Little Orphan Annie

Little Orphan Annie was an American radio drama series based on the popularity of the comic strip of the same name. It debuted on Chicago’s WGN in 1930, then moved to the NBC radio network Blue Network on April 6, 1931. The show aired until April 26, 1942, and together with Skippy (1932–1935) it is seen as the oldest US children’s radio program.

The show was initially sponsored by Ovaltine, a flavored milk supplement, and its scripts were written by Ovaltine’s Chicago ad agency staff. They shunned the overt political themes of the newspaper strips and concentrated instead on pitching Ovaltine, using almost seven minutes of each broadcast to do so. Fans could redeem Ovaltine proofs of purchase for a secret decoder badge that decoded brief messages airing in the last moments of the show.

In 1940, Quaker Puffed Wheat Sparkies became the show’s sponsor and brought fictional aviator Captain Sparks to the show, who eventually became the star, relegating Annie to a secondary player.

The Stars

The show featured a rotating cast, with Shirley Bell Cole starring as Annie in the Chicago-based cast that became the permanent one after coast-to-coast networking was established in 1933.

Other notable stars included Stanley Andrews as “Daddy” and Allan Baruck (and later Mel Tormé) as Joe Corntassel.

In 1931 when the show debuted, radio had yet to establish coast-to-coast networks, so two separate casts performed—one in San Francisco and the other in Chicago.

Key Dates

• Little Orphan Annie debuted on WGN/Chicago in 1930.
• It became a national hit when it moved to NBC radio’s Blue Network on April 6, 1931.
• It was broadcast in the late afternoon and ran for twelve successful years until April 26, 1942.

Other Information

The show’s theme song was sung by announcer Pierre Andre, as “Uncle Andy”, or Lawrence Salerno, a WGN staff baritone who appeared on various musical programs on the station. Leonard Salvo was the show’s organist.

The show was one of the first comic strips adapted to radio, attracted about 6 million fans, and left the air in 1942. Radio historian Jim Harmon attributes the show’s popularity to the fact that it was the only radio show to deal with and appeal to young children.

Two film adaptations were released at the height of Annie’s popularity in the 1930s, but both were panned by critics.

In 1977, Little Orphan Annie was adapted to the Broadway stage as Annie, with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin. The musical was a huge success and spawned several film adaptations, including a 1982 version directed by John Huston and a 1996 direct-to-video sequel.

A 2014 film adaptation, produced by Jay-Z and Will Smith, starred Quvenzhané Wallis in the title role and Jamie Foxx as Will Stacks, a role similar to Warbucks.