Origin:

Annie proved popular from the first appearance and was added to the Chicago Tribune roster of characters: both the Tribune and the Daily News started the Annie sunday strips on 2 November 1924. Annie's greatest trait that Gray focussed on was her plucky courage and resourcefulness in facing sometimes overwhelming odds. Always accompanied by her faithful dog Sandy, she later met "Daddy" Warbucks who befriends and takes a paternal interest in her. Remember this was the 1920s - today there would be some caustic comments made about this type of behaviour.

Harold Gray (1894-1968) worked on the Annie strip until the day that he died - 45 years of continuous work.

Synopsis:

Based upon the phenomenally successful Harold Gray comic strip, Little Orphan Annie covers a lot of ground in its short 60 minutes. Annie (played by 12-year-old Mitzi Green) is a spunky and spirited child who runs away from the orphanage where she is mistreated and manages to come under the watchful eye of Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks (Edgar Kennedy), one of the wealthiest men in the world -- or he is until the stock market crash ruins him. Having plenty of spunk and determination himself, Warbucks leaves Annie to go out West and search for gold. Annie helps another young orphan get adopted, goes through an animated dream sequence, and is eventually reunited with Warbucks, who has succeeded in rebuilding his fortune.

© Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

Prequels, Sequels and Follow-ons:

Little Orphan Annie (1938) Directed by: Ben Holmes. Starring: Ann Gillis, Robert Kent, J.M. Kerrigan, John Farrell MacDonald, June Travis

Annie: The Musical (1982) Directed by: John Houston. Starring: Albert Finney (Daddy Warbucks), Carol Burnett, Aileen Quinn (Annie), Bernadette Peters, Tim Curry.

Annie (1992) made for TV musical film. Directed by: Rob Marshall. Starring: Kathy Bates, Alan Cumming, Victor Garber, Alicia Morton