mark.waltz A little bit of blarney never hurt anyone, so when Brooklyn born Barbara Stanwyck takes on the role of country gal Annie Oakley, it's a curiosity from the start to see how she's going to pull it off. As it turns out, not badly, as the noticeable but not distracting differences in appropriate accents becomes more charming than laughable. Popular but not yet a superstar, Stanwyck gives a sincere performance as the innocent but not stupid country bumpkin who does everything she can to win the affections of handsome Preston Foster, a fictional version of the real Frank Butler, with enough references to indicate who he is really supposed to be. Corny humor on the side, slight references to real incidents in Oakley's life and an all Americana feel makes this a tall tail of a large life with much to recommend it. The film is close to the later hit musical comedy in many ways other than the fictitious names of real characters; Annie Oakley is discovered not to be "Andy", finds herself in a competition with "Toby" (Frank), blows the contest purposely because "he's so purty", joins Buffalo Bill's wild West show, becomes as cultured as a backwoods girl can be, then manages to land her man in spite of their differences.It's fast paced, action packed, often funny and somewhat sincere in its desire to give at least a small impression of what these traveling shows were like, never once disappointing as strict entertainment. Pert Kelton, best known for the role of Marian's mother in "The Music Man" on stage and screen, is obviously playing the equivalent of Dolly Tate, while leading actor Melvyn Douglas takes on the supporting role of Annie's manager. It's a professional job all 'round, and you might find yourself singing Irving Berlin songs from the show even though this isn't a musical.

utgard14 Fictionalized biography of real-life sharpshooter Annie Oakley. As with all Hollywood biopics, past and present, it plays fast & loose with the facts. These things usually don't bother me, as long as the movie is entertaining. This one is pretty good, with a great performance from Barbara Stanwyck. Also good work from Preston Foster, Moroni Olsen, Melvyn Douglas, and a quality supporting cast. Loved Chief Thunderbird as Sitting Bull and Iron Eyes Cody as his translator. The highlight of the movie is the footage from the wild west show.As with the later Annie Get Your Gun, this features the scene where Annie throws a shooting contest so her man won't look bad. The real-life Annie actually beat her guy, Frank Butler, and later married him. He was happy for her to have the spotlight. So a guy in the late 19th century was more secure with himself than the men involved with making these stories in the 20th century.

gkeith_1 My observations: Fascinating movie. Barbara plays a teenager well. Characters from Ohio (our state) portrayed a lot as ignorant, backward, illiterate, and in current times we are referred to as "that state with no indoor plumbing". Indeed! What happened to Frank Butler? He was a real guy, and Annie's husband IRL, but here he is Toby Walker??? The actor plays him as smug, indifferent, hotheaded, famous, kindly and then washed-up. When Annie IRL died in 1926, Frank died 18 days later from starving himself to death over his grief. In this movie, Annie had other admirers such as Buffalo Bill and Chief Sitting Bull; they actually worship and adore her. Bull driving the carriage at lightning speed to rescue Annie was incredibly hilarious and enjoyable. I loved Annie's outfits when she became famous. They were quite flattering, along with the big hats. Buffalo Bill was kindly and thoughtful. Annie was heartfelt, caring and loving to her family.For the detractors: Yada, yada. We know that film biographies may not be true to reality. Human sins are whitewashed in order to sell tickets. Situations and instances are selected or written anew in order to make continuity and interest on the part of the audience. Sometimes the movie stars are more glamorous than the real people whom they portray. Sometimes the movie stars have better teeth and physiques. The movie stars even have publicity agents, lawyers, makeup artists and percentage deals. Buffalo Bill himself, IRL, was bigger than life, an invented persona if there ever was one.

renfield54 I've always loved Annie Oakley. I've always loved Barbara Stanwyck too. I'm sure one is related to the other. This used to be one of those old, mid-morning movies that was shown fairly often. If you stayed home from school, (ahem) SICK, you got to see it. Cowboys, Indians, Buffalo Bill, his Wild West Show, sharpshooting, a (yucky) love story, and the charming and beautiful Barbara Stanwyck. Hmmm, what a way to recover enough to return to school!!! Barbara Stanwyck was a liberated woman playing liberated roles long before it was in vogue.Great license is taken with history, but this film was made when heroes were bigger than life and legend ruled. It's a nicely told story, tracing the life of a young girl, from the backwoods to a life of world-wide celebrity (yes, and love too). "Annie's" skills were real, but she had lots of help learning "showmanship". There are a lot of funny moments, warm moments, and selfless (O Henry type) acts. These "flesh" out the story and lead you right into a joyous ending. (AIN'T LOVE GRAND!)Very nicely done, it will please "new" audiences and old-timers alike. The younger crowd should especially like "Annie Oakley". They don't make movies like this anymore. It's a fitting tribute to Annie Oakley, American legend, and folk hero.....PS--- I gave this a 9 out of 10 rating. I was tempted to give it a 10, after all, it was made in 1935 and is still good....