I never thought of the real Calamity Jane as either a slow eyed vamp or someone's mother, perhaps though a bit camp, to paraphrase the song Yvonne de Carlo sang decades later on Broadway in "Follies". The real Jane Canary looked closer to Hope Emerson than de Carlo or the other glamour girl actresses who played her, although she was always presented as a rough and tumble frontier woman in masculine clothing. Had this been made at MGM, it would have been a perfect B film for Marjorie Main and Wallace Beery.
Like many westerns about real people, it stretches the truth to the point where the film snaps, but as entertainment, it's a very colorful and action packed tall tale. Howard Duff, Universal's hopeful new star, is the actual lead as Sam Bass who apparently never met Ms. Jane, let alone romance her. Actually, the romantic focus is on Duff and Dorothy Hart, the sister of sheriff Willard Parker who hates Duff and whose actions helps turn Bass into an outlaw. De Carlo and Duff share a kiss, buy she's more of a buddy to Duff.
Having lingered around Hollywood for about a decade, Lloyd Bridges was still either a supportive heavy or a lead in B's, and as a friend to Sam's gets him involved in a big horse race against big shot Charles Cane who helps set Sam up for failure. Houseley Stevenson plays the grizzled old Dakota, a character type present in practically every western. Even as obvious fiction, it's a complex story that gives some good character development to a darker plot. Jane Alexander's Calamity Jane is closer to the real deal than de Carlo, but she's certainly watchable in her spunky characterization.
Like many westerns about real people, it stretches the truth to the point where the film snaps, but as entertainment, it's a very colorful and action packed tall tale. Howard Duff, Universal's hopeful new star, is the actual lead as Sam Bass who apparently never met Ms. Jane, let alone romance her. Actually, the romantic focus is on Duff and Dorothy Hart, the sister of sheriff Willard Parker who hates Duff and whose actions helps turn Bass into an outlaw. De Carlo and Duff share a kiss, buy she's more of a buddy to Duff.
Having lingered around Hollywood for about a decade, Lloyd Bridges was still either a supportive heavy or a lead in B's, and as a friend to Sam's gets him involved in a big horse race against big shot Charles Cane who helps set Sam up for failure. Houseley Stevenson plays the grizzled old Dakota, a character type present in practically every western. Even as obvious fiction, it's a complex story that gives some good character development to a darker plot. Jane Alexander's Calamity Jane is closer to the real deal than de Carlo, but she's certainly watchable in her spunky characterization.