Annie Get Your Gun/Show Boat (DVD)

ANNIE GET YOUR GUN: Sharpshooter and star of Colonel Buffalo Bill`s Show, Frank Butler (Howard Keel) falls for the spirited Annie Oakley (Betty Hutton) until she provokes him into a clay pigeon shooting competition. Unfortunately, Annie is left to realize a man isn`t always interested in a woman who can beat him at his own game. The film is based on Irving Berlin`s play and contains the songs Anything You Can Do, Doin` What Comes Naturally, and There`s No Business Like Show Business. Winner of the 1951 Academy Award for Best Music and Scoring of a Musical Picture. It should be noted that Judy Garland was originally cast to star in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, but fell ill and was replaced by Betty Hutton.

SHOW BOAT: This vivacious remake of the Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein musical (based on an Edna Ferber novel) about life on a Mississippi riverboat tracks the hardships of Julie Laverne (Ava Gardner), a mulatto trying to pass for white while also following the course of a tumultuous love between a captain`s daughter, Magnolia Hawks (Kathryn Grayson), and an itinerant gambler, Gaylord Ravenal (Howard Keel). Gardner (with help from Annette Warren, whose voice was overdubbed for Gardner`s songs) gives a heartbreaking performance, and Grayson`s clear, pure voice soars, set off magnificently by Keel`s rich baritone. The film stands as a classic for both its surprising emotional impact and its well-known score, featuring timeless gems such as Old Man River and Can`t Help Lovin` that Man of Mine. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Actor(s): Howard Keel|Betty Hutton|Keenan Wynn|J. Carrol Naish|Kathryn Grayson