OVERTURE, DIM THE LIGHTS! WESTERN MUSICALS - Meg Mims

Who doesn't love a great musical, on stage or at the cinema? And a Western musical is even BETTER! Sure, it might not show the real wild and woolly west, and today it might be considered old fashioned and silly. But for pure fun and some sweet (and heart-tugging) romance, check these classic Western musicals that made their way to film.

As a kid, I always woke up in the summer sunshine streaming in the bedroom window, stretched and thought, "Oh, what a beautiful morning..." So naturally I loved this musical's songs.

Gordon Macrae and Shirley Jones head up a fabulous cast. Rogers & Hammerstein first teamed up for the musical score - and what songs they were! Had I ever been to Oklahoma? Nope. I'd never seen the prairie, only read about it in the Little House series. But there's something about "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" that makes you feel glorious. My husband had lived in Texas during part of his Army career, and also loved the play. We still tease each other whenever one of us says, "Oh--" with "OOOOOOOOOOOOKLAHOMA where the wind comes sweeping 'cross the plains..."

There are plenty of fabulous Western musicals to consider -- and remain classics to this day.

One of my favorites (and my daughter's too) is SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS. The handsome actors, the dancing, the music, the romantic story -- it may be quaint now, of course, but we still love it. The costumes are colorful, if not accurate to the times, but who's noticing anyway? Howard Keel and Jane Powell! The dancing, and the acrobatics by the brothers in the spectacular Barn Dance! The musical is just marvelous. Fun for the whole family.

CALAMITY JANE -- "America's Sweetheart" Doris Day gets a chance to "rough it" - ha! - in this musical, also starring Howard Keel. Doris doesn't seem to fit the authenticity of the real Calamity Jane, but neither does Howard Keel act like Wild Bill! Some of the songs are plenty of good fun, though. Keel seemed to be the go-to guy when it came to the hero in these musicals. Really disliked how he called Doris "Calam" which seemed silly. Oh well.

SHOWBOAT -- Talk about a real showboat!! This musical is another true favorite of mine because it has *everything.* Great costumes (not always accurate, of course), a wonderful setting, an in-depth complex story, great actors who can sing their hearts out! Joe E. Brown provided both a comedic and sympathetic air, and Agnes Moorhead was also great as a harridan with heart. Ava Gardner was gorgeous, and this time Oscar Hammerstein teamed up with Jerome Kern to give us such fabulous numbers. William Warfield singing Ol' Man River! Marge and Gower Champion, dancing! Kathryn Grayson, trained for the opera since she was 12 years old! And of course, Howard Keel. Yes, some may claim the 1936 film is more authentic, showing the true poverty on the river, the dockworkers, the issue of miscegenation, but I loved this film and still shed a tear while watching it.

ANNIE GET YOUR GUN -- Betty Hutton and Howard Keel team up as Annie Oakley and her husband Frank. Urp. There's something about Hutton I never liked -- quite possibly her gravelly voice, along with her attitude as shown in her performance here and in other films. Not a favorite. But here it is if it's one of yours. Keel comes through once again as the hero.

PAINT YOUR WAGON -- Clint Eastwood? in a MUSICAL? Yup. Along with Lee Marvin, who is hilarious. A fun film, based on the Lerner & Lowe theatrical musical, that rips and roars its way through a Gold-Rush era California mining camp (No-Name City). I confess I've only seen bits and pieces, but I do know that many friends love this film. And really, Clint Eastwood? Singing?? Gotta admit, he was good compared to Lee Marvin. But this song sums up the film best.

THE HARVEY GIRLS -- Judy Garland, John Hodiak and Angela Lansbury! Virginia O'Brien and Ray Bolger! Chill Wills and Marjorie Main! And accurate costumes when the girls come to town in Arizona on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, at least! It faces off the Harvey Girls, waitresses who come for a job and a husband, if they meet one in a wild western town, against the local "soiled doves" working at the local saloon. If you've researched the real Harvey Girls, the women did bring a touch of civilization to wherever they went. And petite Judy is fun to watch in this film, squaring off against the conniving gambler-owner who stole the restaurant's meat.

Sure, there are other musicals we could revisit, but that's enough for now. Hope you enjoyed some of the videos and songs!

Mystery author Meg Mims lives in Southeastern Michigan with her husband and a 'Make My Day' Malti-poo dog.Meg loves writing novels, short novellas and short stories, both contemporary and historical. Her Spur and Laramie Award winning Double series is now among the Prairie Rose Publications book list. Meg is also one-half of the D.E. Ireland team writing the Eliza Doolittle & Henry Higgins Mystery series for St. Martin's Minotaur. WOULDN'T IT BE DEADLY is out now! It's based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, play and film, with a nod to Lerner & Lowe's My Fair Lady -- so Meg does love musicals! Book 2, MOVE YOUR BLOOMING CORPSE, will be out in 2015. You can find Meg (and D.E. Ireland) on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. 

WILD WEST MOVIE HEROINES - Meg Mims

We loved them, we cheered for them, we cried for and with them, we sighed if/when the hero finally returned the heroine's love, devotion, loyalty... etc. Previously, I'd explored sidekicks and villains in western films. Today, it's time for the women who stood by and behind their men.

Here's a few I've found - many I've seen in movies and on television. Several have interesting backgrounds and awards. I'll start with my favorite.

MAUREEN O'HARA - The fiery-tempered red-headed Irish actress was a hit in several westerns with the Duke. Pictured to the right is the duo in McLintock! Maureen also starred with John Wayne (and shared remarkable on-screen chemistry with him) in two non-westerns, The Wings of Eagles and The Quiet Man. In her own words - "I was tough. I was tall. I was strong. I didn't take any nonsense from anybody. He was tough, he was tall, he was strong and he didn't take any nonsense from anybody. As a man and a human being, I adored him." (Chicago Tribune, May, 2013) Maureen starred in a few other westerns but McLintock! and Big Jake are my favorites.

GAIL DAVIS - I barely recall seeing Gail Davis in Annie Oakley when ABC rebroadcast the TV series after the 1950s show ended. But I enjoyed her portrayal. Strong, gutsy women, that's what I loved seeing, and Gail starred in many western films with Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. She also had roles in many television western shows. In her own words - "Back then I knew (Annie Oakley) was having a positive impact, especially on little girls. It wasn't until years later that I realized just how much. Little girls had turned into influential women, thanking my portrayal of Annie for showing them the way." (from the Gail Davis exhibit, National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame) Loved the pigtails, too.

JENNIFER HOLT - I don't remember seeing her by name, but I'm sure I watched a few films with my dad that had Jennifer featured as the heroine. She joined the cast of movies starring Hopalong Cassidy, Russ Hayden, Rod Cameron, Johnny Mack Brown, Tex Ritter, Eddie Dean and Lash LaRue. The B-westerns were popular then and are still replayed (on occasion) on the TMC channel - usually on Saturday mornings or afternoons. All but eight of the 48 films she made were westerns. Maybe ya'll remember her, even if I don't. That's a lot of film credits, so I figured she belonged here in the list.

AMANDA BLAKE - I was fascinated by the actress' name (born Beverly Louise Neill.) We ended up naming our daughter Amanda, by the way, since it was so unusual (although the poor kid shared the name with at least three others in every school class.) Her beauty mark also intrigued me. Was it real? Ha! I missed the earlier shows where she was more than just owner of a saloon (wink, wink, nudge, nudge.) Ahem. As Miss Kitty, she had a heart of gold on the television western show Gunsmoke and kept Marshal Dillon company for 19 long years. Did you know Beverly first worked as a telephone operator? In 1968, Amanda Blake was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at Oklahoma City's National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum - the third actor, after Tom Mix and Gary Cooper! Not bad, Miss Kitty.

BARBARA STANWYCK - Well, I can't leave her out since she ruled the roost as Victoria Barkley in The Big Valley. I have to admit I preferred watching Bonanza over this show and Gunsmoke (sorry, but Little Joe caught my fancy along with his paint horse.) Barbara ruled in Hollywood as a first-rate actress in many roles, both villainous and heartfelt, and she was successful as the wealthy widow of a 1,000 acre California ranch based loosely on history. The Hill ranch, established in 1855 and owned by Lawson Hill until his 1861 murder, was taken over by "Auntie Hill" - his wife Euphemia - who was the matriarch over their three sons and one daughter. Today the ranch lies beneath Lake Camanche in Calavaros County, near Stockton.

HAILEE STEINFELD - Give me some leeway here. My favorite book is Charles Portis' True Grit, and I knew back in 1969 that actress Kim Darby was too old for the role of Mattie Ross in the film True Grit with John Wayne. So when the Coen brothers remade the movie in 2010, the year before Double Crossing was published, I cheered for Hailee's wonderful performance. She was perfect. Even the Duke would have agreed! Hailee portrayed Mattie with the right blend of innocence, savvy perspective about life's low points and die-hard determination. I'd suggest her to portray Lily Diamond if I had input and a film contract for my book. I hope to see her in more westerns.

Well, that's my list. Who are your favorite western film and television heroines? Leave a comment below. Happy trails!

Meg Mims is an award-winning author with two western historical mysteries under her Eastern belt. She lives in Michigan, where the hills are like driveway slopes and trees block any type of prairie winds. LIKE her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter or check out her books on her website.