Annie (1982) on Netflix
Annie lives in a New York orphanage run by Agatha Hannigan, keeping half a locket and hoping her parents will return. A billionaire's secretary selects her for a week at his mansion.
- Netflix2.9/5
- IMDb6.6/1054,414 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes49%
Trailer
Plot summary
During the Great Depression, Annie is a ten-year-old in New York City, where Agatha Hannigan runs the Hudson Street Orphanage and makes the girls clean the building each day. Half of a locket is her only possession, and she holds to the hope that the parents who abandoned her as a baby will return. Grace Farrell, secretary to the billionaire Oliver Warbucks, arrives to invite one orphan to stay with him for a week, a plan meant to improve how the public sees him. Annie gets the place and brings along Sandy, a stray dog she has taken in. Warbucks is at first dismissive, then charmed into letting her remain, and an outing takes him, Annie and Grace to Radio City Music Hall.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Annie (1982)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Before Albert Finney was cast as Oliver Warbucks, Sean Connery and Cary Grant were considered for the part, Bette Midler was considered for Miss Hannigan before Carol Burnett, and Jack Nicholson, Mickey Rooney, Mick Jagger and Steve Martin were considered for Rooster before Tim Curry.
- The song "Easy Street" was meant to be the film's biggest musical number, so a specially built outdoor street set costing more than $1 million was constructed and shot for a week. The scene was judged "overstuffed" and "sour", and was re-shot indoors nearly two months after principal filming had finished.
- Aileen Quinn won the title role from 9,000 girls interviewed at casting calls in the United States, Canada and Europe. Among the young hopefuls were Drew Barrymore and Kristin Chenoweth, who was later cast as Lily in the 1999 television adaptation.
- Columbia Pictures bought the rights to the Broadway musical for a record $9.5 million after a bidding war with Paramount Pictures. The stage show's writers had asked $5 million for the rights and wanted Mike Nichols to direct the film.
- Annie was the first and only musical John Huston directed in a 40-year directing career. Screenwriter Carol Sobieski called hiring him "an outsider risk" and producer Ray Stark "a major gambler".
SPOILER
The film changed the musical's ending: Carol Burnett's Miss Hannigan is redeemed by trying to save Annie from Rooster, whereas on stage she is fully aware that Rooster intends to kill Annie and is arrested with him at Warbucks' mansion.- Production designer Dale Hennesy had the old Warner Bros. "Tenement Street" backlot dressed with real New York fire escapes for the film. He died during filming, and the backlot set was renamed "Hennesy Street" in his honor.
- The film added five new songs, among them "Dumb Dog" and "Let's Go to the Movies", and cut six numbers from the stage show, including "N.Y.C" and "New Deal for Christmas".
