1930-1942
 When
we think of Annie, we imagine a little red-haired girl singing
"The sun will come out tomorrow." Would it surprise
you that she is actually a crime-fighting, bullet-dodging,
Nazi-submarine-destroying, Ghost-chasing tyke who packs
a mean punch? This is the Little Orphan Annie.
Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2008 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved-Reproduction is prohibited. Notoriously sponsored by Ovaltine and later Quaker Puffed
Wheat Sparkies, this show was as equally popular with adults
as it was with children. The Little Orphan Annie old time radio show
is unforgettably heard on the movie, "A Christmas Story."
Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2008 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved-Reproduction is prohibited. Little Orphan Annie was the first late-afternoon
children's serial and was the mould that set up all the
succeeding juvenile radio serial dramas. The old time radio show
was based on the 1924 comic strip by Harold Gray for the
Chicago Tribune. When Gray first came up with the concept
of the strip, he originally had a boy in the main role,
and it was named Little Orphan Otto! Gray decided to change
the protagonist to a girl because all the other comic strips
were of boys solving mysteries. This is what made the show
exceptional. In the show, with the help of Daddy Warbuck,
a war profiteer and a father figure for Annie, and her faithful
dog, Sandy, they fought crime and solved mysteries, all
before dinner and bedtime.
The catchy theme song for Little Orphan Annie was also
a hit:
 Who's
that little chatter box?
The one with pretty auburn locks?
Whom do you see?
It's Little Orphan Annie.
She and Sandy make a pair,
They never seem to have a care!
Cute little she,
It's Little Orphan Annie.
Bright eyes cheeks a healthy glow,
There's a store of healthiness handy.
Mite-size, always on the go,
If you want to know - "Arf", goes Sandy.
Always wears a sunny smile,
Now, wouldn't it be worth a while,
If you could be,
Like Little Orphan Annie?
As Little Orphan Annie would say "Leapin' Lizards,"
this show is an essential addition to any old time radio
collection (many of which are very amazingly excellent sound
quality!)
See also: Big
Jon and Sparkie. For older kids, there are
many action-packed old time radio shows, some of them in
the 15 minute serial format. A few are Air
Adventures of Jimmy Allen, Speed
Gibson, Cisco Kid, Captain Midnight, Superman, The
Green Hornet, Sergeant
Preston of the Yukon, and Space
Patrol.
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