IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF!

One hundred years after its original release, Little Orphant Annie will receive its Blu-ray and DVD debut!  The movie is an adaptation of the James Whitcomb Riley poem (rather than the similarly named comic strip which didn’t debut until 1924), and it is the earliest known surviving feature of silent film star Colleen Moore.

The restoration by film historian and archivist Eric Grayson is set to arrive as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on April 17th.

You can pre-order the video here: Little Orphant Annie (1918) Blu-ray/DVD Combo

And below is the full press release:

SILENT SCREEN STAR COLLEEN MOORE’S EARLIEST SURVIVING FEATURE FILM NEWLY RESTORED WITH ADDITIONAL FOOTAGE, COLOR TINTING, NEW SCORE NOW ON BLU-RAY/DVD

Film Historian/Archivist Eric Grayson’s Project, Part of 2016 Indiana and James Whitcomb Riley Centennials, is Now Available For Fans

NEW YORK, N.Y. (THURSDAY March 28, 2018) – Film historian Eric Grayson (www.filmeric.com) announced today that LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE (1918) starring Colleen Moore will be released on a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on April 17, 2018. The film is based on the poem by the same name, penned by James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916), noted poet and author and Indiana resident.

Five years before FLAMING YOUTH (1923) put Colleen Moore on the map as an iconic flapper, she appeared as the title character in a film adaptation of LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE (and yes, that’s the correct spelling), the James Whitcomb Riley poem. The poet makes a cameo appearance, in footage from the Indiana Centennial film shot two years earlier. Moore plays Annie, an imaginative young orphan girl who is sent to live with her abusive uncle, who then sends her to live with another family. She is smitten with love for a farmer who intervenes on her behalf, stopping the abuse. Along the way, we are treated to Annie’s fantasies as she imparts moral lessons on other orphans and on the children of her new family, warning them to behave or “the Gobble-Uns ‘ll Git You Ef You Don’t Watch Out!” Goblins run out of the screen, nasty boys are kidnapped by huge bats or dumped by witches in steaming cauldrons.

“This film is a highly unusual delight for silent film fans and it’s the oldest surviving film starring Colleen Moore,” Eric Grayson says. “This is one of those films that has been around, but the 16mm prints on this had been wrong since 1926, printed out of sequence and didn’t make any sense. I had to undo all that, and luckily a surviving script and continuity turned up about six months into the restoration. The Library of Congress had a number of 16mm’s and also six minutes of it on tinted 35mm nitrate that give me a clue to the tinting and toning. I knew I could get funding for this, I knew that I could get it preserved and I knew, just frankly, that if I didn’t do this, it was never going to be done.”

Grayson’s lengthy restoration process, performed in cooperation with the Library of Congress, included the reinstatement of about six minutes of the film, putting all the scenes back in the correct order, and the recreation of the elaborate tinting that was only seen in the 35mm nitrate prints. The result, available in this Blu-Ray/DVD combo, is the most complete and authentic to its original release the film has been in several decades. The film elements were scanned at 2K, then the image was digitally stabilized and cleaned up.

The release features a new musical score by noted silent film accompanist Ben Model, as well as commentary tracks by Jeff Codori, and by Eric Grayson and Glory-June Greiff. The project was funded by a grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation and by over 220 Kickstarter backers. The restoration had its theatrical world premiere in December 2016 at the Delphi Opera House in Delphi, Indiana, as one of the state’s many centennial events, and this disc release is the first time it’s been available to fans and collectors.

LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE (1918)

Director: Colin Campbell
Starring Colleen Moore and Tom Santschi, with Harry Lonsdale, Eugenie Besserer, and an appearance by James Whitcomb Riley
Original Release Date: December 1918
Genre: Drama/Romance
Blu-ray/DVD Street Date: April 17, 2018
Blu-ray/DVD SRP: $25.00
Film running time: 57 mins, plus extras
TRT 67 mins – color tinted – stereo – NTSC – not rated
new musical score composed and performed by Ben Model
Commentary tracks by Jeff Codori, Colleen Moore’s biographer, and by Eric Grayson and Glory-June Greiff on the restoration and the background of poet James Whitcomb Riley.
Interview with Eric Grayson at the premiere of the restoration.
Glory-June Greiff reads Little Orphant Annie and excerpts from Where is Mary Alice Smith?, both of which are referenced in the film.
Slick 16-page booklet with pictures and more background information on the film.
produced for video and restored by Eric Grayson
released by Eric Grayson

ABOUT ERIC GRAYSON

Eric Grayson is a free-lance film historian and collector. A three-time recipient of grants from the National Film Preservation Foundation, he specializes in the preservation of films that would otherwise have been neglected. His preservation projects include the first sound serial, The King of the Kongo (1929), the color sequence from Buster Keaton’s Seven Chances (1925), the historic David-Vs-Goliath Milan High School basketball finals (1954), and Little Orphant Annie. In addition, Grayson does shows and demonstrations all over the US, showcasing rare and little-seen films. His special interests include silent films and early talkies, plus early color film processes.