A research blog on the history of radio, film, television and classroom media geared towards children and young audiences through most of the 20th century.
Thursday, December 2, 2021
Saluting "The Old Rebel" on His 100th Birthday.
The Version of "Annie" You May Never Get To See.
Tonight on December 2nd, 2021, NBC is debuting "Annie Live!", a 3-hour telecast of the Tony Award winning musical based on Harold Gray's comic strip moppet. Since "Little Orphan Annie" debuted on the funny pages in 1924, her adventures have been translated to movies, radio (remember the Ovaltine decoder from "A Christmas Story"), books, and merchandise.
One version of Annie, which by an amazing coincidence, debuted December 2nd, 1938, seems to be lost today.
"Little Orphan Annie" (1938, Paramount Pictures) was the second big screen version of the character, the first being in 1932. 11 year old Ann Gillis (1927-2018) starred as Annie. She is best remembered today as Becky Thatcher in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" also from 1938. By some accounts "Annie" recieved mostly poor reviews. In an interview later in life, Gillis herself said it was "pretty dreadful". Part of the blame could be on a screenplay that derived a lot from the comic strip and radio version that was on the air at the time. The story concerned Annie's attempts to help a prizefighter in a community, with no mention of Daddy Warbucks and other elements from Gray's comic strip.
Having researched this film for years, I have found no evidence that it was screened in American theaters after 1941, was ever shown on television, or exists in any film archive. A film research peer has also shared with me that this film is lost and, if found, is now in the public domain. Adding more sadness to this story, I recall that when IMDB had discussion forums, one was posted by a relative of Ann Gillis hoping for any information leading to a copy of this movie. Sadly, like many performers from Hollywood's Golden Age, "Annie" was a part of her filmography that Gillis never saw again.
After 83 years it is unlikely, but not impossible, that this lost version of Annie will ever resurface.
Saturday, October 16, 2021
Saluting 100 Years of Children's Radio
Saturday, September 25, 2021
From The Archives: A Quiz Kids Radio Postcard
Saturday, September 11, 2021
September 2021 Part 1 - This Month in Kids Media
Saturday, September 4, 2021
Thunderbolt the Wondercolt - TV's First Super Animal Series
Thunderbolt The Wondercolt
Broadcast: June 03, 1953 - July 1955 ** KTTV Los Angeles, CA. Weekdays at 6:00pm Pacific Time.
Sponsors; Challenger Dairy Products.
Producer: Bob Clampett.
The Hook: If considered a superhero-themed show, Thunderbolt would be the second or third superhero program in TV history after "Adventures of Superman" with George Reeves.
Thunderbolt the Wondercolt was a children's puppet TV series about the adventures of a horse with a super-powered secret identity. It aired weekday afternoons on station KTTV from Los Angeles, California from 1953** - 1955.
Thunderbolt is extra unique as a spinoff from animation legend Bob Clampett's Emmy-winning "Time For Beany series. That meant satire to pull in an adult audience just as "Beany" had pulled in Albert Einstein. From review articles in Los Angeles newspapers the series was popular during its short run, and it is unfortunate the so few of the Clampett puppet shows are available to the public today.
An overlooked aspect of "Thunderbolt" is that it debuted on Wednesday, June 3, 1953, less than a year after "Adventures of Superman" with George Reeves. This makes it a contender for TV's second superhero series (3rd if "The Lone Ranger" with Clayton Moore counts.
If this claim is over the top, since it is a satirical puppet series, Thunderbolt could at least be considered the TV's first super animal.