The Legend of Calamity Jane

The Legend of Calamity Jane was an animated television series produced by Canal+ and France 3. The series followed the adventures of Calamity Jane in Deadwood, South Dakota. The episode "I'd Rather Be in Philadelphia" takes place during the opening of the Centennial Exposition, establishing the shows as being set in 1876. The series was gritty and had a very European animation style. It aired in France and Canada from 1997 to 1998 and in Portugal in 2002.

Series run
In the United States, three episodes were aired on The WB in 1997. The network gave the series heavy promotion, but they quietly pulled it from their line-up after only three weeks. No reason was ever given (although the show's violence was the most likely plausible explanation). It was stated on Warner Bros.' website that the show would return later in the year, and that Superman: The Animated Series would be filling in for its timeslot, but this proved to be untrue.

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. 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. 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.