Who Was the Original "Annie Get Your Gun" Lead Actress?

Cafe Society
1

There’s a commercial for some laundry product (Clorox™, perhaps?) with a song from the Broadway musical Annie Get Your Gun being sung in the background. The woman sings “Anything you can do I can do better… I can do anything better than you.” Then the man sings “No you can’t!,” then the woman sings “Yes I can!” and so on.

I’m assuming that the actress singing that part on the commercial is the actress from the original production and not the recent revival. Reba McIntyre (or was it Bonnie Raitt?) was Annie in the recent revival (at least, for a while), and the actress on that commercial doesn’t sound like either of those two. In fact, the actress on that commercial sounds vaguely like Ethel Merman.

Any idea who that is?

TIA

2

In 1946, Ethel Merman was the original Annie. Check the 30 second sound clip here to see if it sounds like the commercial.

3

I don’t know who’s on the commercial, but Ethel Merman was the first Annie in Annie Get Your Gun.

4

I think that’s either Ethel on the commercial or an Ethel imitator. And there are many Ethel imitators. Hell, I can do a decent Ethel Merman.

5

I think that’s either Ethel on the commercial or an Ethel imitator. And there are many Ethel imitators. Hell, I can do a decent Ethel Merman.

6

Yes, but can you do it twice?

7

. . . That second post was Mary Martin.

8

Can’t you just hear Ethel Merman, in the throes of lust and passion, moaing and groaning in Ernest Borgnine’s ear?

Kind of makes your skin crawl, don’t it?

9

Well, while you guys hash this out, I’m going to go audition for the part. http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=213024

Heh.

10

You mean the part of Annie, right? Not having passionate, lustful sex with Ernest Borgnine?

11

Ya know, Ernie wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for the ear hair. Although that was probably a BIG PLUS when old Ethel started singing!

12

Kalhoun, where are you auditioning at? What are you singing? Or, if it’s over, how did it go?

Sorry, I don’t know you or anything, I’m just a theatre freak.

13

And… Betty Hutton was Annie Oakley in the MGM musical.

Not to be confused with Calamity Jane, played by Doris Day.

Not to be confused with Wrangler Jane of F Troop played by Melody Patterson.