In a role that was intended for Judy Garland (before she was fired by MGM), Betty Hutton plays Annie Oakley, the backwoods sharpshooter, who joins Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and falls hard for Frank Butler (Howard Keel), the rival sharpshooter.
Hutton gives a strong, perhaps too energetic performance, but Irvin Berlin’s music is lovely.
Nominated for four Oscars, the movie won the Scoring of a Musical Picture Award, given to Adolph Deutsch, Roger Edens. The grand finale, “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” became a huge hit, used in other pictures.
Various directors (including Busby Berkeley and Charles Waters) contributed to the musical movie, which is credited to George Sidney.
Released on May 18, 1950, “Annie Get Your Gun” was one of the most commercially popular films of the season, occupying the third position in Variety’s annual poll, with domestic grosses of $4.65 million at the box-office.
Oscar Nominations: 4
Art Direction-Set Decoration: Cedric Gibbons, Paul Groesse.
Cinematography (color): Charles Rosher
Editing: James E. Newcomb
Scoring of a Musical Picture: Adolph Deutsch, Roger Edens
Oscar Context:
Robert Surtees won the Cinematography Oscar for “King Solomon’s Mines,” which also received Editing (by Ralph E. Winters and Conrad Nervig). “Samson and Delilah” won the art direction Oscar.