I watched this movie in a class in college called Homosexuality in Hollywood Film as part of a Doris Day double feature with Pillow Talk (though that one was all about Rock Hudson being the Mayor of Gayville).
Katie+55
I remember watching this movie as a teenager and thinking it was pretty progressive to make a movie about a lesbian relationship. And then the man showed up and I was all sorts of confused.
daisymerolling+24
I remember watching A Woman’s Touch when I lived in Cuba one way-too-hot august morning and thinking “that’s what my college roommate and I are going to be like” and now we so are, except without the homoeroticism.
westernstudies+26
Well, there’s Deadwood’s Calamity Jane, where the subtext is text…
xiani+12
I only clicked this ’cause I though it was about her!
Also relevant: the song titles “I Can Do Without You” and “Keep It Under Your Hat”
Damn, I love this movie.
Wallen+6
And Wild Bill’s first love song to Katie is sung to a cardboard cutout — not a flesh and blood woman with more than two dimensions.
Lady_Honoria+7
For a long time this movie was my #1 garunteed to make me cry, watch it when I need catharsis, movie.
The bit where she fucks up cos she’s mad at Katie and she’s mean to her and then Bill shoots for Katie and then they aren’t friends anymore but Bill understands BOOOHOOOHOOOOOOOO.
No one can convince me that Bill, Calam’ and Katie aren’t in a big ol’ love triangle (the proper kind, where all the points connect) and whatshisname holding up that uniform with the force of his handsome hair is just a dupe.
Unreadaethel+13
Clip 1 is also very Patsy & Delia from Call the Midwife.
Household_Opera+7
Oh no, now I’m sad all over again.
Unreadaethel+8
Shit, sorry. :'(
I have a beautiful reunion fic written in my head, if it helps. Lots of tears and kissing and lesbian snuggles.
Gzortenplatz+6
Lovelorn Patsy persuades Delia’s mum to let her visit, and her mere presence brings Delia out of her amnesia, and she recognizes Patsy as her One True Love, and they passionately embrace in front of Delia’s mother, on whom The Light Dawns, and she’s shocked, but really only wants her daughter to be happy, so gives them her blessing, and off they go back to London, ready to overcome all obstacles, now that they have Found Each Other again.
Yeah, I’ve given it a thought or two myself.
Unreadaethel+4
Delia’s fighting off a day of overwhelming boredom by giving the kitchen a really thorough scrubbing, and the smell of disinfectant triggers an overwhelming rush of memories. She suddenly remembers everything, and convinces her parents to let her go to London for reasons. She turns up at Nonatus House to see Patsy, and they have a tearful, glorious reunion, and then never have Lesbian Angst again.
Gzortenplatz+2
Yours is even better!
Gayer_Than_Thou+4
Secret Love is one of my all-time favorite coming out songs.
Eli+8
This got me looking up photos of the historic Calamity Jane, with her adorable sad-eyebrow butch face. I just really wanted to give her a big hug and invite her round for an OITNB marathon. For real, though, looking back at these gender misfits of days gone by–there’s such a stinking melancholy and longing, wanting to send love and solidarity and friendship back in time to them.
Beth+11
I loved this film soooo much when I was a kid. I always thought Calamity and Katie living together looked like so much fun, I didn’t get why they wanted to make it all complicated with stupid BOYS.
ana+2
When she started sawing I think I heard a million “Western AUs” being born in every fandom. That and “filling empty flower boxes”
Olivia+2
This was the film I was raised on, and is to this day one of my all-time favourites. Only rematching it after several years as a 17-year-old was I blown away by how incredibly queer the whole thing is.
When Calamity and Bill Hickok leave the party early after seeing Katie and Danny kiss in the garden, the rant that Calamity goes on, when the subtext is easily switched, could definitely be taken as jealousy towards Danny, not Katie. She blames her, she talks very little about him, as if she had betrayed her (“I want to put a bullet right in that pretty face of hers.”). The amount of cross-dressing and gender-bending is applaudable for a film made in the fifties. To this day is holds up as something unconventional and interesting to watch.
If only times had been different and Katie and Calam could have lived quite happily together in the little shack they made up.
Regardless, they are clearly on Pinterest
I watched this movie in a class in college called Homosexuality in Hollywood Film as part of a Doris Day double feature with Pillow Talk (though that one was all about Rock Hudson being the Mayor of Gayville).
I remember watching this movie as a teenager and thinking it was pretty progressive to make a movie about a lesbian relationship. And then the man showed up and I was all sorts of confused.
I remember watching A Woman’s Touch when I lived in Cuba one way-too-hot august morning and thinking “that’s what my college roommate and I are going to be like” and now we so are, except without the homoeroticism.
Well, there’s Deadwood’s Calamity Jane, where the subtext is text…
I only clicked this ’cause I though it was about her!
She ain’t subtle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdOIUw-VIDw
What a character though.
Tried to watch the Doris Day thing, but teeth are too scarily luminous…
This is the scene I’ve always loved best. I’d say heterosexuality is at least the movie’s jumping off place. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz-zsBwBe6M
Can we post links? ‘Cause… vimeo.com/15172640
A THING OF BEAUTY AND A JOY FOREVER
No one ever needs to watch Calamity Jane again. They can just watch this, and maybe also listen to the song “A Woman’s Touch.”
“Um, it sort of sounds like Calamity and Katie are, well… both shirt-and-trousers women, if you get my drift.”
“Shit. Wait! We’ll add a line about baking for a man. That proves they’re not lesbians, right?”
“Oh, absolutely!”
I simply can’t get over how impractical that blue velvet dress is for housecleaning–or really anything anyone would ever do in the Old West.
This is the scene I’ve always loved best. Heterosexuality is at least the movie’s jumping off place. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz-zsBwBe6M
Doris Day at 1:24 in that first clip though…
Also relevant: the song titles “I Can Do Without You” and “Keep It Under Your Hat”
Damn, I love this movie.
And Wild Bill’s first love song to Katie is sung to a cardboard cutout — not a flesh and blood woman with more than two dimensions.
For a long time this movie was my #1 garunteed to make me cry, watch it when I need catharsis, movie.
The bit where she fucks up cos she’s mad at Katie and she’s mean to her and then Bill shoots for Katie and then they aren’t friends anymore but Bill understands BOOOHOOOHOOOOOOOO.
No one can convince me that Bill, Calam’ and Katie aren’t in a big ol’ love triangle (the proper kind, where all the points connect) and whatshisname holding up that uniform with the force of his handsome hair is just a dupe.
Clip 1 is also very Patsy & Delia from Call the Midwife.
Oh no, now I’m sad all over again.
Shit, sorry. :'(
I have a beautiful reunion fic written in my head, if it helps. Lots of tears and kissing and lesbian snuggles.
Lovelorn Patsy persuades Delia’s mum to let her visit, and her mere presence brings Delia out of her amnesia, and she recognizes Patsy as her One True Love, and they passionately embrace in front of Delia’s mother, on whom The Light Dawns, and she’s shocked, but really only wants her daughter to be happy, so gives them her blessing, and off they go back to London, ready to overcome all obstacles, now that they have Found Each Other again.
Yeah, I’ve given it a thought or two myself.
Delia’s fighting off a day of overwhelming boredom by giving the kitchen a really thorough scrubbing, and the smell of disinfectant triggers an overwhelming rush of memories. She suddenly remembers everything, and convinces her parents to let her go to London for reasons. She turns up at Nonatus House to see Patsy, and they have a tearful, glorious reunion, and then never have Lesbian Angst again.
Yours is even better!
Secret Love is one of my all-time favorite coming out songs.
This got me looking up photos of the historic Calamity Jane, with her adorable sad-eyebrow butch face. I just really wanted to give her a big hug and invite her round for an OITNB marathon. For real, though, looking back at these gender misfits of days gone by–there’s such a stinking melancholy and longing, wanting to send love and solidarity and friendship back in time to them.
I loved this film soooo much when I was a kid. I always thought Calamity and Katie living together looked like so much fun, I didn’t get why they wanted to make it all complicated with stupid BOYS.
When she started sawing I think I heard a million “Western AUs” being born in every fandom. That and “filling empty flower boxes”
This was the film I was raised on, and is to this day one of my all-time favourites. Only rematching it after several years as a 17-year-old was I blown away by how incredibly queer the whole thing is.
When Calamity and Bill Hickok leave the party early after seeing Katie and Danny kiss in the garden, the rant that Calamity goes on, when the subtext is easily switched, could definitely be taken as jealousy towards Danny, not Katie. She blames her, she talks very little about him, as if she had betrayed her (“I want to put a bullet right in that pretty face of hers.”). The amount of cross-dressing and gender-bending is applaudable for a film made in the fifties. To this day is holds up as something unconventional and interesting to watch.
If only times had been different and Katie and Calam could have lived quite happily together in the little shack they made up.