Annie: The Musical History Quiz

Annie's History on Stage and Screen

• Annie is a 1977 musical written by Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin, and Thomas Meehan, based on Harold Gray's comic strip "Little Orphan Annie".
• The comic strip debuted in the New York Daily News on August 5, 1924, and followed the adventures of Annie and her wealthy benefactor, Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks.
• The comic strip was popular with adults and children, who enjoyed its political commentary and Annie's scrappy and youthful character.

The Origins of "Little Orphan Annie"

• The character of Annie was originally inspired by a real-life orphan and was first titled "The Elf Child" in an 1885 poem.
• The poem was later titled "Little Orphan Allie" and then "Little Orphan Annie" due to a printing error.
• Harold Gray's comic strip borrowed its name from the popular poem.

Radio and Film Adaptations

• In 1930, a radio show starring Annie began in Chicago and went national in 1931.
• Two films, both titled "Little Orphan Annie", were released in 1932 and 1938, but were not successful.

The Musical Adaptation

• Lyricist Martin Charnin pitched the idea of a musical adaptation to book-writer Thomas Meehan and composer Charles Strouse in 1972.
• Charnin was drawn to the "richness of the character of Annie" and her mythic status in American culture.
• The team decided to use the main characters from the comic strip as inspiration, but to tell their own story with more three-dimensional characters.
• The story was set in the 1930s, partially because the writers had lived their childhood in that decade and wanted to re-create the feeling and language of that time.