Musical Collection (DVD)

Collection of five musicals from the 1940s and '50s. 'Annie Get Your Gun' (1950) stars Betty Hutton as backwoods sharpshooter Annie Oakley. Plucked out of obscurity by Buffalo Bill (Louis Calhern), the rough-edged Annie is groomed for a leading role in Bill's world famous Wild West show. However, Annie has a rival in the form of rifleman Frank Butler (Howard Keel), a man she soon falls in love with. Songs include 'Anything You Can Do' and 'There's No Business Like Show Business'. In 'Easter Parade' (1948) Fred Astaire plays one half of a dance team who is ditched by his partner. Deciding he can make a star out of anyone he wants, he chooses a lowly chorus girl (Judy Garland) as his new partner. Songs include 'A Couple of Swells', 'Stepping Out With My Baby' and 'Shaking the Blues Away'. In 'Calamity Jane' (1953) Doris Day stars as the famous frontierswoman, who would rather hit targets than chase men - until she falls for 'Wild Bill' Hickok (Keel). However, he would rather shoot Indians than chase after a tomboy like Calamity Jane. Songs include 'The Black Hills of Dakota' and the Oscar-winning 'Secret Love'. 'High Society' (1956), based on 'The Philadelphia Story' play by Philip Barry, stars Grace Kelly as socialite Tracy Lord who, even as she prepares for her second marriage, still has obvious feelings for her ex-husband (Bing Crosby). She also strikes up a friendship with a reporter (Frank Sinatra), who has been sent to cover her society wedding. Songs include 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' and the famous Crosby/Sinatra duet 'Well, Did You Evah'. 'Meet Me in S.Louis' (1944) follows Esther Smith (Garland), a young woman from St. Louis who falls in love with the boy next door. The film is set in 1904, when the city hosted the World's Fair. Songs include 'Meet Me in St. Louis', 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' and 'The Trolley Song'.