''Calamity Jane and Sam Bass'' is a 1949 American
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
film directed by
George Sherman and starring
Yvonne de Carlo,
Howard Duff and
Dorothy Hart
Dorothy Hart (April 4, 1922 – July 11, 2004) was an American actress, mostly in supporting roles. She portrayed Howard Duff's fiancée in the film ''The Naked City'' (1948).
Early life
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Hart was the daughter of insura ...
.
Plot
Sheriff Will Egan doesn't want any gamblers in
Denton, Texas
Denton is a city in and the county seat of Denton County, Texas, United States. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020, it is the 27th-most populous city in Texas, the 197th-most populous city in the United States, and the 12th-most populous ...
and is suspicious when stranger
Sam Bass arrives in town. The sheriff's sister Kathy likes the newcomer, though, while
Calamity Jane
Martha Jane Cannary (May 1, 1852 – August 1, 1903), better known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman, sharpshooter, and storyteller. In addition to many exploits she was known for being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok. Lat ...
is impressed with Sam's way with horses, even more so when Sam spots a poorly shod favorite in a horse race and bets against him, winning a tidy sum.
Sam buys the losing horse with his wager winnings and intends to race him. But when a hired guy poisons the horse, Sam shoots him. Sam tries to turn himself in, but feels he can't get a fair trial and busts out.
Sam becomes an outlaw, robbing banks. He believes Kathy has tricked him and turns to Jane.
He ends up shot, dying in Jane's arms, yet seemingly in love with Kathy.
Cast
*
Yvonne de Carlo as
Calamity Jane
Martha Jane Cannary (May 1, 1852 – August 1, 1903), better known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman, sharpshooter, and storyteller. In addition to many exploits she was known for being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok. Lat ...
*
Howard Duff as
Sam Bass
*
Dorothy Hart
Dorothy Hart (April 4, 1922 – July 11, 2004) was an American actress, mostly in supporting roles. She portrayed Howard Duff's fiancée in the film ''The Naked City'' (1948).
Early life
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Hart was the daughter of insura ...
as Kathy Egan
*
Willard Parker
Willard Parker (born Worster Van Eps; February 5, 1912 – December 4, 1996) was an American film and television actor. He was a leading man under contract to Columbia Pictures in the 1940s and starred in the TV series '' Tales of the Texas Ran ...
as Will Egan
*
Norman Lloyd as Jim Murphy
*
Lloyd Bridges
Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr. (January 15, 1913 – March 10, 1998) was an American film, stage and television actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. He was the father of four children, includi ...
as Joel Collins
*
Marc Lawrence as Harry Dean
*
Houseley Stevenson
Houseley Stevenson (30 July 1879 – 6 August 1953) was a British-American character actor who was born in London on July 30, 1879, and died in Duarte, California on August 6, 1953.
He began his movie career in 1936 and had a short career in ...
as Dakota
*
Milburn Stone as Abe Jones
* Clifton Young as Link
*
John Rodney as Morgan
*
Roy Roberts as Marshal Peak
*
Ann Doran
Ann Lee Doran (July 28, 1911 – September 19, 2000) was an American character actress, possibly best known as the mother of Jim Stark (James Dean) in ''Rebel Without a Cause'' (1955). She was an early member of the Screen Actors Guild and serv ...
as Mrs. Lucy Egan
* Charles Cane as J. Wells
*
Walter Baldwin
Walter Smith Baldwin Jr. (January 2, 1889 − January 27, 1977) was an American character actor whose career spanned five decades and 150 film and television roles, and numerous stage performances.
Baldwin was born in Lima, Ohio, into a theatr ...
as Doc Purdy
Production
In March 1948 Universal announced they would make ''The Story of Sam Bass'' from a story by director George Sherman. It would be an expensive production in Technicolor shot on location in Kanab, Utah. Jimmy Stewart was sought to play the title role. The role eventually went to
Howard Duff who had just come to notice in ''
Brute Force'' (1947).
Universal decided to cast
Yvonne de Carlo as the female lead. De Carlo was under contract to Universal at the time, and had just been entertaining US troops in Europe. She was reluctant to make the film as it was a Western, but did not want to go on suspension. (She had been briefly engaged to her co-star Howard Duff in April 1947.)
Dorothy Hart
Dorothy Hart (April 4, 1922 – July 11, 2004) was an American actress, mostly in supporting roles. She portrayed Howard Duff's fiancée in the film ''The Naked City'' (1948).
Early life
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Hart was the daughter of insura ...
and
Willard Parker
Willard Parker (born Worster Van Eps; February 5, 1912 – December 4, 1996) was an American film and television actor. He was a leading man under contract to Columbia Pictures in the 1940s and starred in the TV series '' Tales of the Texas Ran ...
signed to play support roles.
Filming started 7 October 1948 in Kanab, Utah. Johnson Canyon, Vermillion Cliffs, and the Gap were additional filming locations.
It was the second film about
Calamity Jane
Martha Jane Cannary (May 1, 1852 – August 1, 1903), better known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman, sharpshooter, and storyteller. In addition to many exploits she was known for being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok. Lat ...
made that year, the other being ''
The Paleface''.
See also
*
List of American films of 1949
A list of American films released in 1949.
''All the King's Men'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
File:Tracy Hepburn Adams Rib.jpg, ''Adam's Rib''
File:Vincent Price-Maureen O'Hara in Bagdad trailer.jpg, '' Bagdad''
File:Van Johnso ...
References
External links
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{{George Sherman
1949 films
1949 Western (genre) films
American Western (genre) films
Films shot in Utah
Cultural depictions of Calamity Jane
Universal Pictures films
Films directed by George Sherman
1940s American films