History YMMV / LittleOrphanAnnie

* UncannyValley: Everyone's eyes are completely white. In a 1931 interview, this explanation was offered:
--> '''Gray:''' They ask me why I don't put pupils in the eyes of my subjects. In the first place, I don't think it is necessary, and again, even if I did put them in they wouldn't show up when reproduced in the majority of newspapers.

** During World War II, Annie formed the Junior Commandos to lead the war effort on the home front. At one point, a black boy, George, joins the Junior Commandos in a strip which reads like an appeal for the military to be desegregated. Southern newspapers were outraged to see a white girl and a black boy consorting with each other. Ever the conservative, Gray insisted that he wasn't a "reformer" and that he just put the character in to appeal to black readers. That he did, and though some black readers criticized his portrayal based on the character's dialect, and deference [[http://www.tcj.com/harold-gray-and-the-limits-of-conservative-anti-racism/]], many wrote in to thank him for the character, who sadly only appeared in that single strip. One wonders what Gray would have thought of Annie herself being black in the [[{{Film/Annie2014}} 2014 film]]. Maybe he'd just be happy to see FDR out of the picture.

** During World War II, Annie formed the Junior Commandos to lead the war effort on the home front. At one point, a black boy, George, joins the Junior Commandos in a strip which reads like an appeal for the military to be desegregated. Southern newspapers were outraged to see a white girl and a black boy consorting with each other. Ever the conservative, Gray insisted that he wasn't a "reformer" and that he just put the character in to appeal to black readers. That he did, and though some black readers criticized his portrayal based on the character's dialect, deference, and single-strip appearance [[http://www.tcj.com/harold-gray-and-the-limits-of-conservative-anti-racism/]], many wrote in to thank him for the character. One wonders what Gray would have thought of Annie herself being black in the [[{{Film/Annie2014}} 2014 film]]. Maybe he'd just be happy to see FDR out of the picture.

** During World War II, Annie formed the Junior Commandos to lead the war effort on the home front. At one point, a black boy, George, joins the Junior Commandos in a strip which reads like an appeal for the military to be desegregated. Southern newspapers were outraged to see a white girl and a black boy consorting with each other. Ever the conservative, Gray insisted that he wasn't a "reformer" and that he just put the character in to appeal to black readers. That he did, and black readers wrote in to thank him for the character, who sadly only ever appeared in that one strip. One wonders what Gray would have thought of Annie herself being black in the [[{{Film/Annie2014}} 2014 film]]. Maybe he'd just be happy to see FDR out of the picture.

** In its free-market capitalist propaganda. Warbucks "died" when FDR was re-elected because the New Deal was so bad for self-made men (in the opinion of Harold Gray, who wasn't exactly subtle with his views on government regulation, unions, child labour laws, etc.), but [[UnexplainedRecovery inexplicably resurrected]] after FDR died as the USA was now worth living in again.[[note]]This, despite the fact that [[UsefulNotes/HarryTruman his successor]] continued the New Deal program and even wanted to expand it under his ''Fair Deal'' which included things like repeal of Taft hartley and Universal healthcare[[/note]]

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: One World War II strip has Annie seeing a man physically attack an obnoxious war-profiteer for declaring that he hopes the war will continue for another twenty years. When a policeman tries to intervene, Annie stops him because "it's better some times to let folks settle some questions by what you might call democratic processes."

** In its free-market capitalist propaganda. Warbucks "died" when FDR was re-elected because the New Deal was so bad for self-made men, but [[UnexplainedRecovery inexplicably resurrected]] after FDR died as the USA was now worth living in again.[[note]]This, despite the fact that [[UsefulNotes/HarryTruman his successor]] continued the New Deal program and even wanted to expand it under his ''Fair Deal'' which included things like repeal of Taft hartley and Universal healthcare[[/note]]

** And, of course, had Gray been alive when the musical debuted, you know he would have had a heart attack upon witnessing any scene containing Warbucks praising FDR, let alone ''seeing'' the man on stage.

* TearJerker: A robber has kept Annie with him so that the police can't shoot at him because of the risk of hitting her. He finally decides to send her away.
--> '''The robber:''' I'm not going to take any more chances o' letting you get hurt. I'm not ''that'' bad. I'm still man enough to meet my finish ''alone.''

** In its free-market capitalist propaganda. Warbucks "died" when FDR was re-elected because the New Deal was so bad for self-made men, but [[UnexplainedRecovery inexplicably resurrected]] after FDR died as the USA was now worth living in again.

** In its free-market capitalist propaganda. Warbucks "died" when FDR was re-elected because the New Deal was so bad for self-made men, but [[UnexplainedRecovery somehow resurrected]] after FDR died as the USA was now worth living in again.

** And, of course, had Gray been alive when the musical debuted, you know he would have had a heart attack upon witnessing any scene containing Warbucks praising FDR, let alone ''seeing'' the latter on stage.

** Pertty much the first 2/3rds of the year 1934.

** And, of course, had Gray been alive when the musical debuted, you know he would have had a heart attack upon witnessing any scene containing Warbucks praising FDR.