The Plainsman (1936)

Fay Fetick

The opening sequence of Universal Studios’ The Plainsman (1936) dubs the film a compressed history of the westward movement after the Civil War. The main characters—“Buffalo” Bill and Louisa Cody, “Wild” Bill Hickok, and Calamity Jane—move from the bustling streets of the East to the open plains of Kansas, where they begin a series of encounters with the Native Americans. Hickok, Cody, and Calamity Jane all become players in the ongoing battle for control of the Plains. A love story, which clearly existed prior to the narrative’s beginning, takes place between Hickok, played by Gary Cooper, and Jane, played by Jean Arthur. This romance causes serious complications when she is forced to divulge to the Cheyenne Indians the location of American soldiers in exchange for Hickok’s life. Though Hickok races to warn the troops of impending danger, many men die.

Hickok’s anger and resentment towards the American suppliers of repeating rifles, which the Indians used to kill these American soldiers, causes him to take the law into his own hands and he kills the primary gun supplier, John Lattimer. Unfortunately, this conflict also leads to his own untimely death at the hands of Lattimer’s associate. This iconic hero of the “Wild” West dies in the arms of his equally wild female companion, Calamity Jane.

The Plainsman includes a number of Western genre motifs, such as the stagecoach, guns, fringy leather garments, the painted Indian, saloons, and gambling. One absent figure in this western is the iconic sheriff who comes to tame the town. However, Wild Bill Hickok is that perfect combination of the civilized East and uncivilized West who does his best to restore order to the Plains by eliminating the rifle suppliers. During one of the film’s action scenes, Hickok further reinforces his role as the hero by outriding an army of Indians.

The viewer experiences several unique personal interactions between the Native Americans and the white settlers in this film. Though much of the depiction of the Cheyenne would be considered racist now, such as Calamity Jane’s derogatory description “hairless coyotes,” some sympathy is demonstrated towards them in the scene when Yellow Hand refers to the loss of the buffalo, and subsequently, their food source.

This black and white picture directed by Cecile B. DeMille does its best to link a wide variety of historical characters, from Abe Lincoln and General Custer to Buffalo Bill and Calamity Jane. Though the complicated plot does not always flow smoothly, the action scenes keep the viewer interested and aware of the hero’s most recent good work.