Cooktopi The acting in this movie is really good.

Verity Robins Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

HotToastyRag If you grew up listening to the Broadway soundtrack of Annie Get Your Gun, you'll come to associate Ethel Merman's fantastic, belting voice with Irving Berlin's songs. It's completely understandable that you'd watch the film adaptation and be disappointed by Betty Hutton's less-than-stellar vocals. But I appeal to you, as a fellow musical lover, to give the film a fair shot. The original casting choice for the tomboy cowgirl Annie Oakley was Judy Garland, and if you buy the DVD, you can watch her perform a couple of songs. Only after watching the outtakes can you see just how far she would have dragged the film down. Her energy was low, her timing was slow, she was too old for the part, and her expressions were too troubled. Annie is supposed to be innocent, fresh, exciting, and endearing: all qualities a 1950 Judy Garland wasn't. Betty Hutton might not have been able to sing all the songs as well as the immortal Ethel Merman, but she was young, innocent, fresh, exciting, and endearing. Her energy was off the charts! And while the part was practically made for Doris Day-Warner Brothers wrote and filmed a knock-off version, Calamity Jane, for the blonde star three years later-Betty was an excellent choice. She made the audience care about her, and she delivered the lines with such sincerity, she even made the audience take the silly story seriously.Howard Keel played the big-voiced, ridiculously handsome, self-assured Frank Butler. Every time Betty looks at him during their first few scenes together, her jaw drops and she turns to jelly. It's very funny, and I'm sure you'll find yourself mimicking her-I did! He's so incredibly handsome and charming in this movie, it's no wonder he was cast in basically the same role in Calamity Jane-Hollywood just didn't want him to take his cowboy hat off! His handsomeness aside-I know, it's impossible not to notice-he does a very good job in what was only his second film! Louis Calhern plays Buffalo Bill, and when he meets Betty, she asks if he's really the famous Colonel. He says he is, and he's so convincing throughout the movie, I found myself believing that he really was! I didn't even recognize the veteran actor until the movie was almost over, and he actually looked handsome and distinguished in his long hair and goatee. Also, he was very warm-hearted, a choice of delivery that was welcomed, since Betty wasn't often met with warmth throughout the film. All in all, this is a great film adaptation of a Broadway show, combining elements that seem to come directly from the stage-hammy but lovable songs-with additions that could never have been seen onstage-rodeo performances. The production values are very good, including breathtaking costumes by Walter Plunkett. Give it a try, even if you're skeptical of Betty Hutton. She's cute as a button!

George Redding This movie, based on fact and, simultaneously, Annie Oakley's biography, is outstanding and heart-warming. Though it was in the tradition of musicals from the king of motion pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, in addition to the musical numbers such as "Doin What Comes Nat'rally", and "The Girl That I Marry", and "There's No Business Like Show Business", the acting was superb. J. Carroll Naish was excellent as Sitting Bull, the tall and imposing Louis Calhern was convincing as Buffalo Bill, and the almost incomparable Howard Keel was his large self with his melodious voice, and thus was splendid as Frank Butler, whom Annie Oakley married in real life. Just as Annie Oakley "stole the show" in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, so Betty Hutton "stole the show" in this movie about the sharp-shooter herself. Hutton caused the populace to sense well what was Annie Oakley's character. Hutton had no trouble falling into the role, since in real life the actress herself was prone to temper tantrums. It was definitely her signature movie. She played two roles, the illiterate backwards country girl to someone who became sparkling all over the country and over much of Europe. On an unrelated note and yet also on a related note, the movie communicates the fact that anyone from anywhere and from any type of subculture can make of himself or herself anything he or she desires if the person puts the mind to it. The Technicolor was very beautiful and the scenes were beautiful. But again, Betty Hutton did for certain steal the show. Magnificent movie!

Scooter B I love movie musicals - especially when they're done by the Freed unit at MGM. With ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, MGM stayed a lot closer to the source Broadway musical than they usually did. Due to Irving Berlin's sagacious business acumen, there are no major song excisions or substitutions by lesser song writers (Roger Edens, anyone?).As most people know, the role of Annie Oakley was originally assigned to Judy Garland, but when she called out sick, she was unceremoniously fired. Replacing her is Betty Hutton on loan from Paramount Studios. Unfortunately, Hutton mugs and poses and emotes with a frantic, manic energy that I find exhausting to watch. Her Annie Oakley would have fit right in to her film "The Perils of Pauline" portrayal of Pearl White.The rest of the cast is exemplary, with Howard Keel as a handsome, virile Frank Butler. But Betty's shenanigans make her scenes almost painful to watch. The only reason I rate the film as highly as I do is that it's a reasonably faithful rendition of a classic Broadway musical.

jessie-rex Having seen the footage filmed of Judy Garland in this role, it seems obvious that her persona was not a good fit with this role. Even if Judy was in top form, this part called for more over-the-top personality. Betty Hutton will never equal Judy in voice quality and artistry, but her personality and performance qualities are perfect for this role. I understand why Ethel Merman had Betty's big song cut from "Panama Hattie" on Broadway. Ethel realized that Betty was competition for her. They share a similar belting singing style, and their own personalities color all the characters they perform.As for the rest of the cast, I think they filled their roles very well. I've heard remarks that Louis Calhern underplayed his role, but I think Buffalo Bill as a gentleman with Keenan Wynn as his more brash sidekick worked perfectly.A must see musical!