I enjoyed this musical comedy, mainly thanks to Hutton’s exuberance, the first time, but a second viewing revealed that there is almost no plot, the romance is toxic, it’s racist, most of the songs are dull and there are no dance numbers and frankly Hutton’s clowning prevents Annie from ever feeling like a real person.
A real pleasure to see this film again, apparently for the first time since 1973. The quality of picture and sound is just wonderful as a result of a very satisfactory restoration job and this in turn leads to a most pleasurable viewing. If you like big, bold musicals that is and, obviously, I do.
Irving Berlin's songs retain their vitality and tunefulness and the performances are top notch, especially with Betty Hutton and Howard Keel at their very best. There are a few uncomfortable moments of misogyny and racism here and there, very much of it's time one has to recognise. Viewers will have to decide for themselves, I guess.