The Second Greatest Sex (1955) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The film is set in 1880s Kansas, specifically across three rival towns: Osake, Jones City, and Mandaroon. These frontier towns compete for the county seat, with a wooden courthouse rising and falling as the dispute twists. The dusty streets, simple storefronts, and a central river create the backdrop for the story's comedy and conflict.

Foreshadowing: The river becomes critical when the safe containing county documents sinks, forcing both sides to confront the consequences of their rivalry.

• kansas frontier towns
• osake
• jones city
• mandaroon
• county seat dispute

The film is set in 1880, during the frontier era in rural Kansas. This was a period marked by settlement, local power struggles, and communal loyalties. Small-town life was defined by improvised justice, feuds between neighbors, and civic competitions that shaped daily interactions.

• 1880
• frontier era
• rural kansas
• old west

The primary theme is gender roles and women's agency in a frontier community. The film adapts the Greek comedy Lysistrata, where women withhold marital relations to demand an end to male folly. Liza and other women organize, endure hardship at the fort, and negotiate for power, ultimately requiring men to prove themselves worthy before reconciliation.

Foreshadowing: Cassie's counsel to Liza establishes the strategy that drives the women's collective action throughout the film.

• gender roles
• women's agency
• lysistrata theme
• marital strike
• frontier women

Three Kansas towns, Osake, Jones City, and Mandaroon, compete for the county seat, turning civic pride into a chaotic contest. The pursuit of a safe containing documents that will determine the winner drives brutal and farcical measures. Alliances shift with each river crossing or wagon wheel, shaping everything from courthouse construction to social gatherings.

Foreshadowing: The wooden courthouse that rises and falls mirrors the shifting fortunes of each town throughout the rivalry.

• county seat
• town rivalry
• kansas towns
• safe with documents
• civic pride

Liza McClure is Sheriff McClure's daughter and becomes a de facto leader among the women during the strike. She challenges the men's bravado with practical plans and resolve while navigating romance with Matt Davis. Her leadership accelerates the strike and tests traditional gender roles in the frontier town.

Foreshadowing: Liza's nickname 'Lysistrata' signals her role as the strategic leader of the women's movement from the start.

• liza mcclure
• jeanne crain
• sheriff's daughter
• women's leader
• lysistrata

Matt Davis is Liza's suitor, a conflicted man torn between romance and political ambition. He leads the pursuit of the stolen safe and strives to prove his worth to the community. His arc highlights the tension between personal desire and civic duty as he navigates the county-seat rivalry.

Foreshadowing: Matt's attempt to embark on an adventure on his wedding night triggers the women's decision to strike.

• matt davis
• george nader
• suitor
• county seat pursuit
• romantic conflict

The strike is led by Liza McClure, Birdie Snyder, and Cassie Slater. Birdie is a quick-witted woman who provides frontline support, organizing shelter and keeping morale high. Cassie is a pragmatic spinster who offers steady counsel and helps hold the alliance together. Together with Katy Connors, they form a coalition that forces the men to confront their priorities.

Foreshadowing: Cassie's counsel to Liza at the wedding establishes the strategic foundation for the women's collective action.

• birdie snyder
• cassie slater
• katy connors
• women's coalition
• mamie van doren

The men, led by Matt Davis and Job McClure, become embroiled in pursuing the county seat while neglecting their relationships. Job McClure is the gruff patriarch whose rough humor anchors the frontier ethos. The men must prove themselves worthy before reconciliation, highlighting the shifting balance of social influence as the women demand accountability.

Foreshadowing: Job McClure's initial stubbornness gives way to respect as events unfold and a truce becomes possible.

• job mcClure
• bert lahr
• male characters
• frontier men
• county seat pursuit

The narrative is punctuated by songs, most notably 'The Second Greatest Sex,' which lightens frontier tension with catchy commentary. Music advances the plot while highlighting characters' personalities and offering satire of gender norms and town ego. The musical comedy element distinguishes this Western from more traditional frontier dramas.

• musical comedy
• the second greatest sex
• songs
• frontier music
• satire

The film is primarily a comedy, blending Western elements with musical humor. The tone is light, with the marital strike presented as a playful, empowering tactic rather than a grim conflict. While there is medium intensity from the ongoing rivalry and standoff, it is tempered by humorous situations and a positive outcome that resolves through cooperation.

• comedy western
• musical comedy
• light tone
• humorous western
• frontier comedy

The film portrays frontier life in 1880s Kansas as defined by communal loyalties, feuds, and improvised justice. Small-town rivalries shaped daily life, with civic pride becoming both comic and consequential. The story uses humor to examine how communities resolved conflicts and balanced power between genders during the settlement era.

• frontier life
• small town kansas
• community values
• settlement era
• frontier society