Annie Get Your Gun

Annie Get Your Gun is a feel-good movie. Yet it hides so much pain and unhappiness. What should have been a high point on the stars' careers became their doom.
MGM hired Judy Garland and Frank Morgan to reunite in this musical, but he died early in the filming and her health made it difficult for her and she felt wrong for the part.

She recorded all her songs, and the shoot started. Soon, she had to stop because she just did not have the strength. So MGM imported the blonde bombshell Betty Hutton from Paramount.
Along with Judy went director Busby Berkeley who was replaced with George Sidney, and some of the cast.

Betty Hutton was much more appropriate for the part, but the cast and crew hated her simply for being Garland's replacement. She later insisted on interviews that she had a miserable time on the set and that she was disgusted with the film business because of it.

Betty Hutton was a major star in the forties and her fame was consistently rising. She was voted most popular female star by Photoplay magazine in 1950. Today, she is only remembered for this film and the next one (Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show On Earth), afterwhich she disappeared into oblivion, and I'm not sure many people actually know the name of the energetic trapeze artist from the DeMille movie, even though they probably saw it at some point.

I must say I initially did not feel attracted to her personality because I had heard a few interviews and read a few articles which focused on her faith, to which I do no relate at all. I like to hear a film star talk about her career, and occasionally about her personal life if it's of any interest, but I'm sure I'm not interested in hearing them trying to convince me their God is the One for me. And I was afraid it would be the bulk of  Betty's writings.

My brother offered me her autobiography one day and I must say I understood why anyone would need a strong support such as religion with a life like she had. I defy anyone to read the book and not feel sympathy for her by page 50.
Her father left her alcoholic mother, who was a bootlegger. This set the tone for a personal disastrous life.

Incidentally, we learn that Ethel Merman, the star of the Broadway version of Annie Get Your Gun, cut Betty's single number out of "Panama Hattie" that they did together previously. The show's song "There's no business like show business" was reused by her in the 20th Century Fox Marilyn Monroe film of the same name.

We also learn that June Allyson, whom Betty had taught to act, sing and dance like her, wasn't exactly the sweetheart that she appeared to be.

And last but not least,  this is one more candid testimony about Cary Grant being bisexual. And you can bet Betty is not a liar.

After "Annie" and except for a few come-backs, Betty stayed out of the public eye and lost all of her money. Her children left her when the money ran out and her mother burned to death. She eventually became a cook in an institution where she met her mentor Father Maguire. In the 2000 TCM interview by Robert Osborne, Betty says she was under the supervision of the state because someone had tried to steal money from her.

Judy as Annie

One of Betty's number was also cut from Annie Get Your Gun. You can hear and see some of the deleted numbers (Betty's and Judy's) on the excellent soundtrack CD and DVD. And if you're interested in Betty Hutton and the Hollywood of the forties, I very much recommend her autobiography called Backstage You Can Have. Her official website is satinandspurs.com


One shot from Annie that I always felt was very sad was from Judy's outtakes were the director yells cut in the middle of her line and she raises her head with surprised eyes and starts complaining but the camera cuts and she disappears from the screen. I'm probably seeing too much into it, but knowing the fate of the film and of these two great actresses, I can't help but to see a symbol of doom in that one shot.

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That's all for today, folks!