Who
first thought of and created ‘Annie’?
Little
Orphan Annie is a daily American comic strip created by Harold Gray
and syndicated by the Tribune Media Services. The strip took its name
from the 1885 poem "Little Orphan Annie" by James Whitcomb
Riley, and made its debut on August 5, 1924, in the New York Daily
News.
The
plot follows the wide-ranging adventures of Annie, her dog Sandy and
her benefactor Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks. Secondary
characters include Punjab, the Asp and Mr. Am. The strip attracted
adult readers with political commentary that targeted (among other
things) organized labor, the New Deal and communism.
Following
Gray's death in 1968, several artists drew the strip and, for a time,
"classic" strips were reruns. Little Orphan Annie inspired
a radio show in 1930, film adaptations by RKO in 1932 and Paramount
in 1938 and a Broadway musical Annie in 1977 (which was adapted into
a film of the same name three times, one in 1982, one in 1999 and
another in 2014). The strip's popularity declined over the years; it
was running in only 20 newspapers when it was cancelled on June 13,
2010. The characters now appear occasionally as supporting ones in
Dick Tracy.
Which
year and which city is the musical placed in?
In
1933, during the Great Depression, a young orphan named Annie is
living in the Hudson Street Orphanage in New York City. It is run by
Miss Hannigan, a cruel alcoholic who forces the orphans to clean the
building daily. With half of a locket as her only possession, she
remains optimistic that her parents, who left her on the doorstep as
a baby, will return for her.
What
is the social/financial situation of the time?
The
Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took
place mostly during the 1930s, beginning in the United States. The
timing of the Great Depression varied across nations; in most
countries it started in 1929 and lasted until the late-1930s. It was
the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th
century. In the 21st century, the Great Depression is commonly used
as an example of how intensely the world's economy can decline.
The
Great Depression started in the United States after a major fall in
stock prices that began around September 4, 1929, and became
worldwide news with the stock market crash of October 29, 1929 (known
as Black Tuesday). Some economies started to recover by the
mid-1930s. However, in many countries the negative effects of the
Great Depression lasted until the beginning of World War II.
The
Great Depression had devastating effects in countries both rich and
poor. Personal income, tax revenue, profits and prices dropped, while
international trade plunged by more than 50%. Unemployment in the
U.S. rose to 25% and in some countries rose as high as 33%.
How
do you think an orphan might have felt in such circumstances?
The
American depression left many effects on children. The unemployment
made it so hard to bear, that families couldn't support their
children. Their parents didn't have enough money to support them.
Moreover, lots of parents died and no one could support the children.
The
different orphanages had different varieties of food. Most children
in the orphanage would eat plain soup with bits of bread. When there
was nothing else they had to eat oat meal for weeks. Sometimes
orphans had nothing to eat. Orphanages ranged in sizes. Most weren’t
big enough to fit all the children. There weren’t a lot of beds so
they had to either share or sleep on the floor. There weren't many
rooms and places to sleep.
Some
of the names of the musical actually have a real meaning. Try to
guess what they imply!
Warbucks
= (bucks: dollars) Someone who talks about money and jewelry at all
times.
Grace
= smoothness and elegance of movement, courteous good will
Rooster
= hmmmm... I’m not telling you! 😉
Hannigan
= a person who is obnoxious and unattractive to the opposite sex
Lily
= success… whatever!
Annie
= wondrous, angelic and inspiring.
Pepper
= a seemingly non-compliant and grumpy creature that appears to be
unhappy whatever the situation
Find
some more here: https://www.urbandictionary.com/
Adapted
by Kalliopi Sotireli. Main Source: Wikipedia
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