Calamity Jane

Calamity Jane shoots, rides and swears better than anyone in Deadwood, promises to bring a stage star to town, and brings the wrong woman back from Chicago. Then her rivalry with Wild Bill Hickok turns into the matter of two women liking the same man, and Jane tries wearing a dress for the first time. David Butler made it at Warner as what became Doris Day's best-known role. Seen now the story is contradictory: the first half puts the woman into no mould at all, and the second treats putting her into one as the happy ending. The song Secret Love won the Oscar for best original song and has moved over the years to the centre of queer readings of the film. Who it is for: viewers who like classic Hollywood musicals and Doris Day. Who it is not for: anyone troubled by the gender assumptions of the period.