A pre-makeover Annie Oakley meets celeb Frank Butler. Image: IMDb
Have you ever received news of a betrothal and thought, “I give it six months”?
Now, that’s not to say that marriages that seem to be a bad idea are a bad idea, or that the couple isn’t willing to Make It Work. Surprising things can happen.
But not always. Sometimes you want to steer a person away from Impending Doom, even though they may not appreciate your helpful advice.
That’s how we felt when we watched Annie Get Your Gun, the 1950 film adaptation of the hugely successful Broadway musical comedy.
Betty Hutton plays Annie Oakley, the legendary sharpshooter and entertainer who dazzled audiences in North America and Europe in the late 1800s. (You can see footage of her here.)
Movie Annie is charismatic and competitive, but she has an overpowering blind spot: fellow sharpshooter Frank Butler (Howard Keel).
Annie on horseback. Image: IMDb
Although Annie has lived a hardscrabble life sans education or niceties, Hutton portrays her as a confident, decisive woman. She has three young siblings in tow and has learned to Make Do with limited resources. For example, when her little brother has the sniffles, she says, “Jake, stop your sniffling. Whatcha got a sleeve for?”
Then she meets and falls in love with Frank Butler, star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. He’s a womanizer in western garb, festooned with fringes, sparkles, and – get this – his initials. His outfits are almost never without publicity, which tells you everything you need to know about this character.
He is not without good looks or marksmanship skills, but, alas, he loves cultured women who wear pink gowns and white gloves up to here.
Annie doesn’t fit that profile, although she does give herself a makeover after being hired on by the Wild West Show. This results in Butler’s attention, and a job as his assistant.
But there’s a Problem: Annie Oakley is a better sharpshooter than he – his monogrammed wardrobe notwithstanding – and that he cannot forgive.
Butler: “Anybody can miss a shot.”
Annie: “I can’t.”
She wrestles with that age-old dilemma: Should you squash your talent and ambition to be with the one you love?
It also raises a more serious question. How long can such a marriage possibly last?
Anything you can do, I can do better. Image: Pinterest
The Broadway production of Annie Get Your Gun, starring Ethel Merman, opened in 1946 and ran for 1,147 performances. The book was written by prolific Broadway lyricist/librettist Dorothy Fields and her brother, Herbert.
Irving Berlin composed the music, and almost every song is Famous. Even if you’ve never seen the film or stage play, you’ll recognize these tunes.
Filming, though, was difficult. Judy Garland was originally hired to play Annie, but that fell through due to health reasons. Then director Busby Berkeley was fired, and was replaced by George Sidney. Howard Keel broke his leg during filming and, early in production, actor Frank Morgan, who was cast as Buffalo Bill, suffered a fatal heart attack.
You’d never know any of this by watching the finished product, and it became one of the top-grossing films of the year. Even the curmudgeonly Bosley Crowther of the New York Times praised it.
Sadly, this film portrays First Nations people as lazy freeloaders (some scenes are cringing), although the character Chief Sitting Bull is often the Most Sensible Person in the Room.
Annie Get Your Gun is a lot of fun, even if you can’t imagine the characters of Frank Butler and Annie Oakley living happily ever after.
The real Annie Oakley (1860-1926). Image: YouTube
Notes
- Annie Oakley and Frank Butler were married in real life until her death in 1926. Rumour has it Butler was so grief-stricken, he stopped eating and died a few weeks later.
- Not only did Oakley perform in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, she also taught women how to use firearms for exercise and personal safety, according to Wikipedia.
- Annie Get Your Gun won an Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture, and was nominated for three other Oscars.
- This post is part of The THIRD BROADWAY BOUND Blogathon, hosted by Taking Up Room.
Annie Get Your Gun: starring Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Louis Calhern. Directed by George Sidney. Written by Sidney Sheldon. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1950, Technicolor, 107 mins.
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I give ’em a year. The extra time is for the singing.
I was so looking forward to your post for this blogathon and it is grand. Better than the sun in the morning and – well, you know.
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Bahaha! “The extra time is for the singing”! Which they both do so well. The “Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better” never gets old for me, no matter who performs it.
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This is fabulous. As always, entertaining and informative. I’ve never seen this one but it has to go on my TBW list. 🙂 (Love the notes. So interesting!)
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Thanks, Sarah. This movie is a ton o’ fun. Sometimes I get a little antsy with musicals, but the music in this one is so good, you want to sing along! (I know that makes me sound like a complete nerd…)
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That’s cool. I won’t tell. #NerdsUnite
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Betty Hutton is in fine form in Annie Get Your Gun and I enjoy the movie. However, I prefer the slightly similar Calamity Jane with Doris Day and Howard Keel (again!). Heck, they’d make a fun double-feature!
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Turns out I haven’t yet seen Calamity Jane, but I like your idea of making it a double header with Annie Get Your Gun. Thanks for the suggestion!
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Loved this write-up, Ruth! And I didn’t know that Frank Morgan had a fatal heart attack during the shoot!
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I was surprised to read about his heart attack. What a shock that would be to the cast and crew, not to mention his family.
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Great post! Thank you 🙂
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Thanks! I hope you get the chance to see this one. It would be fun to show it as a sing-a-long with family/friends. I’m serious!
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Your writing’s focus on historical detail, along with the movie itself, keeps me coming back for more! 🙂
The subject of Annie Oakley and the Women of the West is of great interest to me. Thanks for writing this review! Very informative.
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Thanks, Debbi! Annie Oakley sounds like a fascinating person, doesn’t she? I’m still learning about her, but I like that she taught self-defense to women.
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Not sure if I ever saw this movie. As for Irving Berlin: He’s one of the greatest songwriters ever. Bye till next time!
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So true! Irving Berlin is still a legend for good reason. This film alone is a testament to that.
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I thought about discussing this film this month, though not for this blogathon. Hutton was supposed to have been quite a character herself, at least on screen—the kind of star who filled a niche and filled it well, if you know what I mean.
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I adore Betty Hutton, and I think she’s perfect in this role. MGM did preserve a couple of scenes Judy Garland filmed before her departure. While she is terrific, of course, I think Hutton was the better choice.
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Saw this more than once as a kid … how I’d love to see it again from the perspective of an adult … oh who’s kidding who … an old lady, lol!!!! Thanks for the memories and back-story … always interesting stuff!!
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Haha! It really would be interesting to hear your perspective on this film as an adult and compare it to your opinion as a child. I wonder how the film would hold up?
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It’s really a hoot to revist films and books that I was familiar with as a kid. Sometimes they’re real eye-rollers … sometimes not!!!
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A thoroughly entertaining review.
I have not seen Annie get your gun, but now I want to look up the soundtrack to see if I recognize the songs.
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If you do look up the soundtrack, you’ll recognize a lot of the songs – guaranteed! 🙂
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This was so interesting and informative. I remember seeing this film as a child but didn’t know all of this about it. I love that song, “Anything You Can Do”–so much fun. It’s funny but your synopsis put me in mind a little of A Star Is Born–a man whose career is outshone by his ingenue, and with tragedy behind the scenes instead of on the screen.
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You’re right – it’s very much like A Star is Born story. Sadly, there was a lot of unpleasantness behind the scenes, but you’d never know it by watching this film. It’s a candy-coloured treat.
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Haha, Love your description of Frank Butler! Isn’t his wardrobe just fabulous? Walter Plunkett’s designs for men are as beautiful as his designs for women. I’m convinced!
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I agree with you re: Walter Plunkett designs. It’s fun to see his sense of humour, too.
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That’s a really good point–how long would a couple like this last? They’re so much alike. Still fun, though. It’s probably good they went this way with the characters. I heard the real Annie was quiet and liked to do needlepoint. Thanks for joining the blogathon with this awesome review! I really enjoyed reading it. 🙂
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Thanks for organizing this, Rebecca. I always learn so much from this blogathon, and it’s a great chance to explore musicals, which is something I don’t naturally gravitate towards.
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You’re welcome, Ruth–glad you’re enjoying this! I look forward to seeing what people come up with every year. 🙂
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I can’t imagine Annie’s and Frank’s marriage lasting, at least not according to their movie portrayals. Although I don’t like the message “change for the one you love”, I can’t deny the musical has charm and excellent songs.
Kisses!
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This musical has really great songs, doesn’t it? I was surprised at how many I knew.
As for Annie’s involvement with Frank, there were so many times in the film I wanted to shout, “Run, Annie, run!”
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You have to wonder if many a bad marriage was begun from the frenemy troupe, but darn, I plan to use it myself in a novel in progress.
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Ha – I think you’re right. But the frenemy romance is always a hit with audiences.
Best wishes with the novel writing! Is it futuristic, historic…or too soon to share details?
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It’s a futuristic one. Even in the future, we have frenemy romance.
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Thanks for dropping by. I will check out your fab blog next weekend. 🙂
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Alright
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I wonder if a remake is in order. Who would play Annie?
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It might be interesting to have a native American actress in the role of Annie, e.g. Irene Bedard.
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Okay, Betty didn’t have Judy’s pipes, but I dare to say that I’m glad Betty ended up with the role. She has an inhuman amount of energy, which makes the film super-fun to watch! Love the review!
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I’m glad Betty ended up in the role of Annie, too. Like you said, she doesn’t have Judy’s singing abilities, but she is a human dynamo which makes her perfect in that role.
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