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!

Why do people quibble over the alleged sexism, racism and the censorship ripping political correctness of a 70 year old Broadway show and the slightly younger movie version? This is not the history channel presenting the "true" story of the sharpshooting Annie Oakley, but a tall tale based on someone's vision of what would make good entertainment and its investors some money in 1946, greatly increased when MGM bought the film rights. It serves its purpose, just like stories of Calamity Jane and Molly Brown did when they were adapted into musicals. Betty Hutton scored a triumph in 1950, just like Ethel Merman did four years before.

Feisty, frenetic and funny, Hutton was an excellent choice to replace the ailing Judy Garland who honestly needed to be replaced because of her personal issues at the time. Hutton, wearing a ton of fake tanning cream, sings the heck out of Irving Berlin and Dorothy Fields' score, perhaps not ideal to her detractors, but celebrated by the public at large who made this her biggest screen success. Howard Keel's Frank Butler may not be an accurate account of the real long time partner and husband of Annie, but serves the role perfectly, appropriately macho when need be, and definitely romantic in his songs.

There really is no business like show business, and when it's done right, it can be sensational even when far from perfect. A rousing ensemble opens the film with Keel, Keenan Wynn and Benay Venuta singing of Louis Calhern's colonel Buffalo Bill. Edward Arnold, Clinton Sundberg and J. Carroll Naish also add character to the supporting performances. At times, Hutton seems to be trying to out loud Merman in her singing (having been given the Merm treatment when she played a featured role opposite her in "Panama Battle" on Broadway),but does tone it down in the proper places, particularly "They Say It's Wonderful"). My favorite moment comes with "I Got the Sun in the Morning" which has a very energetic dance.

I'm off of my p.c. bandwagon when I watch these old films with long gone ideals that present women as subservient and natives of American soil as savages or full of "ug" and grunts or half sentences. The supporting cast is very funny, the sings and dances rigorous and energetic, and the soft romantic scenes sweet. So I don't take this as definitive, but I'll take what I can get because even with ideals of an era long gone, they have more artistic merit and fun than the agenda driven manipulating dreck of the modern era.

With exception of a slightly abrupt ending, Annie Get Your Gun is simply terrific. It has so much energy and vigour, it is for me impossible not to like. Betty Hutton is perfectly cast as Annie Oakley, while the handsome and immensely Howard Keel makes a very impressive movie-musical debut as sharp-shooting Frank Butler. There is also some good dialogue and a fun story. But what makes Annie Get Your Gun asides from the lead performances is the joyous energy the film has, and also George Sidney's bravura direction, fabulous Technicolour and costume design and the marvellous score and songs from Irving Berlin especially Anything You Can Do(I Can Do Better) and There's No Business But Show Business. In conclusion, terrific fun. 9/10 Bethany Cox