Lesson 8: Western Women In Fiction and Film
In this lesson we will discuss the portrayal of Belle Starr, Calamity Jane, and other Western women in film and fiction. The influence of the time era the film was made on the way characters were portrayed will also be discussed.
The Romance of Hollywood
Romantic notions about the outlaw west were first promoted by dime novels in the mid 1800's. These were read by millions. Adventures of the exploits of male or female bandits were greatly exaggerated. For example, Belle Starr was touted as a "female Jesse James" and Calamity Jane met famous characters and performed braved deeds she never accomplished in real life.
The early Hollywood image most often portrayed Western women as innocent daughters, harmless tomboys or saloon girls with hearts of gold. The popular television series, Gunsmoke which ran from 1955-1975 started before I was born and ran clear past my high school years. This longest running and most popular Western starring Amada Blake as Miss Kitty Russell as a good hearted saloon girl and James Arness as sheriff Matt Dillon is responsible for many people's concept of the West. In some ways this concept is true, in others it is pure fiction.
In this lesson, we will compare and contrast several real characters with their fictional counterparts in film and other areas of fiction and explore why there is such a difference. We will also discuss how the portrayal of these women were influenced by the culture at the time certain movies were made. The primary resource for this lesson was the book Women of the Western Frontier in Fact, Fiction and Film, Lackmann, Ron McFarland & Company, Jefferson, North Carolina, 1997.
At the end of Lesson 8 test your knowledge with a short multiple choice quiz over this lesson.
