History Trivia / Annie

* DisownedAdaptation: Martin Charnin, the musical's lyricist and original stage director, has openly expressed dislike for all three film versions, as well as the 2012 stage revival directed by James Lapine - in short, any version where the attempts at freshness stray too far from his original vision.

* PredecessorCastingGag: Andrea [=McArdle=] created the role of the lovable titular orphan in ''Theatre/{{Annie}}'', and played her abusive caretaker Miss Hannigan in a 2010 regional production.

** [[https://comics.ha.com/itm/animation-art/concept-art/alex-toth-little-orphan-annie-first-pass-cartoon-pitch-concept-art-group-of-3-1992-/a/121840-11209.s?ctrack=274073&type=spotlight-img12-comic--news--tem100418 Concept art]] for a proposed Hanna-Barbera animated series surfaced online, showing Annie, Warbucks and a host of [[CanonForeigner Canon Foreigners]]. Said art was done by Alex Toth in 1992 for his idea of a ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest''-style series, but this fell through for unknown reasons.

* CutSong: There were several, featured as bonus tracks on the Original Broadway Cast Album:

** "Just Wait": The original version of "Little Girls," with the then-named Miss Asthma singing to Annie about the sadistic ways she'll punish her after she's brought back to the orphanage.

** Early NBC casting announcements credited Creator/JaneKrakowski as Lily St. Regis, and Andrea [=McArdle=] as Eleanor Roosevelt. However, Krakowski contracted COVID-19 before the airing, resulting in Creator/MeganHilty replacing her. Meanwhile, [=McArdle=]'s father ended up in the hospital, and said character was not recast.

** Early NBC casting announcements credited Creator/JaneKrakowski as Lily St. Regis, and Andrea [=McArdle=] as Eleanor Roosevelt. However, Krakowski contracted COVID-19 before the airing, resulting in Creator/MeganHilty replacing her. Meanwhile, [=McArdle=]'s father ended up in the hospital, requiring NBC to find a new Eleanor Roosevelt while she tended to him.

** There were several [[CutSong Cut Songs]], featured as bonus tracks on the Original Broadway Cast Album:
*** "Apples": An opening number highlighting the Depression era setting, with several apple sellers on the street singing about how they used to be rich. This was cut because it delayed Annie's introduction too long; its sentiments were transferred into "We'd Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover."
*** "We Got Annie": Sung by the customers at the beanery where Annie works about how much they love her. This was cut after the plot line of Annie working at the beanery was cut, but it was reinstated for [[Film/Annie1982 the 1982 film]] and in later stage productions too, sung by Warbucks' staff instead.
*** "Just Wait": The original version of "Little Girls," with the then-named Miss Asthma singing to Annie about the sadistic ways she'll punish her after she's brought back to the orphanage.
*** "That's the Way It Goes": Sung by Miss Asthma and her brother Al (Rooster), complaining about how the rich always get richer while the poor get poorer; later replaced by the more upbeat "Easy Street."
*** "The Parents": A comic number at the Warbucks mansion with several couples of different ethnicities trying to pass themselves off as Annie's parents.
*** "I've Never Been So Happy": A solo for Annie where she frantically tries to convince herself she's happy that the "Mudges" are her parents; this was replaced by the "Maybe" reprise.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Why did Miss Hannigan keep the truth about Annie's parents' death from her? Did she prefer to encourage the idea that her parents had forgotten her? Did she plan to tell her someday and crush her hope for good? Or did she secretly want to keep Annie's hope alive, however much Annie bugged her?

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Why did Miss Hannigan keep the secret about Annie's parents' death from her? Did she prefer to encourage the idea that her parents had forgotten her? Did she plan to tell her someday and crush her hope for good? Or did she secretly want to keep Annie's hope alive, however much Annie bugged her?

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Why did Miss Hannigan keep the secret about Annie's parents' death from her? Did she plan to tell her someday and crush her hope for good? Or did she secretly want to keep Annie's hope alive, however much Annie bugged her?

** Joanna Pacitti was the highly-hyped newcomer cast for the 1997 Broadway revival, but was fired during the pre-Broadway tour and replaced by Brittny Kissinger. (This became fodder for a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' bit via a "Weekend Update" segment.)

** Kristen Vigard played Annie for one week in out-of-town previews, but then the creative team decided she was too sweet in the role and replaced her with Andrea [=McArdle=], who had been playing [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Pepper]] and gave off a more believably tough, streetwise vibe. Vigard became [[=McArdle=]]'s understudy.

** Kristen Vigard played Annie for one week in out-of-town previews, but then the creative team decided she was too sweet in the role and replaced her with Andrea [=McArdle=], who had been playing [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Pepper]] and gave off a more believably tough, streetwise vibe. Vigard became [[=McArdle]]'s understudy.

* DawsonCasting: Both Kristen Vigard and Creator/AndreaMcArdle were 14 when they played the 11-year old title character in the original 1977 musical production, though this is more or less averted in some of the later productions, notably with Lilla Crawford who was around Annie's age in the 2012 revival. The 1982 film and the 1997 20th Anniversary revival both even [[AgeLift lowered Annie's age]] to 10, because their Annies, Aileen Queen and Brittny Kissinger, were respectively 10 and 8 years old and clearly not 11 yet.

** Kristen Vigard played Annie for one week in out-of-town previews before being replaced by Andrea [=McArdle=].
** Joanna Pacitti was the highly-hyped newcomer cast for the 1997 Broadway revival, but was fired during rehearsals. (This became fodder for a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' bit via a "Weekend Update" segment.)

** "I've Never Been So Happy": A solo for Annie where she frantically tries to convince herself she's happy that the "Mudges" are her parents; this was replaced by the "Maybe" reprise.

* Miss Hannigan was originally going to be called Miss Asthma like her counterpart in the comic strip, Rooster was named Al Asthma, and Grace Farrell was called Grace Fair.
* There were several [[CutSong Cut Songs]], featured as bonus tracks on the Original Broadway Cast Album:
** "Apples": An opening number highlighting the Depression era setting, with several apple sellers on the street singing about how they used to be rich. This was cut because it delayed Annie's introduction too long; its sentiments were transferred into "We'd Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover."
** "We Got Annie": Sung by the customers at the beanery where Annie works about how much they love her. This was cut after the plot line of Annie working at the beanery was cut, but it was reinstated for [[Film/Annie1982 the 1982 film]] and in later stage productions too, sung by Warbucks' staff instead.
** "Just Wait": The original version of "Little Girls," with the then-named Miss Asthma singing to Annie about the sadistic ways she'll punish her after she's brought back to the orphanage.
** "That's the Way It Goes": Sung by Miss Asthma and her brother Al (Rooster), complaining about how the rich always get richer while the poor get poorer; later replaced by the more upbeat "Easy Street."
** "The Parents": A comic number at the Warbucks mansion with several couples of different ethnicities trying to pass themselves off as Annie's parents.

** "We Got Annie": Sung by the customers at the beanery where Annie works about how much they love her. This was cut after the plot line of Annie working at the beanery was cut, but it was reinstated for [[Film/Annie1982 the 1982 film]], sung by Warbucks' staff instead.

** "We Got Annie": Sung by the customers at the beanery where Annie works about how much they love her. This was cut after the plot line of Annie working at the beanery was cut, but it was reinstated for [[Film/Annie1982 the 1982 film], sung by Warbucks' staff instead.

* There were several CutSongs, featured as bonus tracks on the Original Broadway Cast Album: