The character was called a “floozy” in the TCM summary of the 1960’s remake when Ann Margaret played the part. And “dance hall girls” was the universal description in every cowboy movie I saw while I was growing up.
It never occurred to me that the girls were prostitutes. Boys were cowboys and the girls couldn’t all be schoolmarms, you know. Not enough school houses...
My favorite lady of the evening character is Kathy Jurado in ‘The Big Country’. After being frozen out and snubbed by his bride Gregory Peck repairs to Ms. Jurado’s establishment but can't bring himself to break his vows. Ms Jurado playing the ultimate worldly wise but not hardened character says; “You paid for services so as you don't want sex I still owe you something. Perhaps some advice would be helpful. One thing I do know about is people and especially men. You must, hard as it is, continue in the path you are on and fight these people. They are evil and there can never be peace with them. However, beware that you do not become what you fight. Good men become corrupted by their virtue and lose sense of mercy. Now go after having a good stiff drink.”
Her words resonate in the final scene in which Burl Ives vile family gang is beaten and most of Pecks cohorts want to lynch the survivors. Peck says something like ‘No, there has been enough killing. The law will deal with these and I will make sure of it.”
When I was 12/13 I thought that and ‘Ride the High Country’ were great philosophical dramas. Now I feel sad that this is what liberalism, not leftism, was back in 1958-1961. How did these lunatics take over the party of JFK and Harry Truman??