Annie Get Your Gun [DVD] [1950]

Out of MGM, Annie Get Your Gun is primarily directed by George Sidney and adapted for the screen by Sidney Sheldon from the book written by Dorothy & Herbert Fields. It stars Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Benay Venuta, Louis Calhern & J. Carrol Naish. Music is by Irving Berlin and photography is by Charles Rosher. It is a Technicolor production. It`s loosely based on the life of sharpshooting Annie Oakley and this film production comes after the immense success of the stage play that began its run in 1946. Plot sees Hutton as Annie Oakley, a simple backwoods kinda girl, who after beating famed sharpshooter Frank Butler (Keel) in a contest, goes on to be world famous. But with fame comes tribulations, not least is that she has a thing for Frank.Ebullient and colourful musical that asks you to leave history at the door and just enjoy the ride. The film famously had a troubled production, Judy Garland (Annie) had to leave due to ill health, Frank Morgan (Buffalo Bill) passed away and George Sidney was the third director to work on the film after Busby Berkeley and Charles Walters had left the lot. Even after the new cast and team reconvened there was bad feeling on set, with most of it aimed towards Hutton purely because she had replaced Garland. Post the film`s major success, a dispute between MGM and Irving Berlin meant the film was pulled from circulation in 1973 and wasn`t seen again till 2000. Thankfully since then a whole new era of musical fans can now enjoy, along with the older supporters, this marvellous piece of entertainment. With show stopping tunes like "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly", "You Can't Get a Man With a Gun", "There`s No Business Like Show Business" and "Anything you Can Do" bursting out from the screen like rays of sunshine, it`s film to light up the darkest of days when you`re feeling blue. Oh and for the record, Hutton is an absolute delight, attacking the lead role with a zest that belies the bad time she was getting off camera. Great comic timming, too. 8/10

This film was a smash back in the day. It even prompted a Warner Brothers imitation: Calamity Jane, which is arguably the better film.Annie Get Your Gun has some good rousing songs: "There's No Business Like Show Business" (later recycled as the main song of the film of the same name) and "Anything You Can Do" are great show stoppers. It also has some nice slow songs: "My Defenses Are Down" and "They Say It's Wonderful". However the story drags a little. Howard Keel is very strong as Frank Butler- even at this early stage he proves himself to be a strong leading man for musicals. However he is forced to carry a not-very-interesting cast. Betty Hutton plays Annie Oakley, a sharpshooter who's hoping to score with Frank Butler. Howard Keel may look quite handsome but Hutton practically drools over him, making her character come across as a woman who'll fall to pieces as soon as a nice man looks at her. Hutton goes for a broad comic portrayal of Annie, which doesn't really work. It was hard to sympathise for such an irritating woman. At the beginning Annie is illiterate and a bit rough around the edges but Hutton portrays her as being retarded. Hutton's performance improves a little near the end, where Annie is required to soften up a little, and her delivery of the showstoppers is spirited, but her performance of "I'm An Indian Too" is probably the film's nadir. The song is quite catchy, despite being casually racist, but Hutton's performance just makes the matter worse.Had MGM found a star to replace Judy Garland, the film might have been close to being a classic, but instead they got Betty Hutton, who might have made an amusing support or comic relief character, but cannot carry a film.

What a great film and it is so enjoyable to watch I can not belive this film And Musical is so poperly i did bay this Film and it was the very frist DVD i got and this one is to replace my frist one but that one was been used and scarathed to and i am really please that i got this one and it is much better than my frist one, and I love this Film a lot to. And i like to thank you for your Execellent serivce to I only got my item Today and i am very happy and i will watch it so many time's as well. I do hope all Customers go for this Item to and hope they enjoy it as mch as i will too Enjoy

It's about time I saw this. So much energy, so much colour so many lovely Irving Berlin songs beautifully sung by the very young Howard Keel and the totally vivacious Betty Hutton. The first of the amazing Hollywood musicals with a cast of thousands and no expense spared. And the technical quality so many years later is a tribute to the today's engineers who have preserved the industries work. Wonderful escapism in these very dark times. Thoroughly recommended as a wonderful piece of cinema.

A rollicking musical in the genre of the 1950's--Betty Hutton is brilliant and carries it along with her trademark energy ( Bob Hope once referred to her as a vitamin pill on legs) .It was withheld as a ( DVD) until 2000 because of copy right disputes with Erving Berlin.The theme loosely follows the real life drama of Annie Oakley who was a remarkable markswoman and a very impressive individual in her own right.Its not too long and the story line not too deep.My wife and I felt it fiitted our criteria for early childhood viewing- not sex, no violence.

I bought Annie Get Your Gun along with Calamity Jane and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers intending to watch them all with my family (two girls, one five and the other seven). We thoroughly enjoyed all three but Annie is the pick of the bunch. I for one did not stop smiling the whole way through. Brilliant songs and routines with fantastic casting. Betty Hutton is simply sublime as the backwoods girl made good. The additional features, which include an outake of Judy Garland performing two numbers before she was forced to leave for health reasons are fascinating. For the sake of the film, it was fortunate that Hutton got the role because she is absolutely superb and much more natural in the part than Garland. We will be watching this one again soon - it is truly an ageless gem.