Calamity Jane

The 1953 Doris Day movie CALAMITY JANE with its essentially second rate Sammy Fain/Frances Webster score is one of the most famous "closeted" westerns around - with many feeling Day was pretending not to play a lesbian heroine thanks to a non-credible "love interest" tacked on with Howard Keel for the 50's middle America audience.

A decade later (12November1963) CBS television capitalized on the popularity of singing comedienne Carol Burnett with a 90 minute remake stocked with strong Broadway performers (a slightly over-the-hill Art Lund from Frank Loesser's MOST HAPPY FELLA as Bill Hickock, comedian Bernie West of Julie Styne's BELLS ARE RINGING as saloon keeper Henry Miller, Don Chastain of Richard Rodgers' NO STRINGS as secondary love interest Lt. Gilmartin and Cathryn Damon of John Kander's A FAMILY AFFAIR and soon to be in his FLORA THE RED MENACE - probably best known for the Off-Broadway revival of Rodgers' THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE as the illusive feminine ideal, Adelaide Adams). Those who enjoyed them here should check out their Cast Albums in better shows! The excellent Katie Brown as the comic maid mistaken for Ms. Adams does not have significant Broadway credits but her voice is indistinguishable from ANNIE's great "Miss Hannigan" (a role Ms. Burnett would play in films) Dorothy Loudon!

This TV movie essentially tracks the earlier color film and shoehorns in most of the songs - including a couple ("Whip Crack-a-Way" and "Once I Had A Secret Love") which had passing popularity when first exposed in the film. The TV kinescope making the rounds (to my knowledge it has never been formally issued on home video) has the commercials from sponsors Lipton Tea and Monsanto, and only credits for the score's composer or lyricist in the crawl at the very end - apparently supplying a few songs for popular Disney animated films like PETER PAN and others didn't rate with the TV producers like Broadway "names" with bigger hits. It's a pity because, while undeniably second tier, the score is consistently enjoyable. The silly "Woman's Touch" sounds like something written for that Disney PETER PAN! It's also interesting in that final crawl that the TV production was based on a "Stage Adaptation" by Charles K. Freeman and orchestrations by the great Philip L. Lang! Both apparently are still available through Tams-Witmark. It gets done from time to time.

Ironically, Carol Burnett's broad comedy as the "tomboy" Calamity - even with her breast-emphasizing costumes - removes any sex or even any closeted sexual innuendo from the production. This despite the pass made at a clueless Calamity by a chorus girl back stage in Chicago where she is looking for Adelaide Adams and the hysterical fit thrown by the undressed maid when she mistakes Calamity for a man (or even the maid deciding to move IN with Calamity when they get back to their western town!).

The musical show remains less than top tier entertainment, but worth the time for stage-star gazing and die hard Carol Burnett fans. The production values are high for a 60's TV musical and this was the main musical offering Burnett was involved in between her star-making triumph in Mary Rodgers' ONCE UPON A MATTRESS and the initially smash star turn in Julie Styne's FADE OUT FADE IN (which ended her initial Broadway career when she walked away from it for her TV career - leading to threatened suits and a lost arbitration with her own union).

The romantic denouements in CALAMITY JANE remain totally 60's sexist and foolishly unbelievable, but suspend disbelief and you'll have fun. In many ways it's more enjoyable than the original film.

This rendition of "Calamity Jane" is an okay comedy musical made for TV. As with so many TV movies that were shot on stages for later showing, this one hasn't been issued on DVD as of 2018. I watched it from a taping of the 1963 show.

Carol Burnett was 30 years old at the time of this show, and she had been around TV since 1955. She had starred in the 1959 Broadway musical, "Once Upon a Mattress." She had played roles in some TV series before. But this was her first TV movie, and her first role as the leading star. She is a fine singer with a normal voice. But, she can carry a tune well. And, with her comedy, she is able to carry this production.

Art Lund is good and sings a couple songs as Wild Bill Hickok. Lund's singing and acting career was mostly on Broadway. Most of the rest of the cast are little known other than on Broadway. They do okay here. Besides the few songs and comedy, the show has a couple of dance numbers with some fine choreography.

The video recording quality of the show isn't very good. If one enjoys musicals and comedy, this is worth watching if it can be found in a library or a friend's video collection. But otherwise, it's not something to spend more than a couple dollars on to buy or watch.

Here are some favorite lines form this film.

Calamity Jane, "Well, lemme tell you somethin' right here and now. Whatever I lie about I can prove."

Lt. Danny Gilmartin, "Calamity Jane? The one and only Calamity Jane?" Calamity Jane, "Miss Calamity Jane."

Lt. Danny Gilmartin, "May I have the privilege of calling on you?" Calamity Jane, "I was just going to ask you that same thing."

Lt. Danny Gilmartin, "I know this may sound a little forward..." Calamity Jane, "Out with it." Lt. Gilmartin, "Well, would you..." Calamity, "Yes!" Lt. Gilmartin, "Would you show me everything you know about scouting and dirty Indian fighting?" Calamity, "Well, uh, the scouting shouldn't take too long, and as to the dirty Indian fightin,' we could kinda work that out together on the sofa."

Calamity Jane, "You know, when I thought Danny loved me, I was happy as a butcher's dog."