Annie Oakley #3

In the film, a talent scout (Melvyn Douglas) who witnessed the match between Annie and Toby Walker/Frank Butler hires her for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. (In reality, Annie didn’t join Buffalo Bill’s show until 1885 when she was 25.) Here, Buffalo Bill (Moroni Olson) meets Annie for the first time. [Barbara Stanwyck’s portrayal of Annie was very much in keeping with the real Annie, who was modest and retiring and not at all like the raucous character portrayed by Ethel Merman on stage and Betty Hutton on screen. She was very respectful of other people and endeared herself to Buffalo Bill and many of the performers in his show.]