This is an entertaining Western, but my impression is that it's fairly lacking any real historical accuracy. But, that's Cecil B. DeMille (director).
Gary Cooper (as Wild Bill Hickok) is an off-and-on romantic interest to Jean Arthur (as Calamity Jane). They are both friends with James Ellison (as "Buffalo Bill" Cody). Charles Bickford is the bad guy here (as usual in this type of film he is selling guns to the Indians). And, watch closely and you'll see Anthony Quinn as an Indian.
Shoot 'em up! To the extent that during a battle with the Indians, Hickok and Cody kill an unbelievable number of Indians...and I mean ridiculously unbelievable. But, despite its historical inaccuracies (a major character dies in a way that was totally inaccurate to the facts), it's fun, and well worth watching.
Cooper and Arthur are excellent here, although this isn't the kind of role we usually think of for Jean Arthur. I wasn't familiar with James Ellison, but he was also quite good (this film was the pinnacle of a rather thin career), and there's good chemistry between Cooper and Ellison.
So if you want to have fun, tune in. If you want to learn about Western history, don't.
Gary Cooper (as Wild Bill Hickok) is an off-and-on romantic interest to Jean Arthur (as Calamity Jane). They are both friends with James Ellison (as "Buffalo Bill" Cody). Charles Bickford is the bad guy here (as usual in this type of film he is selling guns to the Indians). And, watch closely and you'll see Anthony Quinn as an Indian.
Shoot 'em up! To the extent that during a battle with the Indians, Hickok and Cody kill an unbelievable number of Indians...and I mean ridiculously unbelievable. But, despite its historical inaccuracies (a major character dies in a way that was totally inaccurate to the facts), it's fun, and well worth watching.
Cooper and Arthur are excellent here, although this isn't the kind of role we usually think of for Jean Arthur. I wasn't familiar with James Ellison, but he was also quite good (this film was the pinnacle of a rather thin career), and there's good chemistry between Cooper and Ellison.
So if you want to have fun, tune in. If you want to learn about Western history, don't.