What a Calamity!
Last night, during our weekly dinner and movie night, I brought Lauren a choice of two of my favorite childhood films. I called them the choice of opposites.
The first one was Father Goose. Cary Grant as a scruffy, dirty, possibly smelly, certainly cranky, sometimes pirate during the second world war. Costaring Leslie Caron of Gigi fame, and generally fabulous movie as Goodie Two-Shoes (Caron) and the Filthy Beast (Grant) butt heads with hillarious results.
The second choice I offered Lauren was Calamity Jane. Dorris Day as the rough and tumble tomboy of the old west.
Since Lauren had already seen Father Goose (!), we opted for Calamity. Now, I watched that VHS tape about once a week for probably close to 6 months in my youth. I had the lyrics and dances memerized, and when feeling put upon, would adopt a most Calamity-like attitude (to my parents chagrin).
As I watched it again last night, and for the first time in probably 15 years, I realized the impact that this specific movie had on me, and also hopefully on a number of other young girls. See, Calamity is the ultimate Tomboy. She can ride, she can shoot, she can use a bull whip. She drinks, she brags, she rescues the man she loves. You could never imagine Calamity Jane up in a tower waiting for her prince to come and rescue her. And if she were to ride off into the sunset with her sweetheart, she'd want her own horse.
Calamity never even feels like she isn't enough for whichever man she wants. She sees the frills and fripperies of the women in Chicago (or "Chicagi" as she insists on calling it) and smiles into her sleeve. When she mistakes the wooden cigar store Indian for a real one and gets laughed at, she laughs along with them. Nothing can shake her belief that what shes doing must be right, for the mere fact that she's doing it.
The fact that she's played by Dorris Day doesn't hurt either. Here was this beautiful Hollywood actress, famous for staring alongside Rock Hudson as the blonde and blue eyed babe, and the put her in hideously stained deerskin and gave her a crappy hat, and she owned it.
Even after her "makeover" from Katie, she never loses herself, as so many of today's 'heroines' do. She may be in the beautiful pink dress, but shes still wearing her favorite old coat, a present from Custer. She may have the attention of every man at the dance, and a full dance card, but she still borrows a gun and shoots a tea cup out of a rivals hand.
At the end of the movie, after shes gotten the man and according to all hollywood female lead conventions, should be content to be quiet and submissive and obedient, chases down a stage coach, jumps onto it mid-ride and returns with lady fair.
One of my favorite moments in the film is as shes riding out to rescue Katie, she passes Bill (her man) and when he calls out, "Where're you going?" she turns around, gallops back to him, kisses him, and heads back on her merry way. No explanation, not even any words, just a kiss and off she goes.
Now thats a leading lady!
The first one was Father Goose. Cary Grant as a scruffy, dirty, possibly smelly, certainly cranky, sometimes pirate during the second world war. Costaring Leslie Caron of Gigi fame, and generally fabulous movie as Goodie Two-Shoes (Caron) and the Filthy Beast (Grant) butt heads with hillarious results.
The second choice I offered Lauren was Calamity Jane. Dorris Day as the rough and tumble tomboy of the old west.
Since Lauren had already seen Father Goose (!), we opted for Calamity. Now, I watched that VHS tape about once a week for probably close to 6 months in my youth. I had the lyrics and dances memerized, and when feeling put upon, would adopt a most Calamity-like attitude (to my parents chagrin).
As I watched it again last night, and for the first time in probably 15 years, I realized the impact that this specific movie had on me, and also hopefully on a number of other young girls. See, Calamity is the ultimate Tomboy. She can ride, she can shoot, she can use a bull whip. She drinks, she brags, she rescues the man she loves. You could never imagine Calamity Jane up in a tower waiting for her prince to come and rescue her. And if she were to ride off into the sunset with her sweetheart, she'd want her own horse.
Calamity never even feels like she isn't enough for whichever man she wants. She sees the frills and fripperies of the women in Chicago (or "Chicagi" as she insists on calling it) and smiles into her sleeve. When she mistakes the wooden cigar store Indian for a real one and gets laughed at, she laughs along with them. Nothing can shake her belief that what shes doing must be right, for the mere fact that she's doing it.
The fact that she's played by Dorris Day doesn't hurt either. Here was this beautiful Hollywood actress, famous for staring alongside Rock Hudson as the blonde and blue eyed babe, and the put her in hideously stained deerskin and gave her a crappy hat, and she owned it.
Even after her "makeover" from Katie, she never loses herself, as so many of today's 'heroines' do. She may be in the beautiful pink dress, but shes still wearing her favorite old coat, a present from Custer. She may have the attention of every man at the dance, and a full dance card, but she still borrows a gun and shoots a tea cup out of a rivals hand.
At the end of the movie, after shes gotten the man and according to all hollywood female lead conventions, should be content to be quiet and submissive and obedient, chases down a stage coach, jumps onto it mid-ride and returns with lady fair.
One of my favorite moments in the film is as shes riding out to rescue Katie, she passes Bill (her man) and when he calls out, "Where're you going?" she turns around, gallops back to him, kisses him, and heads back on her merry way. No explanation, not even any words, just a kiss and off she goes.
Now thats a leading lady!
posted by boppo @ 9:19 AM
1 Comments:
1. your picture doesn't show up
2. Do you know Calamity Jane was a real person?
Mom
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