Annie Oakley

The historical Annie Oakley came from a Quaker family and had an understated, quiet demeanor that often comes as a surprise to people who know her only from the over-the-top Hutton movie or the typically asinine performance of Ethel "One Volume, Full Blast" Merman.

Many people still remembered Oakley the person at the time of this movie; she had passed away only in 1926 and was still a celebrity, shooting perfect hundreds in a row in 1922, aged 62. The source of one of Barbara Stanwyck's great early characterizations, Oakley probably shared personality traits with the actress. Stanwyck was also very quiet and intensely private during the 1930s, socializing on her ranch only with the Jack Bennies, Joan Crawford, and the Joel McCreas.

Box office returns were good, for a Stanwyck of this vintage. They would have been better if RKO hadn't clumsily stepped on the film by releasing 'In Person' only a few days after 'Oakley' came out, causing some competition within RKO's own fanbase. Still, it was Stanwyck's biggest box office of her career up to that time and she was slowly moving out of B films.

The contemporary critics loved Stanwyck's performance: "The New York World-Telegram wrote that, "The talented and attractive Barbara Stanwyck gives by far the best screen performance of her career. Miss Stanwyck plays the role with such commendable restraint and with such feeling for the character that she almost becomes Annie Oakley." Critic Richard Watts (he did film criticism for a couple of years at the beginning of his long and distinguished career) praised the entire film and said that "Miss Stanwyck has never been more real and touching than she is in the title role."

And there is no reason to argue with them - it's a great performance by one of the greatest actresses under strong direction by one of the master artists of film, George Stevens.

Barbara Stanwyck, as I have mentioned in other reviews, was a tough woman but a likable one, at least with me. I don't normally go for those tough dames but her voice and personality she brought to a lot of roles always attracted me. A case in point was this movie. I doubt if another actress would have made this a better-than-average film, which Stanwyck did.

Preston Foster's character in here, meanwhile, undergoes one of the fastest transformations I've ever seen on film, from arrogant pig to very likable good guy in no time at all. In fact, he turned out to be such a good guy that parts of this film, where "Toby Walker" was wronged, are difficult to watch.

There's a little humor also thrown in this western, mainly involving "Sitting Bull." It's been a long time since I've seen this film but I would definitely watch it again if it came out on DVD.

This very loose biography of the famous sharpshooter Annie Oakley plays like a decent 30s romantic melodrama, rather than a western. The connection with the western genre is of course Buffalo Bill's show, who as the actual old west started vanishing gave easterners a taste of it, in the form of a lavish extravaganza.

Barbara Stanwyck is charming as the talented female sharpshooter, and the two gallants who compete for her affection initially seem like they are going to be villains, but both turn out to be decent people.

Apart from the old style romance, the movie gives you a chance to see a reconstruction of what Buffalo Bill's show might have looked like. Judging by the early pictures and films of the actual show that have survived, they did a reasonable job.

Not much of a western, but a pleasant entertainment.

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.

I still get a bit excited when I watch Barbary Stanwyck as Annie Oakley. Maybe it is just the frayed skirt she wears, but more than likely, it is her thorough enjoyment of playing this role that shines through her performance. An actor or actress rises a notch when they really relish the role they are playing. She is perfect as Annie. Preston Foster does a good job in a secondary roles as the romantic interest of Annie. A film I have seen a few times.