Starring Aileen Quinn, Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, and Ann Reniking
Directed by John Huston
Music by Charles Strouse; Lyrics by Martin Charnin
I'm pre-empting my original plans for tonight in honor of British actor Albert Finney, who passed away yesterday. I reviewed one of his two musical films, Scrooge, in December. He was already known as a character actor on stage and in movies like Murder On the Orient Express when he appeared as billionaire Oliver Warbucks in this version of the beloved Broadway show. Is this huge movie worth "Daddy" Warbucks' billions, or should it be dropped on a bridge? Let's head to an orphanage in New York in 1933 to find out...
The Story: Annie (Quinn) is a spunky orphan in 1933 Manhattan who continually runs away to look for her parents. Thanks to the half of a locket she wears, she's convinced they're out there somewhere, but she's always found and brought back to perpetually drunk Miss Hannigan (Burnett). She returns from one such excursion with a raggedy mutt, Sandy, in tow, but Hannigan doesn't really cotton to either of them. She's even less happy when Grace Farrell (Reniking), the secretary of billionaire Oliver Warbucks (Finney), takes Annie and Sandy to his huge mansion on the other end of Manhattan for a week as a publicity stunt.
Warbucks doesn't take to her at first, but she soon wins him over with her blunt and sensible nature. The week isn't even out before Warbucks and Grace want to adopt her...but Annie's still holding out for her real parents. He offers a reward for anyone who knows about her locket and the wherabouts of her parents. Feeling bitter over Annie getting out of the gutter and not her, Miss Hannigan readily agrees to the scheme suggested by her brother Rooster (Tim Curry) and his girlfriend Lily (Bernadette Peters). The latter two will dress as Annie's parents, bring Warbucks the locket, and collect the money...but they underestimate how much Annie means to both Warbucks and to her friends at the orphanage.
The Song and Dance: I have never understood why critics continue to be hard on this movie. I suspect it gets too many comparisons to the original Broadway show. This was one of my favorite movies when I was very young - my mother says it's one of the first live-action movies I ever saw in a theater - and it remains a lot of fun. Burnett, Peters, and Curry dig into their roles as the comic-book villains with relish, while Finney gets to show off his comedic range as the devoted bachelor and businessman who finally softens with Annie. The little girls are hilarious, and Reniking demonstrates the dancing skills that's made her a favorite on Broadway since the 70's. There's some gorgeous sets and cinematography, too, especially at Warbucks' expansive mansion and in the big action finale.
Some aspects of the comics that were cut from the stage show were restored here. Punjab (Geoffrey Holder) and, more briefly, The Asp (Roger Minami), Warbucks' bodyguards, both turn up, and Punjab has a major role in the finale. President Franklin Roosevelt (Edward Hermann) and Warbucks argue over their differing politics in a way that I wish a lot of politicians (or people in general) would keep in mind nowadays. And it doesn't bother me that the movie is set in the summer, rather than at Christmas, like the show.
Favorite Number: Even as a kid, my favorite song from this movie was "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile," which is first performed on the radio show where Mr. Warbucks makes his announcement about Annie's parents and the reward, then by the orphans who just listened to it. The girls have a ball with their kickline and singing into their shoes. Reniking leads one of the big ensemble numbers and one of the numbers added for the movie, "We've Got Annie"; she and Annie have a girl-to-girl moment with "Let's Go to the Movies" before the glamorous chorus at Radio City Music Hall takes over. Burnett dodges "Little Girls" and drinks herself into a stupor in one of the show's best songs, while she, Curry, and Peters have a blast sliding down banisters with their version of "Easy Street." Miss Hannigan tries to seduce Finney, to no avail, when he comes to adopt Annie in another song written directly for the film, "Sign!"
Probably the two most iconic numbers from this show and the film are Annie's hopeful ballad "Tomorrow," which she performs at the White House with FDR, Eleanor, and Warbucks, and the girls' first chorus number "It's a Hard Knock Life." The latter, with its swirling sheets and bittersweet lyrics, sets the stage for the movies - the girls have a rough life, but Annie's gonna get out, no matter what.
Trivia: "Easy Street" was originally supposed to be a much bigger chorus number, but apparently, it came off as too sour and too big and had to be reshot several months after most of the filming had already wrapped.
The exterior of Mr. Warbucks' mansion was filmed at Wilson Hall in Monmouth College in northern New Jersey; the bridge sequence was filmed at the real (defunct) NX Train Bridge in Newark.
This has been remade twice, as a Disney TV movie from 1999 (which I have seen), and an updated story set in the modern day from 2014 (haven't caught this one yet).
What I Don't Like: As with The Wiz, this movie has director problems. John Huston was mainly known for his action and drama films. That may be why there's some unnecessary action sequences towards the end, including the orphans breaking out of the closet Miss Hanngian locked them in and Punjab rescuing Annie from the bridge in the finale. The latter in particular mainly exists to pad out the film and give it a slightly edgier PG rating. The movie moves at a glacier pace; some younger kids may get fidgety after a while. While the fidelity to the comic book is nice, Punjab and The Asp are both a bit on the stereotypical side today, and the Asp has one line and is barely seen afterwards.
Miss Hannigan changes her mind about killing Annie way too quickly! One minute, she's agreeing to the whole "Easy Street" deal; the next, she's trying to keep Rooster from chasing Annie up the bridge. She probably should have gone to jail too (as she did in the original play), even if she did repent.
The Big Finale: While it can be corny and a bit cutesy, this remains one of my favorite movies...and I'm not the only one. This was a fair-sized hit in 1982, and a lot of women my age have told me they have equally fond memories of it. Some wonderful performances and really fun numbers overcome a few dated stereotypes and slow pacing. If you grew up when I did and saw this movie a lot on video or cable, or you have little girls of your own who may enjoy the music and rags-to-riches story, this is highly recommended.
Home Media: I have the later widescreen DVD; if you're not a fan of widescreen, there's an earlier DVD that included the fullscreen version as well. It's pretty easy to find on Blu-Ray and most streaming platforms, too.
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