If you grew up listening to the Broadway soundtrack of Annie Get Your Gun, you'll come to associate Ethel Merman's fantastic, belting voice with Irving Berlin's songs. It's completely understandable that you'd watch the film adaptation and be disappointed by Betty Hutton's less-than-stellar vocals. But I appeal to you, as a fellow musical lover, to give the film a fair shot. The original casting choice for the tomboy cowgirl Annie Oakley was Judy Garland, and if you buy the DVD, you can watch her perform a couple of songs. Only after watching the outtakes can you see just how far she would have dragged the film down. Her energy was low, her timing was slow, she was too old for the part, and her expressions were too troubled. Annie is supposed to be innocent, fresh, exciting, and endearing: all qualities a 1950 Judy Garland wasn't. Betty Hutton might not have been able to sing all the songs as well as the immortal Ethel Merman, but she was young, innocent, fresh, exciting, and endearing. Her energy was off the charts! And while the part was practically made for Doris Day-Warner Brothers wrote and filmed a knock-off version, Calamity Jane, for the blonde star three years later-Betty was an excellent choice. She made the audience care about her, and she delivered the lines with such sincerity, she even made the audience take the silly story seriously.Howard Keel played the big-voiced, ridiculously handsome, self-assured Frank Butler. Every time Betty looks at him during their first few scenes together, her jaw drops and she turns to jelly. It's very funny, and I'm sure you'll find yourself mimicking her-I did! He's so incredibly handsome and charming in this movie, it's no wonder he was cast in basically the same role in Calamity Jane-Hollywood just didn't want him to take his cowboy hat off! His handsomeness aside-I know, it's impossible not to notice-he does a very good job in what was only his second film! Louis Calhern plays Buffalo Bill, and when he meets Betty, she asks if he's really the famous Colonel. He says he is, and he's so convincing throughout the movie, I found myself believing that he really was! I didn't even recognize the veteran actor until the movie was almost over, and he actually looked handsome and distinguished in his long hair and goatee. Also, he was very warm-hearted, a choice of delivery that was welcomed, since Betty wasn't often met with warmth throughout the film. All in all, this is a great film adaptation of a Broadway show, combining elements that seem to come directly from the stage-hammy but lovable songs-with additions that could never have been seen onstage-rodeo performances. The production values are very good, including breathtaking costumes by Walter Plunkett. Give it a try, even if you're skeptical of Betty Hutton. She's cute as a button!

The stage show of which this based relatively closely on the real-life story of Annie Oakley, teenage sharpshooter who joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West show and married resident sharpshooter Frank Butler, a marriage which lasted 50 years.This film was ill-fated in production - Judy Garland filmed 2 of the musical numbers before being dropped because of illness. Another number was scrapped when Frank Morgan died, and a further number was also dropped after filming.Howard Keel in an early role sings beautifully as Frank Butler but doesn't always convince as the character. Betty Hutton as Annie - well, what can I say?What I can say is that Annie is played in two ways, Before and After. In After, her rough edges have been rubbed off and her performance and singing are attractive and graceful. Before is broad comedy. And when I say broad, I mean massively, embarrassingly over the top, It is a performance which would work on stage, when presented directly to a live audience but, when presented to a camera and leering out of the cinema or TV screen, it is excruciating.When coupled with a crop of songs which are less than classic Irving Berlin, this musical is entertaining enough, but far from a classic.

Continuing to review movies and/or TV appearances of regular or recurring cast members of the original "Dallas" in chronological order, we're now at 1950 where Clayton Farlow...uh, Howard Keel is starring in Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun with the second Digger Barnes...uh, Keenan Wynn. Also on this 2000 DVD, Hillary Taylor...uh, Susan Lucci intros recounting the bio of Annie Oakley as well as the previous movie of her life starring Barbara Stanwyck before mentioning the original Broadway show starring Ethel Merman and then the then-current one which initially starred Bernadette Peters and was at the time taken over by Ms. Lucci. Okay, with all that out of the way, I once again highly enjoyed this filmed version directed by George Sidney for the Arthur Freed unit at M-G-M with Betty Hutton as Ms. Oakley and Keel as rival and potential love interest Frank Butler. Having also seen the outtakes with original leading lady Judy Garland, Ms. Garland wasn't bad but it seemed from what was filmed with her by Busby Berkeley-who she always had trouble following due to his tyrannical commands-she seemed partly out of it and didn't have the infectious energy that Ms. Hutton had in spades. Though I have to admit when I heard Ms. Garland with Keel in the recordings she made with him-especially on "They Say It's Wonderful"-she seemed to have more of a romantic vibe than with Ms. Hutton though she's just as fine, otherwise. I also heard on the DVD extras the recording of "There's No Business Like Show Business" with, besides Wynn and Keel, also featured Frank Morgan as Buffalo Bill and Judy having some trouble staying on cue when it came to her lyrics but she seemed to have a good time otherwise. Morgan was also in the "Colonel Buffalo Bill" outtake and he looked quite splendid in the getup. It's too bad this reunion of Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz was not in the cards as Morgan died not long after and was replaced by Louis Calhern who was also fine. Part of me did have some issues with the way the Indians-or Native Americans-were portrayed and the way Annie just threw the match at the end, but otherwise, I once again highly enjoyed Annie Get Your Gun. P.S. USA Today TV critic Robert Bianco made a dream come true when he interviewed Ms. Hutton in 2000 just before the DVD came out. She mentioned that the cast and crew weren't very friendly to her when she took over from Ms. Garland but that she also made amends with her after that. Who knows, maybe if Judy had taken better care of herself, she might've given another great performance in this movie. But Betty more than makes up for that tremendously!

This is another of those films that I had avoided for years...just didn't suit my tastes. But recently I moved to Colorado and had visited the real Buffalo Bill's grave west of Denver, so my interest was piqued a bit. I have to admit, although some might consider it corny, that this was one heck of a film. It's loosely based on the life of sharpshooter Annie Oakley, and it's helpful to real the "Wikipedia" entries on the film and the major characters. Fictionalized, you bet. But, when you read the real background of Oakley (and others), you'll "get" things in the film you otherwise wouldn't. There's more than a grain of truth here, but you still wouldn't call it historical.This MGM release has stunning color, and of course a wonderful score by Irving Berlin. Interestingly, the role of Annie Oakley was to be played by Judy Garland, whose emotional problems led to her release from the film. All the better. Betty Hutton gives a bravura performance, and though footage of Garland has been released and is good, Hutton is ideal for this role. Disappointingly, Frank Morgan was to play Buffalo Bill, but died; Louis Calhern does a nice job in what is a very different role for him. Edward Arnold, long after his peak as a leading man, plays a fine character role as Pawnee Bill. Howard Keel is fine as the romantic lead (in his film debut), and Keenan Wynn is fine in a supporting role.This is an infectious movie that it's difficult not to like. The strength of the Hutton performance is stunning. As the film's premiere number says, there's no business like show business!