Musical Movie Review: **** Calamity Jane (1953)

 Calamity Jane (Doris Day) is a western woman who dresses in men's clothing.  She is the guard of the stage, and exaggerates how many Native Americans she has killed.  She rescues Lieutenant Gilmartin (Philip Carey) when he is captured by Indians.  She has a crush on him.  Wild Bill Hickok (Howard Keel) has a thing for Calamity Jane, but would like her to wear woman clothes.  Calamity goes to Chicago to recruit and actress, but gets the wrong woman.  She comes back with the maid, Katie Brown (Allyn Ann McLerie) rather than the actress; but Brown she does the best she can.  Calamity and Brown move in together, and Calamity get jealous when Brown and Gilmartin kiss.  She is so upset she tells Brown she must leave.  But Gilmartin really likes Brown.  Hickok finally proposes to Calamity, and everything ends happy.  

The voices of Howard Keel (baritone) and Doris Day are excellent and their singing really carries the musical.  I especially like the song "The Black Hills of Dakota."  They both sing with lots of energy.  "I Can Do Without You" is also very fun.  

John Wayne Movie Review: ****The Searchers (1956)

 This is a very good movie, and the racism of the lead character spills out all over the movie.  I think this was the point.  Uncle Ethan Evans (John Wayne) has returned home three years after the Civil War ended.  He is caught up in rescuing his nieces who are taken by Comanche.  Their brother, Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter) goes with him but he is not a blood brother, but adopted and has Cherokee blood, which Uncle Ethan doesn't let him forget it.  Pawley has a girlfriend, Laurie (Vera Miles).  Early on they find the older sister murdered.  However the search for Deborah (Natalie Wood and Lana Wood), the younger sister goes on for many years.  Pawley is worried Uncle Evan will kill her as she has been amongst the Indians too long and will be an Indian.  The learn Cicatriz, or Scar (Henry Brandon) has her, but make little progress in finding him.  The first time they come upon Debbie Uncle Ethan does want to kill her, and Pawley intervenes.  However the second time there is a major operation and Cicatriz is killed.  However when Uncle Evan gets to the niece, now about 15 he says lets go home, and it is both he and the niece going home as Uncle Ethan lets go of some of his hate.  

The party would come home from time to time.  On one of these occasions they enter the wedding of Laurie and Charlie McCorrey (Ken Curtis, later Festus).  Laurie had grown tired of waiting and McCorrey had worn her down.  McCorrey and Pawley fight, and there is no wedding.  It is after this fight we hear that Cicatriz is in the area.  Another interesting character is Moss Harper (Hank Worden).  People thinks he is crazy, but it is he who was able to discover the whereabouts of Cicatriz.  Sisters Natalie Wood and Lana Wood portray Debbie, Lana the young Debbie and Natalie the older Debbie.  

I enjoyed this movie.  You have to remember Uncle Ethan's racism is his character form seeing death in the Civil War and fighting against the Native Americans.  

Western Movie Review: *** Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

 This is a Sergio Leone spaghetti western.  It stars Charles Bronson as Harmonica, a mysterious character who is extracting revenge as he goes.  Is ultimate goal is Frank (Henry Fonda), who is a very evil character but who is tied with the rail road, Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti) and thereby gets away with it.  He and his men murder a family; but Cleveland (Jason Robards) is blamed.  Frank and the railroad want the property of the man they murdered.  They did not know he had recently married.  His widow is Jill McBain (Claudia Cardinale).  Cleveland and Harmonica form an alliance of sorts to keep McBain from being cheated of her estate.  Even Frank and Harmonica form an alliance for a time, as Harmonica wants to be sure he is the person to kill Frank, who lynched his father when he was a boy.  

The movie is very slow at times with periods of violence.  Leone really drags out gun fights.  It is a 2 1/2 hour movie and could have been compressed greatly.