FLASH FRIDAY: Anything You Can Do! All About ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, From Ethel Merman To Megan Hilty

Today we are toasting this week's big news than Megan Hilty will take on the title role in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN.

Moonshine Lullaby

Ethel Merman! Mary Martin! Debbie Reynolds! Betty Hutton! Bernadette Peters! Reba McEntire! Patti LuPone! The long list of legendary leading ladies who have played the titular heroine in Irving Berlin's celebrated Golden Age musical comedy classic ANNIE GET YOUR GUN is astounding to contemplate and even more impressive when considering the massive demands that the part places on the ready, willing and able actress. Of course, iconic stage and screen star Judy Garland was originally set to star in the MGM film version of the smash hit 1946 tuner but was eventually replaced during production after beginning work as a result of her exhaustion and personal demons cropping up, although copious footage and entire recording of her singing the score thankfully remains. While the un-fillable shoes of the one and only Ethel Merman make it a veritable impossibility to outdo the original, the wildly different takes on the audience-pleasing role that have been given by the aforementioned divas following Merman over the years act as surefire qualifiers of the variations possible and potential magic inherent to playing Annie onstage or onscreen. Will freshly announced headliner Megan Hilty measure up when she tackles the show later this year in a special one-night-only staging at City Center - or perhaps even inspire talk of a full-fledged revival if all goes well? We will have to wait and see - and hear - for sure, but now is the ideal time to take a look back at one of Broadway's most fondly remembered and popular classics.

Premiering at the Imperial Theatre in May of 1946, ANNIE GET YOUR GUN starring Ethel Merman was an instant hit for songwriter Irving Berlin, bookwriters Herbert and Dorothy Fields along with director Joshua Logan, where it ran for over 1100 performances and inspired both a national tour starring Mary Martin and a West End production headlined by Delores Gray. Shortly thereafter, an Australian mounting and a French-language version were put up in quick succession, too. In 1966, Berlin returned to the property to make some alterations for the Lincoln Center revival which was once again led by Merman, and, furthermore, additional sage adjustments to the score and book scrubbed the unseemly and perceivably racist elements from much of the material for the 1999 revival, as well. Other notable ANNIE GET YOUR GUN productions include runs at the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera with Debbie Reynolds, a 1986 UK tour and West End transfer starring Suzi Quatro, a 1992 London revival with Kim Criswell and a 2010 Ravinia concert version showcasing Patti LuPone along with many others before and since. Of course, the 1999 Broadway revival was a huge hit with Bernadette Peters and a succession of starry replacements including Susan Lucci, Crystal Bernard and country music superstar Reba McEntire, eventually leading to a national tour featuring Marilu Henner. Also, besides the 1950 MGM movie musical with Betty Hutton, NBC aired a Mary Martin edition in 1957 and followed up ten years later with Merman herself committing the role to the small screen, though any record of the latter telecast has apparently been lost in the intervening decades.

With so many classic songs to savor - "There's No Business Like Show Business", "Anything You Can Do", "I Got The Sun In The Morning", "I Got Lost In His Arms" and "Moonshine Lullaby" among them - the Berlin score is a treasure trove of fantastic material and the potential for Megan Hilty to knock them all out of the park, especially after her rapturously received BOMBSHELL Actors Fund concert turn earlier this month, is incredibly high. Let's hope she hits the bull's-eye just as so many of these other legends undoubtedly did in their time.

There's No Business Like Show Business

So, now, let's take a look at some of the best moments from ANNIE GET YOUR GUN over the years.

First up, the ultimate diva trio sing the score's biggest hit - Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and Merman herself.

Now, sample the 1946 original Broadway production starring Ethel Merman and Ray Middleton.

Take a look at the TV version starring Merman from 1967.

Plus, Mary Martin makes ANNIE GET YOUR GUN her own on TV in 1957.

Next, Betty Hutton and Howard Keel lead the 1950 MGM movie musical edition.

Don't miss rare footage of Judy Garland shooting screen tests for the 1950 film version.

Bernadette Peters and Tom Wopat croon a famous Berlin tune on the 1999 Tony Awards.

Broadway Annie Susan Lucci provides fascinating background on the show in this featurette.

Catch Crystal Bernard sharing the stage with a pre-teen Nick Jonas in the 1999 revival.

Reba McEntire plays the role she was born to play and wows the crowd in this spectacular clip.

Patti LuPone and Peter Gallagher salute ANNIE GET YOUR GUN on THE ROSIE O'DONNELL SHOW.

Preview Jane Horrocks and Julian Ovenden in the recent Old Vic revival.

As a special bonus, view classic photos from ANNIE GET YOUR GUN with this fabulous vintage collection.

What is your absolute favorite selection in the earworm-packed score for ANNIE GET YOUR GUN? Furthermore, who would you ideally like to see cast opposite Megan Hilty in the upcoming concert event? A dame so grand with a talent so huge will unquestionably have to be paired with a titanically talented Frank Butler or else the convivial camaraderie that informs so much of their delectable relationship - and that of the show itself - could miss the mark altogether. Let's hope all involved in the production have their eye on the prize - and the target.