High Noon and The Ballad of Little Jo

High Noon and The Ballad of Little Jo present completely new ideas for women in Westerns. Rooster Cogburn was the first movie we saw this year where the role of women was greatly increased and these two films continue to expand on that idea. No longer are women characters “undercut” by begging, “Stop me, Matt, stop me” such as the case in Red River where Tess Millay begs for Matthew Garth but rather, these women are strong-minded and confident. (Tompkins 60-61)

In The Ballad of Little Jo, Josephine Monaghan is sexually abused as a child and kicked out of her house. Quickly learning how difficult it is to be a woman in the West, Josephine begins to go by Jo and pretends to be a man. Jo knew that she had everything it took to survive but could not do so if people knew she was a woman.

In High Noon, Katy Jurado, playing Helen Ramirez owns her own saloon. It was extremely uncommon for women to own their own business during these times. This showed just how strong and powerful of a woman Ramirez was. Amy Kane who is married to the marshal, Will Kane, is also portrayed as a powerful women in High Noon as she is involved in a gun fight and even kills a man.

This change in attitudes towards women in Western films is a nice change from the sexist views that we have seen for so long. No longer are women responsible for just putting food on the table but they now play a crucial role in these films.