ABSTRACT
In the early 1950s, western icons Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane made it to the Hollywood silver screen. Although audiences had encountered these characters in films before—notably, Barbara Stanwyck as Annie Oakley in 1935—now the cowgirls sang, and sang big: each was backed by a multi-million dollar budget. After its failed start with Judy Garland in the title role, MGM selected Betty Hutton to depict Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun (1950), adapted from Irving Berlin’s 1946 stage hit. Then, in response to Annie’s success, Warner Bros. released Calamity Jane (1953), an original musical with Doris Day; Broadway and movie baritone Howard Keel co-starred in both. Both of these movies did very well; Annie Get Your Gun was MGM’s largest grossing picture to date and took home the Oscar for Best Score. Calamity Jane was nominated for three Oscars, winning Best Original Song with Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster’s “Secret Love,” sung by Day. Released as a single in 1954, “Secret Love” topped the Billboard and Cash Box charts; the film’s original soundtrack made it to number 2. 1
