September 13, 1997 (1997-09-13) – June 26, 1998 (1998-06-26)
The Legend of Calamity Jane is a 1997–98 American-French animated television series. The series followed the adventures of a fictionalized Calamity Jane in Deadwood, South Dakota.[1] The episode "I'd Rather Be in Philadelphia" takes place during the opening of the Centennial Exposition, establishing the timeline setting in 1876. The series had "fuller and richer animation than was customary on Saturday-morning TV."[2]
It aired in France and Canada from 1997–98, in Portugal in 2002, and in the United Kingdom via the POP TV channel from 2003–04. Despite its short run, the series developed a cult following.[3]
Series run
In the United States, three episodes were aired on The WB in 1997.[4] The network gave the series heavy promotion, but they quietly pulled it from their line-up after only three weeks. It was stated on Warner Bros.' website that the show would return later in the year,[5] and that Superman: The Animated Series would be filling in for its timeslot,[6] but this proved to be untrue.[4] The series did run complete in Latin America and several European countries, and was dubbed into languages like French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Swedish and Serbian.[7]
Production
Jennifer Jason Leigh was originally cast as the voice of Calamity Jane. However, two weeks before the show was to premiere, the producers decided to re-cast the role. Barbara Scaff got the part.[8] None of the dialogue recorded by Leigh was used in the final show. However, due to the short notice, the promotional ads aired on the WB used the lines by Leigh.
Main characters
Calamity Jane (voiced by Barbara Scaff) – Although based on the historical frontierswoman, her appearance and background are fictionalized. For example, in the series, she is literate and claims to have grown up in Portsmouth, Rhode Island and Atlanta, Georgia while the real Martha Jane Canary was illiterate and raised in Missouri. She also claims to be a member of the Comanche tribe. Depicted as 24 years old, with green eyes, pale skin and red hair, she fights on the side of "law and order". Jane prefers to use a whip and drink milk. She rides a black horse named Dakota.
Joe Presto (voiced by Frank Welker) – He serves as a helpful sidekick to Jane and shows great care and concern for her throughout the series. He prefers not to kill, as evidenced by his shotgun only being loaded with rock salt. He rides a mule named Tessy.
Wild Bill Hickok (voiced by Clancy Brown) – Based on the real Wild Bill Hickok, he is depicted as an old friend of Jane's who helps her on several occasions despite his reservations toward the law.
Quanna Parker (voiced by Michael Horse) – Jane's "blood brother" and Chief of the Comanche tribe with a fondness for existential philosophy. In "Troubled Waters", his tribe become millionaires after discovering oil on their land.
Captain John O'Rourke (voiced by Tim Matheson) – A polite, law-abiding cavalry officer who assists Jane throughout the series and is hinted to have romantic feelings for her. In "The Final Curtain", it is revealed he witnessed the assassination of Abraham Lincoln as a child and felt responsible because his older brother, a Secret Service agent, chose to sit by him instead.
When Jane is beaten and left for dead by an outlaw, Wild Bill is overcome with lust for revenge.
Home media
On October 3, 2022, a Texas-based company named Comix.tv launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a special DVD box set and special edition comic to celebrate the series’ 25th anniversary in 2022.[9] The company previously did a Kickstarter campaign for a DVD release of Stone Protectors in 2021 which was successful. It would be the first time the remaining episodes were released in the United States. This campaign was successfully funded with $24,284 on 426 backers. On January 30, 2023, it was announced Discotek Media will release the series on Blu-ray.[10]
The series is currently available on Tubi as of March 31, 2023.
References
^Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 353. ISBN978-1538103739.
^Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 490–491. ISBN978-1476665993.
^ ab"toonzone News Archives 1998: August – December". toonzone. 1998. Archived from the original on January 12, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2011. Remember last year how "Calamity Jane" was on for exactly three weeks, and then never seen again? Well, the same thing has happened to "BRATS of the Lost Nebula" and "Invasion America"; both are off the Kids' WB lineup effective immediately.
^"The Legend of Calamity Jane". Warner Bros. October 1997. Archived from the original on January 15, 1998. Retrieved May 7, 2011. "The Legend of Calamity Jane" will temporarily step aside to make room for the all-new action packed "Men in Black: The Series," which will anchor Kids' WB!'s blockbuster line-up of star-powered super-power. She will rejoin the line-up later this season!
^"Kids' WB! 1997–98 Season". Warner Bros. 1997. Archived from the original on December 21, 1997. Retrieved May 7, 2011. 'The Legend of Calamity Jane' will be returning to Kids' WB! later this season. 'Superman' will show during her timeslot until she comes back.
