 The rights for Annie (1982) were sold in 1978 for $9.5 million (approximately $30 million in 2006 dollars), a record that still stands. The voice heard on Miss Hannigan`s radio (saying, "I love you, I love you, I love you") just before the "Little Girls" number belongs to director John Huston.
The film`s supervising editor Margaret Booth was also the original editor of Camille (1936) which is featured prominently in this film.
John Huston`s first and last attempt at directing a movie musical.
Ray Bolger was uncredited as the sound effects man during the radio show broadcast.
Carol Burnett had chin implant surgery after principal filming was completed, believing her work on the film was done. But after the surgery the cast was called back to do re-shoots of certain scenes, and the work done can be seen in the final film.
Theoni V. Aldredge was also the costume designer of the original stage production of this musical.
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# Aileen Quinn`s red curly wig was so itchy that the property masters gave her a special comb with which to scratch her head.
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# Sandy was played by two dogs. One, named "Bingo", did most of the dramatic scenes, and the other did the stunt work (such as jumping into the pool).
The film premiered at Radio City Music Hall, which is featured prominently in the movie itself.
A more elaborate sequence for the song "Easy Street" was planned and shot, involving Miss Hannigan and Rooster`s fantasies of a privileged life, but it was replaced with the less elaborate version set entirely in the orphanage, as seen in the film.
The original run of the stage play "Annie" premiered at the Alvin Theatre in April 1977, and played for 2,377 performances; the last one being January 2, 1983. Thus, it was still running when this film was first released in May 1982.
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# The studio believed only parents with small children would see a G-rated live action movie, so the lines "Goddamn it!" (from Miss Hannigan) and "Come back here ya Goddamned kid!" (from Rooster) were included specifically to receive a PG rating.
Daddy Warbucks` mansion was built in 1929 by Hubert Parson, the president of F.W. Woolworth. He called it Shadow Lawn. Now it is Woodrow Wilson Hall, owned by Monmouth University at West Long Branch, NJ.
Alpo was rubbed on Aileen Quinn`s face in order to make "Sandy" kiss her.
Production designer Dale Hennesy died in the middle of production and Gene Callahan was asked to finish out the film. Callahan accepted but refused to have his name listed in the credits, giving the credit to the late Dale Hennesy.
Drew Barrymore auditioned for the role of Annie.
A young Elizabeth Berkley auditioned for the role of Annie but was told that she was too tall for the part.
Bette Midler was offered and declined the role of Miss Hannigan.
Jack Nicholson was originally signed to play Daddy Warbucks, but dropped out after the original producer departed the project.
In the song "Let`s Go to the Movies" the line Greta Garbo is probably crying, while Robert Taylor is locked in her dying embrace` is a reference to the movie Camille (1936). Camille (1936) is the movie they watch at the theatre.
Harold Gray gave Daddy Warbucks that name because he was originally intended to have made his fortune through the sale of weapons and ammunition during the First World War (Military money - war bucks). He was originally intended, like Popeye, to be a temporary character who was not meant to appear again, but his popularity was such that Harold Gray brought him back as a recurring character.
Annie was created by a New York Times cartoonist named Harold Gray; she was originally intended to be a boy, Little Orphan Otto, but her gender was changed at the request of Gray`s editor, Captain Joseph Medill Patterson.
Tim Curry claims to have based his performance as Rooster on a stagehand he knew while performing a play in New York City.
The top three candidates for the title role of Annie were Aileen Quinn (who won the role), Robin Ignico (who played Duffy in the film), and Angela Lee (who was told she looked too much like Aileen Quinn to play a lead orphan, but was offered a smaller role; In the Hard-Knock Life number, Angela is seen as an orphan sleeping).
Amanda Peterson made the top seven, for the coveted role of Annie, but was cut and offered a smaller role. She stood out in the film when she belted a solo in the reprise of "Dumb Dog", singing the lyrics; "Rover, why not think it over."
The rights to the sequel, "Annie Warbucks" were purchased by Sony Pictures.
The story for the musical ‘Annie’ is an original one, as nothing from the original comic strip could have been used in the musical. The story written for the musical caused some confusion as to what Annie`s origin in the original comic strip was, as the storybooks that came out at the time of the movie`s premiere are all sequels to the plot of the film.
The woman who ran Annie`s orphanage in the original strip was called Miss Asthma. This name was initially used in the musical for the woman who runs Annie`s orphanage, but it was changed to Miss Hannigan (leading to the popular assumption that "Miss Hannigan" was the name used in the original strip).
The song "We Got Annie" was included in an early draft of the stage musical, but it was dropped as several revisions were made before the show ever reached the stage. "We Got Annie" was meant to be sung by the downtrodden customers at a local coffee shop where Annie worked cleaning tables.
The scene featuring the "Maybe" song was the last one to be shot; it replaced the original opening sequence, which was too long and had to be deleted. However the reprise later on by the orphans was left in the film.
Linzi Hateley was considered for the title role.
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