49 Fun Facts About Annie

The musical Annie is based on a 1924 comic strip created by which cartoonist?

Harold Gray first called his strip 'Little Orphan Otto'; the title was changed before its 1924 launch, and he went on drawing Annie until his death in 1968.

Who wrote the music for Annie?

Charles Strouse composed the score. It was his second comic-strip musical: his 1966 Superman show had a short Broadway run, while this one became his biggest hit.

In Annie, which orphan does Annie comfort after a nightmare in the opening scene?

Molly, the youngest at six, wakes from a bad dream and Annie soothes her by singing 'Maybe', her own fantasy of the parents she hopes will come back.

Which Annie song do Miss Hannigan, Rooster and Lily sing?

Easy Street is the trio's daydream of getting rich: Rooster has just worked out how to turn Warbucks's plan to adopt Annie to their own advantage.

Before Broadway, Annie had its world premiere in 1976 at which Connecticut theatre?

The Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam staged the premiere in August 1976; within a week the producers had replaced their first Annie as not tough enough for the part.

Who became Broadway's original Annie after taking over the title role during the Connecticut try-out?

Andrea McArdle, then playing the orphan Pepper in the Connecticut try-out, replaced Kristen Vigard in the title role and earned a Tony nomination at 13.

Which future TV star took over the title role in Annie on Broadway in March 1979?

Sarah Jessica Parker began in the small orphan role of July before taking over the title role in March 1979, playing Annie for about a year.

In Annie, the shanty town is named after which president?

Hoover. The residents of the Hooverville, ruined by the Depression, raise a sarcastic toast to him in the song 'We'd Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover'.

What is Daddy Warbucks's first name in Annie?

Oliver Warbucks had expected the orphan to be a boy and is put out to find a girl in his mansion; 'Daddy' is what Annie comes to call the billionaire who adopts her.

In the stage musical Annie, Grace Farrell picks an orphan to spend which holiday at Warbucks's mansion?

Christmas at the mansion is meant to be a short treat arranged by Grace Farrell, Warbucks's secretary, but by the holiday itself the billionaire has adopted Annie.

What is the name of the stray dog Annie adopts?

She fools a policeman into believing the dog is hers by calling out the name. Sandy was one of the few comic-strip elements Meehan kept.

In the musical Annie, which agency does Warbucks call in to find Annie's parents?

The FBI takes the case and learns that her parents died years ago, which exposes the couple who turn up to claim Warbucks's $50,000 reward as frauds.

Why does Annie cry when Warbucks offers to replace her broken locket?

It is all her parents left her: they kept the other half of the broken locket, and their note promised they would come back for her.

Which US president appears in the musical Annie and is inspired by her optimism?

Franklin D. Roosevelt and his cabinet join Annie in a reprise of her signature song, and in the show's telling her optimism inspires the New Deal.

In Annie, who sings 'You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile' with the Boylan Sisters?

Bert Healy, a radio host, sings it on the air while Warbucks is on his show appealing for Annie's parents; back at the orphanage the girls copy the whole routine.

Which Annie song reuses a tune its composer first wrote for a 1970 short film?

Tomorrow began as a different song: the composer wrote the tune, with other words, for the short film Replay, then reused the melody in the musical.

Which song from Annie did Jay-Z sample for a 1998 hit single?

It's the Hard Knock Life supplied the orphans' chorus that Jay-Z looped for 'Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)'; sixteen years later he co-produced the 2014 film of the musical.

Annie premiered in London's West End in 1978 at which theatre?

The Victoria Palace Theatre hosted the London opening in 1978; Broadway's original Annie crossed the Atlantic to play the first 40 performances before British girls took over.

The 1997 Broadway revival of Annie, marking its 20th anniversary, cast which singer as the orphanage keeper?

Nell Carter played Miss Hannigan; the revival's young Annie, who had won the part in a Macy's contest, was fired two weeks before the Broadway opening and replaced by a castmate.

In the sequel Annie Warbucks, what must Daddy Warbucks do to keep Annie?

Marry within 60 days: a child-welfare commissioner rules that the newly adopted Annie needs a proper mother, which sends Warbucks on a whirlwind search for a bride.

Who directed the 1982 film version of Annie?

John Huston directed the film at 75; the veteran of The Maltese Falcon and The African Queen had never made a musical before.

Who played the orphanage keeper in the 1982 film of Annie?

Carol Burnett played Miss Hannigan, who gets a change of heart the stage show never gave her: she tries to stop Rooster when he turns murderous.

Who played Daddy Warbucks in the 1982 film of Annie?

Albert Finney played Daddy Warbucks; the film dropped the character's stage ballad 'Something Was Missing' and gave its cast new songs written for the screen instead.

Which song was written for the 1982 film of Annie rather than the stage musical?

'Let's Go to the Movies' sends Warbucks, Grace and Annie off to Radio City Music Hall; it was written for the film, which dropped the stage number 'N.Y.C.'.

Where were the Warbucks mansion scenes of the 1982 film Annie shot?

Monmouth University, New Jersey, lent its Shadow Lawn building in West Long Branch, so a college hall stands in for a billionaire's New York home.

Who played the title role in the 1982 film of Annie, chosen from thousands of girls?

Aileen Quinn was picked after casting calls in the United States, Canada and Europe, and found herself leading a cast of Hollywood veterans.

The 1982 film Annie received two Oscar nominations, one for its song score and one for what?

Art Direction was the other nomination; it lost to Gandhi, and the score award went to Victor/Victoria, so the film left empty-handed.

In the 1982 film Annie, Warbucks's bodyguards are the Asp and which turban-wearing giant?

Punjab, played by Geoffrey Holder, rescues Annie from the raised drawbridge in the film's climax; he and the Asp both come from the comic strip.

The 1999 TV movie of Annie aired as part of which anthology series?

The Wonderful World of Disney aired it on ABC in November 1999; Rob Marshall's version put back stage numbers the 1982 film had cut, such as 'N.Y.C.'.

Who played the con-artist Rooster in the 1999 TV film of Annie?

Alan Cumming played Rooster, who poses as Annie's long-lost father, 'Ralph Mudge', to claim Warbucks's reward, and means to get rid of her once the money is his.

The 1999 TV film of Annie won two Emmys and which other award?

A Peabody Award went to the production, alongside Emmys for choreography and music direction; the 1982 cinema version, by contrast, went home from the Oscars with nothing.

In the 2014 film Annie, Jamie Foxx's Will Stacks is a germaphobic mogul in which business?

Cellphones made Will Stacks's fortune; he is running for mayor of New York when he pulls Annie out of the path of a car, and the viral video lifts his campaign.

Quvenzhané Wallis, who played Annie in 2014, was the youngest ever Best Actress Oscar nominee for which film?

Beasts of the Southern Wild earned Wallis a nomination at nine, the youngest ever for Best Actress; she had auditioned at five, a year under the minimum age.

The 2014 Annie was first announced as a vehicle for which producer's daughter?

Will Smith planned the remake for his daughter Willow, but she had outgrown the part before filming began, so the role went to Quvenzhané Wallis.

Who played the orphanage keeper in NBC's Annie Live! in December 2021?

Taraji P. Henson played Miss Hannigan opposite Harry Connick Jr.'s Warbucks; Megan Hilty joined late as Lily after Jane Krakowski caught COVID-19 and had to step down.

Little Orphan Annie, the comic strip behind the musical, debuted in which paper in August 1924?

The New York Daily News printed it first, though the strip was a Chicago creation: its cartoonist worked for the Chicago Tribune, whose syndicate distributed it.

What is distinctive about how Annie's eyes are drawn in the comic strip?

They are vacant blank circles: along with the curly red hair and red dress, the empty eyes made her instantly recognisable for 86 years.

Which drink sponsored the Little Orphan Annie radio serial and sent its young listeners secret decoder badges?

Ovaltine. In a 1983 film comedy, young Ralphie decodes his badge's message and finds only an advert for the drink.

How did the Little Orphan Annie strip end?

A cliffhanger: the last strip, in 2010, left Annie in a kidnapper's hands and Warbucks fearing her dead; years later the Dick Tracy strip picked up the story.

Which exclamation is one of Annie's catchphrases in the original comic strip?

'Leapin' lizards!' was Annie's signature exclamation, alongside 'Gee whiskers'; the phrase passed from the strip into the stage musical and the films.

Who wrote the lyrics for the musical Annie?

Martin Charnin took the idea of an Annie musical to the writer Thomas Meehan in 1972, five years before it reached Broadway, and directed the original production himself.

Which famous film director produced the original Broadway production of Annie?

Mike Nichols produced the show, suggested the comic actress Dorothy Loudon for Miss Hannigan when the part was recast, and collected the Tony for Best Musical.

The comic strip took its name from an 1885 poem, 'Little Orphant Annie', by which poet?

James Whitcomb Riley, the 'Hoosier Poet', wrote the poem in Indiana dialect; the comic strip took its title from it, changing one letter.

Which actor played the con-artist Rooster Hannigan in the 1982 film of Annie?

Tim Curry's Rooster chases Annie up a raised drawbridge in the film's new climax, until one of Warbucks's bodyguards rescues her.

Shot in summer, the 1982 film of Annie set its kidnapping climax on the eve of which holiday?

Fourth of July: moving the climax to the holiday let the film end with a fireworks-filled party at the Warbucks mansion.

Which studio paid $9.5 million for the film rights to Annie and released the 1982 film?

Columbia bought the rights after a bidding war with Paramount and made the film through the producer Ray Stark's company, Rastar.

Who played Daddy Warbucks opposite Kathy Bates in the 1999 TV film of Annie?

Victor Garber played Warbucks; he and Kathy Bates had sailed together two years earlier in Titanic, as the shipbuilder Thomas Andrews and the 'unsinkable' Margaret Brown.

Which pop songwriter reworked the songs of the 2014 film Annie with producer Greg Kurstin?

Sia and Greg Kurstin rearranged the old score and wrote three new songs, among them 'Opportunity', which earned a Golden Globe nomination.

The Broadway theatre where Annie opened in 1977 was later renamed after which playwright?

Neil Simon. Annie opened at the Alvin Theatre but had to move out in 1981 to make way for Merrily We Roll Along, and finished its run in other houses.