There’s some terrific
news out of VCI Entertainment this week.
It’s about a real-life Western legend.
No, make that an international legend!
There was no doubt about it; legend she was.
She was born Phoebe Ann
Moses at the beginning of the Civil War — the Western frontier was still
untamed — and grew up in poverty in western Ohio and as a result she only had a
smattering of formal education. And
there her story might have ended.
But, Phoebe Ann had one
amazing skill, she could shoot like any man … and pound for pound she was
tougher than most. At the age of 15, and barely five-feet tall,
she was pitted against the best shot in the land (a fellow named Francis E.
Butler) at an event in Cincinnati, Ohio on Nov. 25, 1875 (Thanksgiving Day) for
a cash prize of $100. For 24 rounds
they matched each other shot for shot … and then he missed (he would marry her
the following year).
The legend of Annie
Oakley was born that day. She would
become a fixture with Buffalo Bill's Wild West during the 1880s, be adopted by
Sitting Bull and hob-nob with the likes of Queen Victoria and Kaiser Wilhelm …
Teddy Roosevelt even named the “Rough Riders” in her honor.
Barbara Stanwyck
portrayed her in director George Stevens’ 1935 film hit, Annie Oakley and 15 years
later (1950) Betty Hutton did the same in the musical smash, Annie
Get Your Gun. This did not go
unnoticed and none other than Gene Autry, a Western star in his own right, who teamed
with filmmaking legend Armand Schaefer, plus Colbert Clark and Louis Grey (who
had all been associated with Autry over the years) to launch Annie
Oakley, the television series.
Having worked on The
Gene Autry Show (as different characters), it was only natural that
Gail Davis would be the star of the new series, which was simply titled Annie
Oakley. She was perfect for the
role.
For three full seasons
she starred (1954/55 through 1957/58 — 81 glorious Western adventures) as a
fictionalized version of Annie Oakley (transplanted to Arizona, but actually
filmed in Chatsworth and Corriganville, with location shots in Lonepine). The guest stars read like a who’s who of the
period and include the likes of Harry Lauter, Walter Reed, Roy Barcroft, Slim
Pickens … even the original Superman, Kirk Alyn.
Episodes have been hard
to come by (VCI Entertainment even put out a few on a double-disc set some time
back), but on Oct. 21 fans can celebrate the arrival of Annie Oakley: The Complete Series
— all 81 episodes spread over a massive 11 disc DVD collection.
Bonus features include a
newly-prepared feature-length documentary on the series star, Gail Davis, the
original TV pilot featuring Billy Gray (best known as Bud in the Father
Knows Best television series from this same period) as her brother Tagg
(Jimmy Hawkins would take on that role in the actual series), an accompanying
episode guide and not one, or two, or even three, but seven complete photo
galleries from the personal collection of Gail Davis.
