Betty Hutton is all wrong for Annie Oakley. She overplays every scene and she mugs unmercifully in almost every song. But that's her style. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think Judy Garland would have been right for this film, either. My real wish is that they'd have hired Ethel Merman to recreate her Broadway smash. Merman would have been much more "natural" in the part and she knew where the jokes and the comedy were. And The Merm only had to open her mouth and the great songs came out. Hutton screams almost everything, usually off pitch. After Merman, I would have preferred someone like the cowgirl comedienne Judy Canova play Annie. Now, that would have been funny!
Still, I'm glad we have the film of this great Irving Berlin show. Howard Keel is great in his first movie role, and the politically incorrect Native American issues are handled delicately and with taste.
Still, I'm glad we have the film of this great Irving Berlin show. Howard Keel is great in his first movie role, and the politically incorrect Native American issues are handled delicately and with taste.