Island of Lost Christmas Specials: Little Orphan Annie (1932) with Mitzi Green

Christmas Day 1932 movie matinee newspaper ad for "Little Orphan Annie" starring Mitzi Green.

Little Orphan Annie

Released November 4, 1932 by RKO Pictures. 

With Mitzi Green (as Annie), Buster Phelps, Matt Moore, Edgar Kennedy (as Daddy Warbucks), and May Robeson

Based on "Little Orphan Annie" comic strip by Harold Gray.

From 1932, "Little Orphan Annie" the first big screen adaptation of Harold Gray's little comic strip heroine, isn't "lost" in a traditional sense. A print of this RKO Radio Studios release exists in the UCLA Film and Television Archives. It was released on Betamax and VHS as early as 1983 by Blackhawk Films, again by Critic's Choice Video in 1996, and a few other possibly unauthorized releases on DVD. It has however, never had an official home video release from a clean restored print, and can only be seen today by rare copies of those 1980s and 1990s VHS releases or a random website that may upload it, usually in poor quality. Asides from a few broadcasts on local stations in California in the early 1990s, "Annie" has never been featured on a classic movie channel.

Contemporary reviews were mixed, favoring "Little Orphan Annie" as a good film for children. In my one viewing of the complete film, I found it to be enjoyable. Mitzi Green (1920-1969), a versatile child actress was well cast as Annie. Green was 12 at the time, although she appeared to be a little older, and the comic character was supposed to 10. Her natural Bronx accent added a nice touch for Harold Gray's street tough orphan. The plot mostly concerned Annie's efforts to help a help little orphan boy (Buster Phelps) while Daddy Warbucks (comedian Edgar Kennedy, who should have had more scenes) is away seeking work.

What makes the film a Christmas flick is the ending, (which I will completely not spoil), that takes place at a Christmas party and the film's release timing. "Annie" was made available to theaters in November just before the holidays and was viewed as appropriate for children. Also there was the crossover appeal of the famous "Little Orphan Annie" radio program on the air at that time. Many movie theater owners took advantage of all this by promoting special Christmas Day screenings of "Annie". Marquee billings and other promotions for those Christmas matiness can easily be found in newspaper databases.

It is hoped that one day a restored version of this film could be re-released on blu-ray or streaming media. When and if that happens, "Little Orphan Annie" could take it's place as a 1930s family classic for the Christmas season along with "Babes In Toyland" (1934), "Scrooge" (1935), and many other films.

"Island of Lost Christmas Specials"

"Island of Lost Christmas Specials", a mythical place where many film reels and audio recordings could be found.

Babes In Toyland (March of the Wooden Soldiers) at 85, and How It First Came to Television

Newspaper ad for "Babes In Toyland " [March of the Wooden Soldiers] on KSL-TV Salt Lake City, Utah. for December 1952. This was one of several stations to present this Christmas classic on television that year. 

After 85 years, the fantasy classic Babes In Toyland (1934) starring the comedy team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy still commands a viewing audience (especially in New York) every Thanksgiving and Christmas. Other than Shirley Temple films it is perhaps to only sound film older than Disney's "Snow White" that is still recommended for children and families.

Back cover of Motion Picture Daily, December 27, 1934. From the Media History Digital Library. http://www.archive.org/stream/motionpicturedai36unse_0#page/n727/mode/1up

Babes In Toyland received great reviews after it's November 1934 release and was praised as the film that was “Okay for All -- From Six To Sixty”. Like The Wizard of Oz, it really became even more of a praised classic of childhood after annual showings on television. This articles attempts to shed light on how this classic, also known as "March of the Wooden Soldiers" began on TV.

In 1949, 15 years after it's initial release, Babes In Toyland was re-released under the new title "March of The Wooden Soldiers". The film would show up repeatedly at matinees (not just at Christmas time) around the country over the next 3 years.

It was announced in the October 13, 1952 edition of Broadcasting Telecasting magazine that a company called "Peerless Television Production, Inc" had sold "March of the Wooden Soldiers" to at least 11 television market cities. These markets included Atlanta, Chicago, and Milwaukee. A week later this press release was shortened to say that it was being offered on an “exclusive” basis to select markets for Thanksgiving and Christmas. "Wooden Soldiers" was one of 26 features films made available to the television market that fall winter season. In fall/winter of 1952, the film was still available in some areas at the local movies theaters, so some audiences may have seen it both in a Christmas matinee or on television within a few months.

Newspaper ad for "Babes In Toyland" [March of the Wooden Soldiers] airing on WXYZ-TV from the Detroit Free Press, November 27, 1952. Detroit was one of several cities where this film became established as a Thanksgiving tradition. 

The exact number of stations that played this film that year would take a while to count, but other stations recruited by Peerless included KPHO-TV in Phoenix, and KING-TV San Diego. KRC-TV Channel 12 in Cincinnati, and WXYZ Detroit were among several stations that aired the film Thanksgiving Day (November 27).  The film premiered Christmas Day on WENR-TV in Chicago, and most significantly today, on WPIX-TV New York on December 24 at 7:30pm EST. To this day WPIX plays "March of the Wooden Soldiers" at least once during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons

Island of Lost Christmas Specials: Maureen O'Sullivan in "Lamb in the Manger" (1953)

Christmas Eve, 1962 newspaper ad for "Lamb In The Manger" starring Maureen O'Sullivan

"Lamb In the Manger"
Lost Nativity Christmas Special produced by Hal Roach and starring Maureen O'Sullivan.
Syndicated beginning December 1953; distributed 1953 - c. 1965.

“The Lamb In The Manger” was a Christmas special "as told by Maureen O’Sullivan to her children" that was syndicated to numerous TV markets in the United States for at least 12 years, before disappearing.

Around 1951 the Hal Roach Studios famous producers of the Our Gang/Little Rascals and Laurel And Hardy comedy series, made a TV show pilot for children called “The Children’s Hour”. Each episode would feature four segments, one of which would have been a Bible story, all hosted/narrated by actress Maureen O’Sullivan (1911-1998), still recognizable today for her years as Tarzan’s Jane. There were a number of press releases announcing this series between 1951 and 1953, but I have found no proof that this series actually aired. However fragmentary elements reportedly existed in one public library.

Beginning in 1953, a Christmas special also produced by Roach and starring Miss O’Sullivan called “The Lamb In the Manger” was syndicated around the country. All that is known is about it is that O'Sullivan narrated the story of the birth of Christ to a group of children, with some advertisements claiming that they were her own. Originally distributed by Comet Films, it was later syndicated with other Christmas films like “A Christmas Carol” (1949, the one narrated by Vincent Price) as part of a package by (NTA) National Telefilm Associates.

Unlike the 1949 "Christmas Carol", and several other vintage 1950s Christmas specials which have survived to this day in public domain prints, the "Manger" special has not been seen in decades. From examining TV listings across the continental United States this special was seen in many broadcast areas until it disappeared after 1965. It is very obscure and is not even included in either Maureen O’Sullivan’s or Hal Roach’s filmography. A print is not listed in any known archives catalog. As a syndicated film it is hoped that a copy may turn up eventually.

If you remember this lost Christmas classic, or are aware of an existing print, I would love to hear from you. Please email archivebuilder@gmail.com with the subject heading "Lamb In The Manger".

Sources for this article include multiple press releases and TV schedules printed between 1953 - 1965.

"Island of Lost Christmas Specials", a mythical place where many film reels and audio recordings could be found.

Children's Comics 008: Comic Digests other than "Archie"

The Best of DC #29 "Sugar and Spike". #29, October 1982

The Best of DC #13, June 1981

The Best of DC was a digest size comics anthology of previously published stories from DC Comics that ran from 1979 to 1986. It is too bad that these reprints did not last longer, especially the more kid friendly titles .like "Sugar and Spike." 

Lost Classic TV: Larry on Location

Larry on Location (Early Puppet series from Chicago)

June 13, 1949 - July 22, 1949

WBKB*, Chicago. Monday - Friday, 6:00pm 

October 2, 1949 - December 2, 1949 

WENR-TV, Chicago Monday - Friday 5:15pm

Creator/producer: Les Weinrott

Puppeteer: Don Tennatt

Cast: Toni Gilman,

Music: Carolyn Gilbert

Director: Bill Balaban

Overlooked in many kids TV show histories is Larry on Location, a short lived replacement for Kukla Fran and Ollie when that series left WBKB in Chicago for WNBQ in the same city. The series was critiqued as being a clone of the more famous Kukla series in terms of characterizations, but Variety said that it was "not a bad show and some adults will like it." 

Toni Gilman (1923 - 2017) had the role of Fran Alison, the human woman who would ad-lib with the puppet cast who worked in the fictitious movie company, Highly Unlikely Productions. The puppet characters included the producer Gaylord Nosegay, camera man Newton Figg (whose personality was said to be similar to Ollie the Dragon), prop boy Larry, and writer Nosmo King.

Don Tennant (1922 - 2001) puppeteer for the series also did another local series Hold Er' Newt for WENR-TV. He is much more famous today for his years in advertising, and for his role in creating Kellogg's Tony the Tiger and the Marlboro Man.

Carolyn Gilbert was a music performer originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the local NBC affiliate and local stage productions. After this series she had her own program "The Carolyn Gilbert Show" on WENR-TV, with comedy skits by Tennant.

While on WBKB the Larry on Location series aired in the 6:00pm timeslot where it competed with WNBQ's Judy Splinters and Mary Kay and Johnny. In the fall the series moved to WENR until its run ended that December.

*WBKB-TV in Chicago became WBBM-TV in 1953. Also cast and crew information is based on reviews from the June 13, 1949 premiere.