"Annie Oakley" (1954) TV series 1954-1956

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Directors:

Thomas Carr
Don McDougall
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

January 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

A fictionalized account of the life of legendary Wild West sharpshooter Annie Oakley. Set in the quiet western town of Diablo...

Plot Keywords:

Sharpshooter | Deputy Sheriff | Deputy | Annie Oakley | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Gail Davis	...	Annie Oakley (81 episodes, 1954-1957)
Brad Johnson	...	Deputy Sheriff Lofty Craig / ... (81 episodes, 1954-1957)
Jimmy Hawkins	...	Tagg Oakley (80 episodes, 1953-1957)
Bob Woodward	...	Stagecoach Driver / ... (34 episodes, 1954-1957)

(more)

Series Directed by
George Archainbaud		(32 episodes, 1954-1957)
Frank McDonald		(18 episodes, 1954-1956)
Ray Nazarro		(14 episodes, 1954-1956)
D. Ross Lederman		(6 episodes, 1956)
Robert G. Walker		(4 episodes, 1954)
William Berke		(2 episodes, 1954)
Earl Bellamy		(2 episodes, 1956-1957)
John English		(1 episode, 1954)
Wallace Fox		(1 episode, 1954)
Thomas Carr		(unknown episodes)
Don McDougall		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
Eric Freiwald		(26 episodes, 1954-1957)
Robert Schaefer		(26 episodes, 1954-1957)
Paul Gangelin		(6 episodes, 1954-1957)
John K. Butler		(6 episodes, 1954-1956)
Norman S. Hall		(6 episodes, 1954-1956)
Paul Franklin		(5 episodes, 1954-1956)
Dwight Cummins		(4 episodes, 1955-1957)
Jack Townley		(3 episodes, 1954-1955)
Joe Richardson		(3 episodes, 1954)
Maurice Tombragel		(3 episodes, 1955-1956)
Maurice Geraghty		(2 episodes, 1954-1956)
Victor Arthur		(2 episodes, 1956-1957)
Polly James		(2 episodes, 1956)
Warren Wilson		(2 episodes, 1956)

Series Produced by
Louis Gray	....	executive producer / producer (22 episodes, 1954-1957)
Colbert Clark	....	producer (12 episodes, 1954)
Gene Autry	....	executive producer (3 episodes, 1956-1957)
Armand Schaefer	....	executive producer (2 episodes, 1956-1957)

Series Original Music by
Erma E. Levin		(unknown episodes)

Series Cinematography by
William Bradford		(30 episodes, 1954-1957)
Joe Novak		(4 episodes, 1954)

Series Film Editing by
Jack Wheeler		(11 episodes, 1954-1956)
Paul Borofsky		(7 episodes, 1954)
Erma E. Levin		(3 episodes, 1954-1957)
Anthony Wollner		(2 episodes, 1954)
Bruce B. Pierce		(2 episodes, 1956)

Series Set Decoration by
Albert Rickerd		(2 episodes, 1956)

Series Production Management
Armand Schaefer	....	executive in charge of production (23 episodes, 1954-1957)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carter De Haven Jr.	....	assistant director (7 episodes, 1954)
Stanley Neufeld	....	assistant director (4 episodes, 1956)
Clark L. Paylow	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1954-1955)
Willard M. Reineck	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1954)
Bert Glazer	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1956-1957)

Series Sound Department
Harold E. Wooley	....	sound editor (9 episodes, 1956-1957)
Jack F. Lilly	....	sound (8 episodes, 1956-1957)

Series Stunts
Bob Woodward	....	stunt double: Walter Reed (1 episode, 1956)
Troy Melton	....	stunts (unknown episodes)

Series Editorial Department
Anthony Wollner	....	supervising editor / supervising film editor (12 episodes, 1954-1957)

Series Music Department
Erma E. Levin	....	music editor (7 episodes, 1956)

Series Other crew
Colbert Clark	....	story editor (5 episodes, 1956)
George Rutter	....	script supervisor (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Annie Oakley Productions Inc.
• Flying 'A' Productions

Distributors

• Madacy Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Marathon Music & Video (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• Moviecraft (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2005) (worldwide) (all media)
• VCI Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)

Other Companies

• Glen Glenn Sound  sound recording

Runtime:

30 min (81 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Annie Oakley Productions Inc.

Trivia:

Annie rode Target, Lofty rode Forest, and Tagg rode Pixie.

Movie Connections:

Version of Annie Oakley (1935)

Probably the first, genuinely fun, early feminist TV show!

This TV show, probably the first of it's kind, demonstrated that a woman despite heavy obligations and responsibilities (little brother, no parents and a ranch to run), could successfully compete in a man's world. Not only could she successfully compete, but she would come through in a major crisis, save lives, behave with genuine courage, dignity and honor, do it cheerfully with good humor and prove extremely useful to the community while being the paradigm role model to an impressionable younger brother.

Where the TV show is a fictionalized account bearing no relationship to the real Annie Oakley, their accomplishments were. They both competed not just successfully but surprisingly and consistently, in what was then regarded as a man's world. The real Annie Oakley (Phoebe Ann Oakley Moses or Mozee or Mozey) was the heroine of the day in her travels through the US and Europe in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show out shooting just about anyone. In a time that antibiotics were non-existent, she suffered through tremendous injury and illness nearly dying on a couple of occasions and demonstrated a rare courage of getting out of bed to ensure that the show went on! Previous to that she had been the support of her family, ensuring that food was on the table every night and in later life quietly worked to support charities and women's rights.

To young girls growing up in the '50's the TV show Annie was the perfect counter balance to the heroics of The Lone Ranger, Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers, and Gene Autrey TV shows. Was it a coincidence she rode a palomino? Doubtful. The writers probably wanted to show as subtly as possible that she could compete with Roy and Dale on her own terms. The genre was the popular wild west-the most successful for many years if the longevity of westerns is a measure. Every week youngsters grew up knowing that America was exemplified by the standards of the Old West, where character was king. Honor, fair play, justice-for-all were the by words on which the TV heroes were modeled. That there was a pistol-packing lady whose character was a match for any of her male counterparts says a good deal about the fabric of the American character and actress Gail Davis made Annie Oakley the cheerful ideal to which all girls aspired. ANNIE OAKLEY was a wonderful TV show!