Anna prendi il fucile

Betty Hutton is excellent as Annie Oakley, the sharp-shooter who joins Buffalo Bill's circus; and she has just the same amount of OTT acting and raucous singing to pull the role off. Judy Garland was originally cast in the lead and filmed two numbers (both now available on the DVD, and both painfully awful) before having a breakdown and being replaced. Thank goodness Betty was cast instead, and she and Howard Keel make a terrific team. Keel would have another chance to go west with Doris Day as Calamity Jane a few years after Annie, and I'd find it difficult to pick between his performances in these two films.

Irving Berlin wrote a great score for Annie, including 'Anything You Can Do', 'Doin What Comes Naturally','They Say It's Wonderful' and of course, 'There's No Business Like Show Business' and for this the musical will be highly regarded and fondly remembered. What is curious is the fact the film disappeared from public view for two decades before making its video debut. It is to be celebrated that we have the chance to see it again and appreciate its good points.