Little Orphan Annie (radio series) facts for kids
| Genre | Children's radio serial |
|---|---|
| Running time | 15 minutes. |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Syndicates | NBC radio |
| Starring | Shirley Bell Cole, etc. |
| Announcer | Pierre Andre |
| Written by | Frank Dahm, Roland Martini, Wally Norman, Ferrin Fraser, Day Keene. |
| Directed by | Alan Wallace |
| Original release | April 6, 1931 – April 26, 1942 |
| Sponsored by | Ovaltine, Quaker Puffed Wheat |
Little Orphan Annie was a very popular American radio show. It was based on the famous comic strip of the same name. The show first started in Chicago in 1930. It then moved to the NBC radio network in 1931. The show ran for many years, ending in 1942.
It is one of the oldest radio shows made for kids in the United States. A radio expert named Jim Harmon said it was popular because it was one of the few shows just for young children.
Contents
About the Show's Story
The Little Orphan Annie radio show was based on Harold Gray's popular comic strip. The show started in Chicago in 1930. It became a national hit when it moved to NBC's Blue Network in 1931. It was broadcast in the late afternoon and was very successful for twelve years.
When the show first started in 1931, radio networks were not yet connected across the whole country. So, two different groups of actors performed the show. One group was in San Francisco, and the other was in Chicago. Shirley Bell played Annie in Chicago. Stanley Andrews played "Daddy," and Allan Baruck played Joe Corntassel. Later, Mel Tormé took over as Joe. When the networks connected in 1933, the Chicago cast became the main one.
Fun Merchandise and Sponsors
The show was first sponsored by Ovaltine, a flavored milk drink. Ovaltine's advertising team wrote the show's scripts. They focused on selling Ovaltine, using almost seven minutes of each show to talk about it.
Fans could collect proofs of purchase from Ovaltine. They could trade these for a special secret decoder badge. This badge helped them decode short messages at the end of each show. These messages were usually clues about the next episode. They were not ads for Ovaltine.
In 1940, another company, Quaker Puffed Wheat Sparkies, became the sponsor. They added a new character to the show, Captain Sparks, a fictional aviator. Captain Sparks eventually became the main character, and Annie played a smaller role.
The show used special items to keep and get new listeners. These items included secret decoders and special mugs for drinking Ovaltine. There were also secret decoder rings for the Little Orphan Annie fan club. The 1934 fan club handbook had a simple code to solve. The next year, a membership badge with a cipher disk was given out. This disk helped turn letters into numbers. The announcer, Pierre Andre, often talked about how great the sponsor's products were. Sometimes, these talks lasted for almost three minutes.
Who Played the Characters?
Here are some of the actors who brought the characters to life:
- Annie - Shirley Bell Cole (briefly Bobbe Deane and later Janice Gilbert)
- Mr. Silo - Jerry O'Mera
- Mrs. sfx - Henriette Tedro
- Joe Corntassel - Allan Baruck (later Mel Tormé)
- Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks - Henry Saxe, Boris Aplon, Stanley Andrews
- Punjab - Quentin Young
- Sandy the dog - Brad Barker
The Famous Theme Song
The show's theme song was sung by the announcer, Pierre Andre. He was known as "Uncle Andy." Leonard Salvo played the organ for the show.
Who's that little chatter box?
The one with pretty auburn locks?
Whom do you see?
It's Little Orphan Annie.
She and Sandy make a pair,
They never seem to have a care!
Cute little she,
This Little Orphan Annie.
Bright eyes cheeks a rosy glow,
There's a store of healthiness handy.
Mite-size, always on the go,
If you want to know - "Arf", says Sandy.
Always wears a sunny smile,
Now, wouldn't it be worth the while,
If you could be,
Like Little Orphan Annie?
Show's Legacy
Like many daily radio shows from that time, only a few recordings of Little Orphan Annie still exist. The Internet Archive has 38 recordings, each 15 minutes long.
In 1990, the show was honored and added to the National Radio Hall of Fame.
In 1995, Shirley Bell Cole, who played Annie, took part in a new performance of Little Orphan Annie. This was on Chuck Schaden's radio show, Those Were the Days.
