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The Legend of Calamity Jane

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The Legend of Calamity Jane
GenreAction
Adventure
Western
Directed byPascal Morelli
StarringBarbara Scaff
Voices ofFrank Welker
Clancy Brown
Michael Horse
Tim Matheson
ComposerLa Belle Equipe
Country of originFrance
United States
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producersMichel P. Pinard
Jean-Paul Gaspari
ProducerThierry Rivard
Running time22–23 minutes
Production companiesGangster Production
Contre Allée
Warner Bros. Television Animation
Original release
NetworkCanal+ (France)
The WB (Kids' WB) (United States)
ReleaseSeptember 13, 1997 (1997-09-13) –
June 26, 1998 (1998-06-26)

The Legend of Calamity Jane is a 1997–1998 animated television series. The series followed the adventures of 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 show as being set 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 to 1998 and in Portugal in 2002. It also aired on the POP TV channel in the UK from 2003-2004. 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 – Although based on the historical frontierswoman, her appearance and background are fictionalized. For example, in the series she knows how to read and write and says she grew up in Portsmouth, Rhode Island and Atlanta, Georgia while the real Martha Jane Canary was illiterate and grew up in Missouri. She also claims to be a member of the Comanche tribe. She is depicted as a 24-year-old, green-eyed, pale-skinned redhead who fights on the side of "law and order". She prefers to use a whip and drink milk. She rides a black horse named Dakota. She is voiced by Barbara Scaff.
  • Joe Presto – 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. He is voiced by Frank Welker.
  • Wild Bill Hickok – 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. He is voiced by Clancy Brown.
  • Quanna Parker – Jane's "blood brother" and Chief of the Comanche tribe. He likes existential philosophy. In "Troubled Waters" his tribe become millionaires thanks to finding oil on their land. He is voiced by Michael Horse.
  • Captain John O'Rourke – He is a polite, by-the-book officer in the US cavalry 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 Lincoln assassination as a child and felt responsible because his older brother, who should've been guarding the President, chose to sit by him instead. He is voiced by Tim Matheson.

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Slip of the Whip"Pascal MorelliMark ZasloveSeptember 13, 1997 (1997-09-13)
The Comanche and the army are pitted against each other by Bill Doolin, an outlaw who plans to rob a train.
2"An Army of Rogues"Pascal MorelliS : Ken Pontac and David Bleiman
S/T : Jeremy Cushner		September 20, 1997 (1997-09-20)
A mad Napoleon wannabe sets out to conquer the United States using armaments stolen from a cavalry fort.
3"Like Father, Like Daughter"Pascal MorelliMark ZasloveSeptember 27, 1997 (1997-09-27)
A man claiming to be Jane's father turns up at the same time a series of bank robberies occur.
4"As Easy as One, Two, Three..."Pascal MorelliS : Mark Zaslove
T : Jeremy Cushner		March 24, 1998 (1998-03-24)
Jane deals with triplet bandits.
5"Train Kept a' Rollin'"Pascal MorelliS : Mark Zaslove
S/T : Jeremy Cushner		April 7, 1998 (1998-04-07)
Bill Doolin escapes from custody and hijacks a military train full of TNT.
6"The Final Curtain"UnknownMark ZasloveApril 14, 1998 (1998-04-14)
O'Rourke is convinced that a travelling actor named Jeremiah Wilkinson is really John Wilkes Booth.
7"The Way of the Buffalo"UnknownUnknownApril 17, 1998 (1998-04-17)
Jane and the Buffalo Soldiers try to break up a feud between a racist settler and the Blackfoot.
8"Troubled Waters"UnknownMark ZasloveApril 21, 1998 (1998-04-21)
A corrupt bureaucrat attempts to force the Comanche off of their oil-rich land.
9"Waiting for the Cavalry"UnknownUnknownMay 29, 1998 (1998-05-29)
Jane, Joe and Wild Bill are cornered in a desolate shack by desperadoes.
10"Dead or Alive"Pascal MorelliMichael Patrick DobkinsJune 5, 1998 (1998-06-05)
Jane fends off bounty hunters while transporting John Wesley Hardin to face trial.
11"Protege"Pascal MorelliS : Mark Zaslove
T : Ken Pontiac and David Bleiman		June 12, 1998 (1998-06-12)
Jane is shadowed by an overly enthusiastic girl named Ellie.
12"I'd Rather Be in Philadelphia"UnknownUnknownJune 19, 1998 (1998-06-19)
Neo-Confederates plot to assassinate President Grant.
13"Without a Vengeance"Pascal MorelliMark ZasloveJune 26, 1998 (1998-06-26)
When Jane is beaten and left for dead by an outlaw, Wild Bill is overcome with lust for revenge.

Home media

In October 3, 2022, Texas-based company - Comix.tv launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund 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. This campaign was successfully funded with $24,284 on 426 backers.

References

  1. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 353. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  2. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 490–491. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  3. ^ "The Legend of Calamity Jane (partially lost animated series; 1997–1998)". Lost Media Wiki. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "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.
  5. ^ "The Legend of Calamity Jane". Warner Bros. 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!{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ "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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ "The Legend of Calamity Jane (Serie de TV)". FilmAffinity. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  8. ^ Ly-Cuong, Stephane (December 22, 1997). "Former "Eponines" Star in Paris Musicals". Playbill. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  9. ^ https://www.kicktraq.com/projects/planetoon/the-legend-of-calamity-jane/


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