Little Orphan Annie

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.

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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 ©2001-2024 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!)

For other classic radio shows based of comics,see also Archie Andrews Blondie Dan Dunn Dick Tracy Gasoline Alley Little Orphan Annie The Nebbs Red Ryder Superman

Click here for more information about the comic pages in old time radio. 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.

This collection is in the extensive Hummert Radio Factory Collection. Called the parents of soap opera, Anne and Frank Hummert also created Betty and Bob, Front Page Farrell, Mr. Keen Tracer of Lost Persons, Ma Perkins, Just Plain Bill, Mary Noble Backstage Wife, Young Widder Brown, Mr. Chameleon, Stella Dallas, Manhattan Merry Go Round, Lora Lawton, The American Melody Hour, Hearthstone of the Death Squad, Lorenzo Jones, Nona From Nowhere, Our Gal Sunday, Inspector Thorne, Romance of Helen Trent, and more.