Calamity Jane

Calamity Jane is a musical Western comedy set in Deadwood, Dakota, a town dominated by soldiers, scouts and cowboys. Jane, a crack shot who dresses and rides like a man, is at home among the hard-drinking locals. When the Golden Garter saloon needs a Chicago stage star to please its patrons, Jane boasts she can fetch one. She returns instead with Katie Brown, the actress's wardrobe assistant, but the townsmen are delighted with the new arrival, and Jane takes Katie under her wing as rivalries and romantic confusion spread through the town, involving Wild Bill Hickok and Lieutenant Danny Gilmartin.

The film was directed by David Butler, his third feature in the chronological list of his works given here, following Just Imagine and San Antonio, and preceding The Command. James O'Hanlon wrote the screenplay, William Jacobs produced, and Warner Bros. Pictures released it in November 1953. Doris Day plays Jane, with Howard Keel as Wild Bill Hickok, Allyn Ann McLerie as Katie Brown and Philip Carey as Lieutenant Danny Gilmartin. The credited cast runs to 54 names.

On IMDb the film's critics' rating stands at 6.9 out of 10 from 22 reviews, while on TMDB it holds 7 out of 10 from 199 votes, indicating that critics and audiences rate it similarly. Its 101-minute runtime and mix of comedy, music, romance and Western settings reflect the studio musicals of its era.