Annie Oakley

The kid was annoying but what kid isn't? Its like OMG and he's on here why? The fake fight scenes its like whenever someone was getting ready to fight its like okay fast-forward. Glad the collection i bought had subtitles. The chick was annoying but i hate women & kids. Yeah 35 year old woman, i can't stand either. She was annoying too. I bought the series for a couple of reasons. I thought i'd like Brad Johnson. No. He had the hots for Annie or Gail and it was sickening. Its like okay we know what you're doing. I got it for LQ Jones, Slim Pickens, and gorgeous Angel Eyes Van Cleef and of course so sweet Glenn Strange. Forgot how good he looks in black.

This TV show, probably the first of it's kind, demonstrated that a woman despite heavy obligations and responsibilities (little brother, no parents and a ranch to run), could successfully compete in a man's world. Not only could she successfully compete, but she would come through in a major crisis, save lives, behave with genuine courage, dignity and honor, do it cheerfully with good humor and prove extremely useful to the community while being the paradigm role model to an impressionable younger brother.

Where the TV show is a fictionalized account bearing no relationship to the real Annie Oakley, their accomplishments were. They both competed not just successfully but surprisingly and consistently, in what was then regarded as a man's world. The real Annie Oakley (Phoebe Ann Oakley Moses or Mozee or Mozey) was the heroine of the day in her travels through the US and Europe in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show out shooting just about anyone. In a time that antibiotics were non-existent, she suffered through tremendous injury and illness nearly dying on a couple of occasions and demonstrated a rare courage of getting out of bed to ensure that the show went on! Previous to that she had been the support of her family, ensuring that food was on the table every night and in later life quietly worked to support charities and women's rights.

To young girls growing up in the '50's the TV show Annie was the perfect counter balance to the heroics of The Lone Ranger, Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers, and Gene Autrey TV shows. Was it a coincidence she rode a palomino? Doubtful. The writers probably wanted to show as subtly as possible that she could compete with Roy and Dale on her own terms. The genre was the popular wild west-the most successful for many years if the longevity of westerns is a measure. Every week youngsters grew up knowing that America was exemplified by the standards of the Old West, where character was king. Honor, fair play, justice-for-all were the by words on which the TV heroes were modeled. That there was a pistol-packing lady whose character was a match for any of her male counterparts says a good deal about the fabric of the American character and actress Gail Davis made Annie Oakley the cheerful ideal to which all girls aspired. ANNIE OAKLEY was a wonderful TV show!

I never understand why some criticism this action-fun-show, maybe it's NO ZORRO or THE LONE RANGER, but if it helped young girls feel more confident in themselves and it took you away from the worlds problems for 30 minutes or longer, than it did a good job Gail Davis in real life was truely good with a gun n could ride a horse better than most, not her fault those who wrote her lines were no Shakespear. I found it a very enjoyable show one must remember it was made in the 1950's NOT 2020!!.. maybe Lofty could be replaced by a better actor like Lee Van Cleft or Gene Evans or even Phil Harvey! But overall the series is decent and has a good moral lesson after each episode.

Let me start out by saying that this show had absolutely nothing to do with the life and times of the real Annie Oakley. The real Annie was an honest to God deadly markswoman, but who was born and raised in the Wild West of Ohio. I'm not sure where the television Annie did her exploits in the Hollywood Never Never Land of the Old West, but it was definitely west of the Mississippi. Possibly in Colorado because.....

Annie was the niece of the sheriff who we never saw. One of the things I remember about this series was that several times the excuse why the sheriff wasn't around was that he was 'delivering a prisoner to Denver'. Hence I assume that's where the Oakleys resided.

Gail Davis played Annie. I still remember her in those cowgirl outfits in rather juvenile looking pigtails. The fashion may have been some of Dale Evans's castoffs, but it was deliberately so because this wholesome girl in pigtails fooled many an outlaw into not taking her seriously to their regret. Gail Davis was Gene Autry's leading lady in several of his later westerns and he managed her career.

The sheriff left his deputy, Lofty Craig as played by Brad Johnson. Given the mores of the Fifties, Lofty was always in trouble and every week the law needed the assistance of sharpshooting Annie.

If Lofty wasn't in trouble it was her brother Tagg. Tagg was played by Jimmy Hawkins who is probably best known as one of the Bailey children from It's A Wonderful Life. Annie was constantly coming to his aid.

I'm sure a whole generation of feminists saw Annie Oakley as kids and saw a woman could compete in a man's world most successfully. As did the real Annie Oakley in her career.

One of those kids who saw and liked Annie Oakley was my sister Nancy who's no longer with us as is Gail Davis. And this review is dedicated to a show she was crazy about as a child.

I love western shows,cheyenne,gunsmoke,tales of Wells Fargo are among my favorites,this is by far one of if not the worst western show I've ever seen. To be honest I never even heard of it until recently when Pluto TV started showing it. Have the best shot in the west who shoots everything but people,even when her younger brother tag is in grave danger. Let's not forget she had a hat around her neck she never wears despite never leaving it anywhere. Always wonder when she will run out of steps,lamps,chandeliers,sticks and other stuff to shoot when bad guys run away. The acting by the deputy sheriff lofty is awful to say the least. One of the worst shows ever created and aired.