Annie Get Your Gun

Judy Garland was originally cast as Annie Oakley in "Annie Get Your Gun" and she had recorded all of the songs and two of the production numbers when she had to leave the cast after two months due to illness. Betty Hutton was then hired for the part.

"Annie Get Your Gun" was the movie that introduced Howard Keel and he became a popular leading man in movie musicals after this film.

Betty Hutton(1921-2007)

Betty Hutton was born Elizabeth June Thornburg in Michigan in 1921. She grew up in poverty with an alcoholic mother. Because the family needed money, Hutton began her career at an early age, singing professionally as a child. As a young teen, she went to New York City, hoping to become a star, but she failed and returned to her home in Michigan. In 1937, she joined the Vincent Lopez band and sang with them on the radio. It took three more years before Hutton finally made her debut on Broadway in "Two For the Show."

Hutton had a brief career on Broadway in 1940, starring in one other musical - "Panama Hattie." She returned to Broadway in her own show, both in 1952 and 1953. Hutton played in Broadway musicals only two other times and both times as replacements for the original stars: in 1964, she replaced Carol Burnett in "Fade Out, Fade In" and in 1980, she replaced Dorothy Loudon as Miss Hannigan in "Annie."

Hutton had her first feature role in a movie in 1942 in "The Fleet is In." After that film, she starred in 18 movie musicals and comedies from 1942 to 1952, with "Annie Get Your Gun" her most successful film.

After her film career ended, Hutton appeared on television. She was given her own TV show in 1959, but it flopped miserably and only four episodes were shown.

Hutton retired in the 1960s due to personal problems. She went through rehabilitation and, with the help of a Catholic priest, she regained control of her life. She went back to finish high school and eventually went on to college and university and earned a Masters degree in psychology. Hutton never completely returned to an acting career but she did teach acting courses in the 1980s. She died in 2007 from cancer.

Howard Keel(1919-2004)

Howard Keel, born Harold Keel, grew up in poverty. He had no acting or singing training but, fortunately, had a naturally beautiful voice. In 1946, Oscar Hammerstein II heard him and hired him as John Raitt's understudy in "Carousel" on Broadway. In 1947, Keel earned the lead role in the London production of "Oklahoma" after having been a replacement in the Broadway production for several years. He became a huge hit in England and he stayed there and appeared in concerts.

Keel was lured to Hollywood when he was offered the role of Frank Butler in "Annie Get Your Gun" in 1950. He became a popular star in M-G-M movie musicals in the 1950s and starred in five more musicals from 1951 to 1955 ("Show Boat," 1951; "Calamity Jane," 1953; "Kiss Me Kate," 1953; "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," 1954; "Kismet," 1955).

When M-G-M stopped making movie musicals, Keel became a dramatic actor and starred mostly in B-rated westerns. However, he continued his singing by also appearing in nightclubs and summer stock productions of Broadway musicals. He also appeared occasionally in Broadway plays, including a revival of "Carousel" in 1957. He replaced Richard Kiley in "No Strings" in 1962. In the 1970s, Keel appeared in touring companies of popular musicals, including "Camelot," "South Pacific" and "Man of LaMancha." He appeared in a Broadway flop in 1972 - "Ambassador" which played for only six days.

Keel's career and popularity got a huge boost in 1978 when he was cast in the evening hit soap opera, "Dallas." After the end of the TV series, Keel returned to England to continue his recording and concert career. In 1994, he retired to Palm Desert, California, but he still continued to occasionally make movies or appear on TV. His last movie was "My Father's House" in 2002. Keel died of colon cancer in 2004.