Barbara Stanwyck Blogathon – Annie Oakley (1935)

This is the first of 4 reviews that are part of the Barbara Stanwyck Blogathon being held today and tomorrow over at In the Good Old Days of Hollywood.

Thanks to Crystal for letting me take part

“Well dog my cats! ” – Toby Walker

Number of Times Seen – 1 (6 Jan 2016)

Brief Synopsis – Biopic of one of the greatest female sharpshooters from the old west, Annie Oakley.

My Take on it – As far as I can recall, I have only seen three movies starring Barbara Stanwyck before I watched this movie and therefore didn’t know much about her career before I did some research.

This movie was one of her very first roles as the leading lady and she does a wonderful job as the lead here.  The best thing about her role here is that she was able to play her character in two different ways throughout the film; when she needed to step up and be the lead, she did so, and when she needed to be part of a group or let another character lead the scene, she was able to take a step back.

This biopic was the perfect length and was able to show us lots of information about the characters and the time and place that they lived.

They also managed to capture some of the most famous scenes related to her life and it was great to watch them re-enacted.  My favorite is the cigarette scene.

Bottom Line – Very informative biopic for its time. Stanwyck is excellent in the lead role as she can be the star when needed and take a step back when other characters need to be spotlighted. Really enjoyed some of the factual reenactments like the cigarette scene. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Released less than 10 years after the death of the real Annie Oakley.  (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (7/10)

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