some of Hollywood's most beautiful actresses, Jean Arthur, Doris Day, and in this film Yvonne DeCarlo are cast as Calamity Jane. In real life, Mary Jane Canary as Calamity Jane was born had a face that could stop a grandfather clock for a couple of generations. She must have had something going to get all the men she did including Wild Bill Hickok.

Duff and DeCarlo aren't the most romantic pair going still the western is an interesting one with some well executed action scenes. I think western fans will like it still.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 July 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sam Bass and Calamity Jane

Filming Locations:

Kanab Rodeo Grounds, Kanab, Utah, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1