Annie Get Your Gun & other Western Musicals

[MikeBSG]

I just watched this yesterday. It was okay. Fun, but it seemed that the ending was a bit disjointed. (Or perhaps this is the peril of watching a film at home on DVD. You get hit by consecutive phone calls and, gee, somehow the mood of the film doesn't seem quite the same.)

Anyway, this made me think about films that serve as musicals and westerns. "Annie Get Your Gun," "The Harvey Girls," "Calamity Jane," and "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers." Can you think of any others? Did these films come about because Westerns were so big that putting musical numbers in the Old West seemed like a sure financial bet?

[Moraldo Rubini]

What?! I thought they came about because musicals were so big that bringing in a western setting seems like a sure financial bet. Maybe the studios thought the western angle would bring in the men, and the musical numbers would bring in their dates.

Do we count Destry Rides Again? Dietrich had three numbers to sing in that western/comedy/musical. What about the singing cowboys? Tex Ritter, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Rex Allen... Girl Crazy is somewhat of a parody of the western; eastern sophistication versus the rough and tumble west.

[cmvgor]

Red Garters (1954) Rosemary Clooney, Jack Carson. A musical
spoof of Westerns. Would have worked better as a 30-minute skit by
Carol Burnett & gang. Not worth 91 minutes.

[MikeBSG]

How could I have forgotten "Destry Rides Again"? I love that movie, and I sing "Little Joe" (this movie's version) to bug my wife on occasion.

I guess I never think of this as a musical. But then there are songs in plenty of westerns. "Some Sunday Morning" was launched in the Errol Flynn vehicle "San Antonio," and "Ol Buttermilk Sky" comes from "Canyon Passage."

I'm sure Dietrich sang something in "The Spoilers," since it seems like a sequel to "Destry" in some ways.

[Moraldo Rubini]

How could I have forgotten Destry Rides Again? I love that movie, and I sing "Little Joe" (this movie's version) to bug my wife on occasion.
...
I'm sure Dietrich sang something in The Spoilers, since it seems like a sequel to Destry in some ways.

And I never thought of Dietrich as a star of westerns, yet you reminded me of The Spoilers (which airs tonight on TCM), and there's Rancho Notorious and the aforementioned Destry. Even in Touch of Evil, she's still in the saloon!

I believe Eddie Cantor's Whoopee! is an early musical western in the "Fancy Pants" motif. I suppose it's stretching it to count The Paleface, in which Jane Russell brought us the smash hit "Buttons and Bows"?

[Lzcutter]

I'm sure Dietrich sang something in "The Spoilers," since it seems like a sequel to "Destry" in some ways.>>

Nope, no singing in The Spoilers but where in the world did that hair come from? My Lord, did Cherry travel with her own personal hair stylist? Because that hair would never make it in the real-life gold camps of Nome.

But that's the joy of the movies! Anything is possible and men and women always look their best no matter what.

John Wayne was particularly handsome, Harry Carey particularly patriarchial, Richard Barthelmess somewhat heartbreaking and Randolph Scott (cue chorus) very swarmy.

Loved it.

[mrsl]

I'm with you johnm. I could never really put my finger on Ms. D's looks, but you have come closer than I ever could!

Just because a movie has one or two songs in it, does not a musical make.

Roy Rogers and Dale Evens did actual musical skits in some of their movies with costumes, dancing, and the whole bit. But the average singing cowboy just sang songs riding from town to town, or on the range to keep the cattle quiet. I never realized until recently what a skirt chaser Gene Autry was in his movies, he had a girls in almost every movie, and on every half hour show! And he continued to do so on into later age, when he should have been singing to his grandchildren! The dirty old man!

Anne

[Moraldo Rubini]

According to John Fricke's (excellent) audio commentary on MGM's The Pirate. there were rumors in the late 1940's of a musical version of Cimarron to star Gene Kelly and Judy Garland...

[CharlieT]

I'll throw in Cat Ballou and Paint Your Wagon. Cat Ballou might not be a traditional musical, but Paint Your Wagon certainly is.

[Moraldo Rubini]

I suppose this is stretching it, but it's collision of the two worlds of Westerns and Musicals: It's said that the white horse on which Lucille Ball appears in the "Here's to the Girls" number in Ziegfeld Follies is Silver -- Roy Rogers horse.

[knitwit45]

ok, city boy....

"HI, HO, SILVER, AWAY......"

"Who was that Masked Man?"

"I don't know, but he left a silver bullet!"

[Moraldo Rubini]

Here's a new one for our list. As I type this, TCM is playing Go West, Young Lady, a western musical with Penny Singleton (who's pretty great), Ann Miller and a very young Glenn Ford.

[Ray Faiola]

One of my favorite musical westerns is RIDE 'EM COWBOY. Great score including "Give Me My Saddle", "Wake Up Jacob", "A-Tisket A-Tasket" sung by Ella Fitzgerald and the incredible "I'll Remember April" beautifully sung by Dick Foran and chorus. Originally recorded for the film but cut prior to release was Ella singing "Cow Cow Boogie."

A "dude" western but very funny with a great score.