Annie Oakley (1935)

Everyone in town knows Annie Oakley (Stanwyck) is an expert shot.  Her shooting provides for her family and provides the meet for all the local stores.  She is invited to shoot against "the greatest shot in the world," Toby Walker (Foster).  She matches Toby shot for shot but allows him to win.

Jeff Hogarth (Douglas) is impressed with Annie and hires her to be the second sharpshooter on the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show, alongside Toby.  Annie is infatuated with Toby and agrees.  Colonel William "Buffalo Bill" Cody (Olsen) doesn't like the idea of adding a woman to the show, but is agrees to give her a chance.  Toby offers Annie showmanship tricks to add to her act and her first show is a success.  Sitting Bull (Thunderbird) sees her act and agrees to join the show.  Can Annie find love with her success?


Annie Oakley was a sharpshooter and exhibition shooter.  At the age of 15 she won a shooting competition against marksman Frank Butler (who she later married), and few years they joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.  She become a renowned marksman across the world.

This film was released less than 10 years after the real Annie Oakley's death (in 1926).  This was the first film about Oakley.  In 1946 Irving Berlin turned Oakley's life into a Broadway musical "Annie Get Your Gun."  The show was adapted to a film musical, Annie Get Your Gun, in 1950 with Betty Hutton as the lead.  I love Annie Get Your Gun (both the original show that starred Ethel Merman and Jerry Orbach, and this film that also stars Howard Keel).  From 1954 to 1956, Gail Davis played Oakley in the Annie Oakley TV show.  She also appeared as a character in other movies / TV shows.

For this film, they named her suitor Toby Walker (instead of her actual partner Butler).  Butler died a few days after Oakley, and the filmmakers feared a lawsuit from his estate and created a new love interest for this film.  They also decided to focus on the relationship between these two, with her rise to fame in the background.

Barbara Stanwyck is a phenomenal actress, and she is excellent here.  She makes Oakley a powerful force, but still accessible.  Her male co-stars are good, but this is Stanwyck's show.  Preston Foster's Toby is cocky, but still endearing.  Melvyn Douglas' Jeff and Moroni Olsen's Buffalo Bill are good, a nice combination of funny and serious.  And Chief Thunderbird is great as Sitting Bull, funny without becoming a caricature.  The film is a nice mix of drama, romance and comedy and clearly reveres it's subject.  An enjoyable film with another wonderful performance by Stanwyck!

Annie Oakley (1935) 90 minutes
Director: George Stevens
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck as Annie Oakley
Preston Foster as Toby Walker
Melvyn Douglas as Jeff Hogarth
Moroni Olsen as Colonel William "Buffalo Bill" Cody
Pert Kelton as Vera Delmar
Andy Clyde as James MacIvor
Chief Thunderbird as Sitting Bull