May 21, 1982
Annie is a 1982 American musical comedy-drama film based on the 1977 Broadway musical of the same name by Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin and Thomas Meehan, which in turn is based on the Little Orphan Annie comic strip created by Harold Gray. Directed by John Huston and written by Carol Sobieski, the cast includes Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Bernadette Peters, Ann Reinking, Tim Curry, Geoffrey Holder, Edward Herrmann, and introducing Aileen Quinn in her film debut as the titular character. It is the first film adaptation of the musical.
Set during the Great Depression in 1933, the film tells the story of Annie, an orphan from New York City who is taken in by America's richest billionaire, Oliver Warbucks. Principal photography took place for six weeks at Monmouth University in New Jersey in 1981.
Produced by Ray Stark's Rastar and released by Columbia Pictures on May 21, 1982, Anniereceived mixed reviews from film critics and grossed $57 million on a $35 million budget. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Art Direction and Best Song Score and its Adaptation. A television film sequel, titled Annie: A Royal Adventure!, was released in 1995. It was followed by three additional adaptations of the musical. In their first film collaboration, Disney and Columbia Pictures produced a second film adaptation made-for-television in 1999. Columbia released a third film adaptation on December 19, 2014. A fourth adaptation, which was a live production of the musical, was performed on December 2, 2021, on NBC.
Storyline
In 1933 during the Great Depression, a young orphan named Annie is living in the Hudson Street Orphanage in New York City. It is run by Agatha Hannigan, a cruel alcoholic who forces the orphans to clean the building daily. With half of a locket as her only possession, Annie remains optimistic that her parents, who left her on the doorstep as a baby, will return for her. One evening, Annie sneaks out with help from laundry man, Mr. Bundles, adopting a stray dog which she names Sandy. She, however, is escorted back to the orphanage.
Grace Farrell, secretary to billionaire Oliver Warbucks, arrives to invite an orphan to live with Warbucks for a week, to improve his public image. Annie is chosen and she and Sandy travel to Warbucks' mansion, meeting his many servants and two bodyguards, Punjab and the Asp. Warbucks, at first dismissive of Annie due to her being female, is charmed into letting her stay. He takes Annie and Grace to Radio City Music Hall to watch a movie, Camille, and Warbucks begins to develop affection for Annie. Grace urges him to adopt Annie and he meets with Miss Hannigan, convincing her to sign the adoption papers.
Warbucks reveals his plans to Annie, even offering her a new locket, but she declines. She explains the purpose of her broken locket and her hope that her parents will return with the other half. Warbucks appears on Bert Healy's radio show and offers $50,000 to find Annie's parents. This causes mass hysteria with many would-be parents appearing to claim the money. To escape the madness, Warbucks flies Annie to the White House in Washington, D.C., introducing her to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor. Roosevelt informs them of his plan to introduce a social welfare program to help America's impoverished and asks Warbucks to head it; Annie encourages him to help. Upon returning home, Annie is disheartened when Grace reveals none of the potential parents knew about the locket.
Hannigan is visited by her con artist brother Rooster and his girlfriend, Lily St. Regis; they plot to pose as Annie's parents to gain the reward. The trio searches the orphans' belongings and Hannigan reveals that Annie's real parents were killed in a fire; she possesses the other half of the locket. Annie's friends overhear the conversation and try sneaking out, but are discovered and locked away. Rooster and Lily succeed with the ruse, and Annie's departure from Warbucks is somber. She is kidnapped minutes after they leave the mansion, but her friends ultimately reach Warbucks and tell him the truth; shocked and stunned, he informs the police, beginning a city-wide search.
Annie convinces the felons to pull over only to escape and destroy Warbucks' check. An enraged Rooster chases Annie up a raised drawbridge in an effort to kill her. Upon realizing Rooster's true intentions, Hannigan desperately tries to stop him, but he easily knocks her out and continues climbing. Punjab rescues Annie from Rooster and reunites her with Warbucks and Grace. Rooster and Lily are arrested and Annie is officially adopted by Grace and Warbucks.
At a party that the orphans, a redeemed Hannigan, and the Roosevelts attend, Warbucks gives Annie the new locket as they embrace.
Also See
Movie Trailer
Sound Effects Used
- Elektra Records, Fire Engine Passes With Bell Clanging/Sound Ideas, FIRE TRUCK - PASS BY WITH BELL CLANGING, SIREN IN B/G
- Elektra Records, Steamship Blast
- Hollywoodedge, Punch Face Hit 7 Sharp PE100701 (Heard in the fight scene.)
- Sound Ideas, SIREN - OLD POLICE OR AMBULANCE SIREN: START, RUN, STOP 01
- Tanner Roar (Heard in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer logo in the song "Let's Go to the Movies".)