Themes: Rags To Riches, Social Climbing, Culture Clash
Main Cast: Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Louis Calhern, J. Carrol Naish, Edward Arnold
Release Year: 1950
Country: US
Run Time: 107 minutes
Plot
Judy Garland was originally slated to star in MGM's film version of Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun, but she was forced to pull out of the production due to illness (recently discovered out-takes reveal a gaunt, dazed Garland, obviously incapable of completing her duties). She was replaced by Betty Hutton who, once she overcame the resentment of her co-workers, turned in an excellent performance--perhaps the best of her career. Hutton is of course cast as legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley, who ascends from dirty-faced backwoods gamin to the uppermost rungs of international stardom. Her mentor is Buffalo Bill, played by Louis Calhern (like Hutton, Calhern was a last-minute replacement: the original Buffalo Bill, Frank Morgan, died before production began). Annie's great rival is arrogant marksman Frank Butler (Howard Keel) with whom she eventually falls in love. She goes so far as to lose an important shooting match to prove her affection--a scene that hardly strikes a blow for feminism, but this is, after all, a 1950 film. Of the stellar supporting cast, J. Carroll Naish stands out as Sitting Bull, whose shrewd business acumen is good for several laughs. Virtually all the Irving Berlin tunes were retained from the Broadway version, including "Doin' What Comes Naturally", "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun", "Anything You Can Do", "The Girl That I Marry", "My Defenses are Down", "They Say It's Wonderful" and the rousing "There's No Business Like Show Business", which was later tantalizingly excerpted in MGM's pastiche feature That's Entertainment II. Alas, due to a complicated legal tangle involving the estates of Irving Berlin and librettists Herbert Fields and Dorothy Fields, Annie Get Your Gun hasn't been shown on television in years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
An Irving Berlin Broadway musical hit adapted for the screen in 1950, Annie Get Your Gun is loosely based on the story of legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley. Oakley's real name was Phoebe Ann Oakley Mozie, and she lived from 1860 to 1926, becoming part of showman Buffalo Bill's notorious Wild West traveling shows. In sum, this is a filmed musical about the early days of American entertainment. It is noted more for its songs than any really memorable scenes. "There's No Business Like Show Business" is the musical's signature number, but there are also "The Girl That I Marry" and "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun." Betty Hutton played the lead role after Judy Garland either pulled out due to illness or was fired due to bad temper, depending on which account one believes. Doris Day was also considered for the part. Howard Keel played Hutton's love interest. In the heyday of musicals, Annie Get Your Gun was one of the most popular and pleasing. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
Keenan Wynn - Charlie Davenport; Benay Venuta - Dolly Tate; Clinton Sundberg - Foster Wilson; Evelyn Beresford - Queen Victoria; Eleanora Brown - Minnie; Sue Casey - Cowgirl; André Charlot - President Loubet of France; Diane Dick - Nellie; John War Eagle - Indian brave; Budd Fine - Immigration officer; Elizabeth Flournoy - Helen; Lee Tung Foo - Waiter; John Hamilton - Ship captain; James H. Harrison - Mac; Judy Landon - Cowgirl; Nolan Leary - Immigration officer; Meredith Leeds - Cowgirl; Edith Mills - Squaw; Brad Mora - Little Jake; John Mylong - Kaiser Wilhelm II; Susan Odin - Jessie; Nino Pipitone - King Victor Emmanuel of Italy; Carl Sepulveda - Cowboy; Marjorie Wood - Constance; Chief Yowlachie - Little Horse; Michael Dugan - Cowboy; William Tannen - Barker; Dorinda Clifton - Cowgirl; Carol Henry - Cowboy; Charles Regan - Barker; Al Rhein - Barker; Warren MacGregor - Cowboy; Charles Mauu - Indian brave; Tony Taylor - Little boy
Credit
Cedric Gibbons - Art Director, Paul Groesse - Art Director, Robert Alton - Choreography, George Sidney - Director, James Newcom - Editor, Irving Berlin - Composer (Music Score), Adolph Deutsch - Composer (Music Score), Roger Edens - Composer (Music Score), Adolph Deutsch - Musical Direction/Supervision, Jack Dawn - Makeup, Ben Lane - Makeup, Richard A. Pefferle - Production Designer, Edwin B. Willis - Production Designer, Charles Rosher Sr. - Cinematographer, Arthur Freed - Producer, Richard A. Pefferle - Set Designer, Edwin B. Willis - Set Designer, Arnold A. Gillespie - Special Effects, Warren Newcombe - Special Effects, Sidney Sheldon - Screenwriter, Dorothy Fields - Book Author, Herbert Fields - Book Author, Alex Romero - Assistant Choreographer
Betty Hutton played Annie with Howard Keel (making his movie debut) as Frank Butler and Benay Venuta as Dolly Tate. Frank Morgan was originally cast as Buffalo Bill Cody but after filming the movie's opening production number, "Colonel Buffalo Bill", he unexpectedly died. Morgan was replaced by Louis Calhern. Originally, Judy Garland had been cast in the title role, and recorded all of her songs and worked for two months under Busby Berkeley's direction. She was forced to leave the production because of poor health and other personal problems that would soon end her career with MGM. Garland's dismissal from this film (from which some footage and recordings have survived) figures pivotally in the show-biz legend of Judy Garland's fall from grace, her alleged unreliability, and the view of her as a victim of the studio. Betty Garrett was considered but the role of Annie eventually went to Hutton. Shooting resumed after five months, with George Sidney replacing Charles Walters (who in turn replaced Berkeley) as director.[1]
According to Betty Hutton, she was treated coldly by most of the cast and crew because she replaced Garland. During an interview with Robert Osborne (first telecast on Turner Classic Movies "Private Screenings" on July 18, 2000), she recalled the other cast members as hostile and the MGM management as so unappreciative it didn't even invite her to the New York premiere. Only two production numbers were completed with Garland: "Doin' What Comes Naturally" and "I'm an Indian Too" and these were released to the public for the first time in the 1990s in That's Entertainment III Additional studio recordings of Garland also exist and have been released by Rhino Records.
Despite the production problems, the film became popular in its own right. In its initial release it grossed more than $8 million, easily earning back its $3.7 million production costs.[2] In 1973 it was withdrawn from distribution, owing to a dispute between Irving Berlin and MGM over music rights, which prevented the public of viewing this film for almost 30 years. It was not until the film's 50th Anniversary in 2000 that it was finally seen again in its entirety.
The film adaptation cut the following numbers from the original score; "Moonshine Lullaby", "I Got Lost in His Arms", ("An Old Fashioned Wedding was written for the 1966 revival)". The 2000 compact disc release of the soundtrack includes all of the film's numbers and, "Let's Go West Again" (a Hutton number deleted before the film's release), an alternate take of Wynn's "Colonel Buffalo Bill," and Garland's renditions of Annie's pieces.
Awards and nominations
Academy Award for Best Music Scoring of a Musical Picture (winner)[3]
^ Green, Stanley; revised and updated by Elaine Schmidt. Hollywood Musicals Year By Year, Second Edition (1999) Hal Leonard Corporation, p. 159 ISBN 0-634-00765-3
