The MGM high production values are the "stars" of this film. The role of Annie is a challenge for any performer. She must dominate the show, as Ethel Merman did on stage, even when I saw her in a 60s revival when she was in the 60s herself. Hutton did not have the star power to do this. But the outtakes from Garland, in which she appears rather listless,with "health problems" suggest that her performance would not have been among her best. Hutton does her best work in the novelty numbers, which were previously her stock in trade. Her athleticism could not have been matched by any other performer of her time. But when delivering a ballad or serious dialogue she simply was not up to the task. Who would have been a better choice, to combine some of Hutton's and Garland's strengths? Maybe Debbie Reynolds, who was not a major figure at that time. Frank Morgan was missed. His brief outtake as Buffalo Bill calls to mind his Wizard: a lovable fraud. Howard Keel was always dependable as a leading man. Here he is the strongest presence on the screen, which is in itself a comment on the remainder of the cast.
Review of Annie Get Your Gun
