Calamity Jane and the Social Construction
of Gender in the 1930s and 1950s
Films often say more about the audiences they play to than their subject
matter does. In his analysis of the Cold War classic film, Invasion o f the Body
Snatchers, historian Stuart Samuels writes that films reflect existing ideologies
by reproducing the myths and symbols of a time. They also produce their own
expression of reality by either reinforcing or undercutting specific ideologies. In
this way, argues Samuels, “All films are . . . ideological and political insomuch
as they are determined by the ideology \\4iich produces them. Fictional
characters are only prototypes of social roles and social attitudes; every film
speaks to some norm. They deem some behaviors appropriate, others not. Some
acts are condenmed, others applauded.”^ Samuels shows how Invasion o f the
Body Snatchers presents an air of forced conformity and suppression of
individualistic tendencies through “podism,” and applauds the efforts of the
film’s hero to resist the conformity and publicize his findings.
Films also socially construct gender. Movies were at once vehicles for
and instigators of mass culture during the early twentieth century. As such, they
both mirrored and defined appropriate behavior for women. During the
prosperous twenties, nymphs, vamps, and the “It” girl, Clara Bow, celebrated
women’s newfound fi*eedom and celebrated her outward sexuality. During times
of troubles, though, such as the 1930s and 1950s, traditional attitudes prevailed.
Although a few films portrayed strong, self-determined women during the Great
Depression, the characters usually suffered for their success.^ During the 1950s
films encouraged women to retreat fi’om the public world in favor of domestic
pursuits. The films The Plainsman (1936/7) and Calamity Jane (1953)
exemplify cinema’s treatment of women during the 1930s and 1950s by
discouraging or punishing independence and promoting traditional, domestic
behavior for women.
Films often use popular historical figures and cultural myths to
construct ideologies. This is especially true of films about the American West.
Westerns have their roots in literature aimed at creating and preserving a unique
American identity. Especially significant are the dime novels of the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which told stories about American
icons such as Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, Jim Bowie, Wild Bill Hickok