Little Orphant Annie
About Little Orphant Annie
James Whitcomb Riley, on screen, tells children about Annie. After her mother dies she is sent to an orphanage, where she charms the others with goblin stories. Her uncle Tomps and Aunt 'Lizabeth take her and work her hard. Neighbor Big Dave removes her and leaves her with Squire Goode and his wife. Dave, who means to marry her, goes off to the World War. Tomps tells Annie that Dave has been killed. She falls ill and dies in bed, with the family around her.
Cast & crew
More about Little Orphant Annie
Colin Campbell directed. Gilson Willets wrote the scenario from James Whitcomb Riley's poem "Little Orphant Annie." William N. Selig produced it. Charles Stumar photographed it. Colleen Moore, in her first leading role, plays Annie. Tom Santschi plays Dave, Harry Lonsdale plays Uncle Tomps, Lillian Hayward plays Aunt 'Lizabeth, Eugenie Besserer plays Mrs. Goode, and Lafe McKee plays the squire. Riley, who died on July 22, 1916, appears as himself, so the picture was shot by then. Pioneer Film Corporation, Louis B. Mayer's company, bought the finished film and released it on a state-rights basis in December 1918. World Film Corporation took it over in March 1919. It was reissued in 1926.
Themes
Look
Charles Stumar photographed the film.
Preservation
Silent Era records incomplete 35mm nitrate and 16mm prints, and public-domain status in the United States. Eric Grayson assembled a digital restoration in 2016.
Notes
- Silent Era lists it as six reels.
- Moore was about seventeen when shooting began.
- Eric Grayson finished a digital restoration in 2016 from several prints of uneven quality.
Scenes
- Riley sits with children and starts the story of Annie.
- Annie's illustrated goblin tales warn the Goode children what happens if they are not good.
- Tomps enjoys telling Annie that Dave has been killed in the war.
Influenced by
- Little Orphant Annie (poem)
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (Little Orphant Annie (1918).webm)
