Annie Oakley (TV series)
| Annie Oakley | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Western |
| Starring | Gail Davis Brad Johnson Jimmy Hawkins Bob Woodward |
| Composer(s) | Erma E. Levin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 81 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Gene Autry Louis Gray Armand Schaefer |
| Producer(s) | Colbert Clark Louis Gray |
| Cinematography | William Bradford Joe Novak |
| Running time | 25 mins. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Syndication |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | January 1, 1954 – February 1, 1957 |
Annie Oakley is an American Western television series which fictionalized the life of famous sharpshooter Annie Oakley. It ran from January 1954 to February 1957 in syndication. ABC showed reruns on Saturday and Sunday daytime from 1959–1960 and from 1964-1965. It ran for three seasons, for a total of 81 black and white episodes, each 25 minutes long.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
The show stars Gail Davis in the title role, and co-starred Brad Johnson as Deputy Sheriff Lofty Craig and Jimmy Hawkins, as Annie's brother, Tagg. In one episode, "Bull's Eye", the role of Tagg was played by Billy Gray, better known as James "Bud" Anderson, Jr., on Father Knows Best. In the series, Annie Oakley rode a horse named Target, Tagg's horse was Pixie and Lofty's was named Forest.[1][2] Annie and Tagg lived in the town of Diablo, Arizona, with their uncle, Sheriff Luke MacTavish, who was usually away whenever trouble started. It would then be up to straight-shooting Annie and her "silent suitor" Lofty Craig to rescue law-abiding neighbors and arrest outlaws.[3] Often Tagg would be told to stay in town and out of the way, but through disobedience, the need to relay important new information, or being captured by outlaws, he would end up in the middle of the adventure.
Annie always wore the same fringed cowgirl outfit, of which 15 or more copies were made throughout the show's production.[4] Her hairstyle was braided pigtails.
Additional episodes were being considered, but Jimmy Hawkins had a growth spurt and outgrew the part of Annie's little brother.[5]
[edit] Guest stars
- Chris Alcaide appeared in three 1954 episodes as Paul Dodson in "Annie and the Brass Collar" and "The Cinder Trail" and then as Gil Warren in "Outlaw Mesa".
- Roscoe Ates, twice in 1956 and 1957
- Ron Hagerthy, twice in 1956, as Chuck Hutchins in the title role "The Waco Kid" and as Billy Stryker in "Annie Rings the Bell"
- I. Stanford Jolley as Walt and Darryl Hickman as Chet Sterling in "Annie Gets Her Man" (1954)
- Harry Lauter, a character actor, appeared in twelve episodes of Annie Oakley.
- Keye Luke appeared as Li Wong, a Chinese laundryman and landowner, in the 1955 episode "Annie and the Chinese Puzzle", which touches on racial discrimination.
- Tyler MacDuff appeared in four episodes in 1956, including the title guest-starring role in "The Saga of Clement O'Toole" and as Don "Doc" Briggs in "Dilemma at Diablo".
- Tyler McVey appeared in the 1956 episode "Showdown at Diablo" in the role of Senator Ridgeway.
[edit] DVD release
Approximately two dozen episodes are currently available on DVD in North America (including several releases issued through Davis' estate) and elsewhere, although a formal full-series release has yet to happen. Some episodes of the series have lapsed into the public domain in the US and as such are available in several different releases.[6][7]
On March 31, 2009, Mill Creek Entertainment released Gun Justice Featuring The Lone Ranger, with other television Westerns such as Annie Oakley.
[edit] Comics
A number of American comics were based on the TV series:
- Annie Oakley and Tagg 4-18 (1953–1959) by Dell Comics
- Annie Oakley and Tagg 1 (1965) by Gold Key Comics
Many of these issues were later reprinted in black and white by L. Miller and World Distributors Ltd.
[edit] Books
At least three "Authorized TV Adventures" were published by Whitman Publishing Company.
- Annie Oakley in Danger at Diablo, by Doris Schroeder, 1955
- Annie Oakley in Double Trouble, by Doris Schroeder, 1958
- Annie Oakley in Ghost Town Secret, author and date uncertain
[edit] References
- ^ The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946 - Present by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, Ballantine Books, 1995
- ^ Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, the Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, 1946-Present, New York: Ballantine Books, p. 47
- ^ The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946 - Present
- ^ Annie Oakley Hits the Bulls-Eye!, in the Summer/Fall 1994 Trail Dust magazine
- ^ Annie Oakley Hits the Bulls-Eye!
- ^ [1]
- ^ Annie Oakley
[edit] Episodes
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- 1954 television series debuts
- 1957 television series endings
- 1950s American television series
- Black-and-white television programs
- English-language television series
- Fictional versions of real people
- First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
- Television shows set in Arizona
- Western (genre) television series
