Annie Oakley

I'm not a big fan of the Annie Oakley television series from the 1950s but I think it is entertaining enough and my wife likes it much more than I do (she remembers actually watching while it was new and it was one of her favorite programs, while I never saw any of the stories until a little over a year ago). I bought this twenty episode collection to rotate with other vintage TV programs which we watch on Saturday (and sometimes Sunday) mornings. We already owned eleven episodes of Annie Oakley, and this collections only duplicated five of those, so we now own 26 of the 82 episodes of the syndicated series which is a darned good start toward having the complete series, but I doubt the complete series will ever be offered for sale because apparently some of the episodes are in Public Domain and some aren't. I imagine anyone who would consider buying the 20 episode collection has some familiarity with the series, even if it is only having seen some episodes as a child and remembering that they were entertaining. They are still entertaining, if you have never seen Annie Oakley previously. The principle characters, Annie herself, her younger brother Tagg, and Deputy Sheriff "Lofty" Craig, who is more or less courting Annie, are all well cast. The storylines are fairly juvenile and endings are often predictable but there are also a couple of unusual stories, and usually a bit of humor that is actually humorous, a few episodes features actors who were well known then or became well known later on (Keye Luke, Alan Hale Jr. and Slim Pickins, for example). There is a good deal of western action: shooting and riding, with Lofty proving some fisticuffs, but everything is rather bloodless and justice always prevails or crime and chaos, and sometimes over prejudice as well. Annie is a sort of proto-feminist and deserves a place in television history as a strong role model for young women, but she really doesn't seem much different than most female characters from the fifties. For some reason, the ten episodes on the first of the two discs are well preserved and have nice clear images and good soundtracks, some of the episodes on the second disc are too dark, or have a bit of visual static, or a few seconds missing here and there but the soundtracks haven't obviously suffered. Basically the first disc is superior to most "vintage" television fare which hasn't been remastered and the second disc is somewhat iffy. Young Jimmy Hawkins, who plays the kid brother Tagg was small and cute in the first year of production, grew several inches before the second season started, and had quite a growth spurt before the final episodes; most of the material on the first disc is in roughly broadcast order but Hawkin's size changes radically from episode to the next on the second disc and is a bit disconcerting if you watch more than one episode at a sitting. All-in-all, I'm satisfied with the collection because I never expect material from the Public Domain to be remastered and most of the episodes are in good or far better shape, and the series itself was also above average and holds up better than many other western series which lapsed into the Public Domain. The price is also very reasonable and I consider the two disc set a bargain, and it adds some welcomed variety to our weekend mornings. I certainly wouldn't mind having another ten or twenty episodes of Annie Oakley but I don't realistically expect that to come to pass, but it would be nice if it did.

A wonderful western series from the mid 50s, with the first 'female' star in any similar genre. It is a little sappy in places, but better to share 1950s sappy than the day in, day out hatred by the President. Amazon rocks, Trump sucks.

I bought this for my Mother's stocking stuffer. She loves the older TV series, and especially Gail Davis. Many hours of delightful viewing!

This dvd brought back some wondeful memories for me and am thoroughly enjoying the episodes. They are great stories and very well acted.

I have enjoyed my Annie Oakley DVDs. It brings back a lot of childhood memories, as we used to rush home from school so we could watch her show.Mrs. J. Long

Often it can be disappointing when one revisits the joys of one's childhood. Not so with this wonderful series. I remember looking forward to the show every week, insisting that my Mum and Nan kept quiet, hoping the dog would not find anything to bark at while the story unfolded, and recounting the story from each episode to my Dad when he came home from work, and wishing he could have watched it with me. Sixty years on, I have pretty much forgotten the stories, although the opening credits were well learned. So, watching these recordings came as fresh new adventures, and I was glued to the DVD player as the plots unfolded. It is the strength of the well structured stories that makes this series timeless, and will always be exciting and entertaining to watch. Admittedly, the presentation is a bit wooden by today's standards, but it really does not matter once one is caught up in the anticipation of what will happen next. Thankfully, the excitement is well within the safe zone that you absolutely know that the good guys will all be okay in the end. I am still sad that my Dad, now long dead, will not be able to sit with me to watch Annie, Tag and Lofty putting the wild west to rights.

This is a lovely little series that I can only vaguely recall from early childhood. It's pretty much in the style of the original 'Lone Ranger' TV programme, though each week it's set in the same wild-west town or surrounding area. Good old-fashioned family entertainment.

This is fairly standard 50s TV western fare, comparable to the likes of Champion The Wonder Horse and The Lone Ranger. Petite and pretty Gail Davis plays the legendary sharpshooter who helps to fight crime in a small town. Picture and sound quality on this Elstree Hill release are not great, but are acceptable, 16 episodes make up this boxset, each episode is around 25 minutes long.

Makes me feel old.

Initial thoughts about the DVD are very good but I hav'nt finnished watching all of this DVD as yet.