``Annie Get Your Gun'' Gets First Time Ever Video and DVD Release November 14

Business Wire, Oct 31, 2000

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BURBANK, Calif.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Oct. 31, 2000

One of America's Best Loved & Most Requested Musicals Celebrated with

50th Anniversary Special Edition VHS Along With Extras-Loaded DVD

Containing Outtakes, Bonus Audio Tracks & More!

Turner Classic Movies Music/Rhino Movie Music

Debuts Day-and-Date CD Soundtrack Album with Double Score

"Annie Get Your Gun" -- the 1950 Academy Award(R) winning motion picture starring Betty Hutton and Howard Keel -- is one of America's best loved movie musicals.

It has not been distributed in theatres or been seen on television since 1973, and it has never been available on home video.

"The public has fervently requested this movie ever since home video began," said George Feltenstein, Sr., vice-president marketing, Turner Entertainment Company.

"I've never actually totaled how many letters we've received but it's well into the thousands. Fortunately, in recent years, much of the red tape holding back the video release of so many films has been eliminated, with three famous exceptions, `The High and the Mighty,' `Porgy & Bess' and `Annie Get Your Gun.' Now, finally, `Annie ...' has been liberated. That's big news and that's great news."

So, on November 14, in celebration of the musical's 50th anniversary, Warner Home Video will release "Annie Get Your Gun" on DVD and in a Special Edition VHS, both loaded with extra features. The DVD will sell for the suggested retail price of $24.98; the collectible clamshell VHS is priced at $19.98 SRP.

Based on the original Broadway hit starring Ethel Merman, with music by Irving Berlin and a book by Dorothy and Herbert Fields, "Annie Get Your Gun" has been performed in many subsequent stage productions including the current Tony-Award winning revival with Bernadette Peters. It is classic musical comedy at its best.

The movie version casts Betty Hutton, a top box-office star of her era, in a role she was born to play. Because of her popularity with moviegoers, MGM insisted on "borrowing" Paramount's No. 1 female leading lady, despite their own huge roster of stars.

In addition to Howard Keel as Annie's rival/beau Frank Butler, "Annie Get Your Gun" stars Louis Calhern as Buffalo Bill, Benay Venuta as Dolly Tate, J. Carrol Naish as Chief Sitting Bull, Edward Arnold as Pawnee Bill and Keenan Wynn as Charlie Davenport.

"Annie Get Your Gun" tells the story of Annie Oakley, one of the world's most famous sharpshooters, and her stormy, competitive relationship with dashing vaudeville marksman Frank Butler, as they tour the country in "Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show."

The movie -- which became one of the highest grossing musicals ever for MGM and captured an Academy Award(R) for Best Scoring of a Musical -- includes some of Berlin's most memorable songs: "There's No Business like Show Business," "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly," "Anything You Can Do," "The Girl That I Marry" "They Say It's Wonderful" and "I Got the Sun in the Morning."

Turner Classic Movies Music/Rhino Movie Music Records' will release the movie's soundtrack on the same day as the "Annie Get Your Gun" video debut. The CD features two complete sets of the score: the final movie version with Hutton and the original featuring Garland.

DVD and VHS Extra Features Hit The Bullseye

Little known is the fact that Judy Garland was originally cast as Annie Oakley and actually pre-recorded the entire score and shot several musical numbers before health and emotional troubles forced her to leave the cast. Other cast members who were replaced included Geraldine Wall in the Tate role and Frank Morgan, Garland's "The Wizard of Oz" star, whose sudden death during production led to recasting Calhern as Buffalo Bill.

In addition to an all-new introduction by Susan Lucci, who recently portrayed Annie Oakley in the hit Broadway revival during Bernadette Peters' hiatus from the production, WHV's arsenal of Special Edition VHS extras include Garland performing "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly" and "I'm an Indian, Too," along with Betty Hutton singing the rarely-heard Berlin ballad "Let's Go West Again."

"Annie Get Your Gun" will be available in a new digital transfer from restored elements and also includes the original theatrical trailer.

The DVD extras include all the above Special Edition VHS features, plus:

-- Bonus recording session audio tracks of original cast performing "Let's Go
West Again," "Colonel Buffalo Bill" and "There's No Business Like Show
Business."

-- An outtake of "Colonel Buffalo Bill" as originally performed by Frank Morgan
and Geraldine Wall.

-- Soundtrack & subtitles in English and French

"Annie Get Your Gun" Background

Despite a long, expensive and troubled shoot, "Annie Get Your Gun" became one of the highest-grossing musicals in MGM history. In addition to casting problems, the production's original director, Busby Berkeley, fell behind schedule and was turning out poor footage. After a month into production, with more than $1 million spent, producer Arthur Freed and the studio fired Berkeley and shooting stopped. Shortly after, with cast replacements in place, George Sidney ("Anchors Aweigh," "Show Boat") took over the directing reins and "Annie Get Your Gun" was back on track.