Annie Oakley (TV series)
Encyclopedia
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 rerun
s 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.
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. 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. 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. 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.
in the US and as such are available in several different releases.
On March 31, 2009, Mill Creek Entertainment
released Gun Justice Featuring The Lone Ranger, with other television Westerns such as Annie Oakley.
Many of these issues were later reprinted in black and white by L. Miller and World Distributors Ltd.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
which fictionalized the life of famous sharpshooter Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley , born Phoebe Ann Mosey, was an American sharpshooter and exhibition shooter. Oakley's amazing talent and timely rise to fame led to a starring role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, which propelled her to become the first American female superstar.Oakley's most famous trick is perhaps...
. It ran from January 1954 to February 1957 in syndication
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
. ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
showed rerun
Rerun
A rerun or repeat is a re-airing of an episode of a radio or television broadcast. The invention of the rerun is generally credited to Desi Arnaz. There are two types of reruns—those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated. Reruns can also be, as the...
s 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.
Synopsis
The show stars Gail DavisGail Davis
Gail Davis was an American actress, best known for her starring role as Annie Oakley in the 1950s television Western series Annie Oakley.-Life and career:...
in the title role, and co-starred Brad Johnson as Deputy Sheriff Lofty Craig and Jimmy Hawkins
Jimmy Hawkins
James F. Hawkins , known as Jimmy Hawkins, and later, Jim Hawkins, is an American actor and film producer whose career began as a child actor to such Hollywood stars as Lana Turner, Spencer Tracy, James Stewart, and Donna Reed...
, as Annie's brother, Tagg. In one episode, "Bull's Eye", the role of Tagg was played by Billy Gray
Billy Gray (actor)
William Thomas "Billy" Gray , is a former American actor known primarily for his role as James "Bud" Anderson, Jr., in 193 episodes of the NBC and CBS situation comedy, Father Knows Best, which aired between 1954 and 1960. Gray's fellow cast members were Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue,...
, better known as James "Bud" Anderson, Jr., on Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best is an American radio and television comedy series which portrayed a middle class family life in the Midwest. It was created by writer Ed James in the 1940s.-Radio:...
. In the series, Annie Oakley rode a horse named Target, Tagg's horse was Pixie and Lofty's was named Forest. Annie and Tagg lived in the town of Diablo, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, 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. 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. 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.
Guest stars
- Chris AlcaideChris AlcaideChristopher "Chris" Alcaide was an American actor particularly known for his role in television westerns. He surfaced to national attention as Deputy Joshua Tate in the 1956 film Gunslinger, co-starring Beverly Garland as a woman marshal.In 2003, Alcaide was among recipients, including the Sons of...
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 AtesRoscoe AtesRoscoe Ates was an actor and musician in primarily western films and television.-Early years:Ates was born in the rural hamlet of Grange, Mississippi, northwest of Hattiesburg. Grange is no longer included on road maps...
, twice in 1956 and 1957 - Ron HagerthyRon HagerthyRonald F. "Ron" Hagerthy is a former American actor known primarily for his guest-starring and supporting roles on television westerns. In 1952, he portrayed Clipper King in the modern western series, Sky King, with Kirby Grant in the title role of Clipper's uncle, Schuyler "Sky" King, pilot of...
, twice in 1956, as Chuck Hutchins in the title role "The Waco Kid" and as Billy Stryker in "Annie Rings the Bell" - I. Stanford JolleyI. Stanford JolleyIsaac Stanford Jolley, Sr., known as I. Stanford Jolley was a prolific American character actor of film and television, primarily in western roles as cowboys, law-enforcement officers, or villains...
as Walt and Darryl HickmanDarryl HickmanDarryl Gerard Hickman is an American film and television actor, former television executive, and child star of the 1930s and 1940s.-Early life:...
as Chet Sterling in "Annie Gets Her Man" (1954) - Harry LauterHarry LauterHerman Arthur "Harry" Lauter was an American character actor originally from White Plains, New York....
, a character actor, appeared in twelve episodes of Annie Oakley. - Keye LukeKeye LukeKeye Luke was a Chinese-born American actor. He was the first Chinese-American contract player signed with RKO, Universal and, later, MGM and is generally acknowledged as the leading Asian-American actor of this era of American cinema.-Background:...
appeared as Li Wong, a ChineseChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
laundryman and landowner, in the 1955 episode "Annie and the Chinese Puzzle", which touches on racial discrimination. - Tyler MacDuffTyler MacDuffTyler MacDuff, born Tyler Glenn Duff, Jr. , was an American actor, primarily on television westerns and dramas who was cast as Billy the Kid in The Boy from Oklahoma.-Biography:...
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 McVeyTyler McVeyTyler McVey was an American character actor.-Early life and career:McVey was born in Bay City on Saginaw Bay in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. His first screen role, uncredited, came at the age of 39 in 1951, when he portrayed Brady in the The Day the Earth Stood Still...
appeared in the 1956 episode "Showdown at Diablo" in the role of Senator Ridgeway.
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 domainPublic domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
in the US and as such are available in several different releases.
On March 31, 2009, Mill Creek Entertainment
Mill Creek Entertainment
Mill Creek Entertainment is a home entertainment company that manufactures movie and television DVD compilation box sets at "value" prices. Nashville's Amity Entertainment is an affiliate to Mill Creek...
released Gun Justice Featuring The Lone Ranger, with other television Westerns such as Annie Oakley.
Comics
A number of American comics were based on the TV series:- Annie Oakley and Tagg 4-18 (1953–1959) by Dell ComicsDell ComicsDell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium...
- Annie Oakley and Tagg 1 (1965) by Gold Key ComicsGold Key ComicsGold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...
Many of these issues were later reprinted in black and white by L. Miller and World Distributors Ltd.
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