Little Annie Rooney
written by MICHAEL NOLAN
LITTLE ANNIE ROONEY
LITTLE ANNIE ROONEY    (SCREEN SONGS)   1931
LITTLE ANNIE ROONEY
MUSICAL MEMORIES    (COLOR CLASSICS)   1935
Little Annie Rooney was written by English composer Michael Nolan in 1889. The song was first heard in English music halls before debuting on stage at New York's London Theatre in the musical The Bowery Girl. In the show the song was sung by "The Bowery Girl" Annie Hart. In late 1895 the popular show opened on Broadway at the Grand Opera House. The song was very popular hit in New York in the 1890's (known nostalgically as the Naughty Nineties). Due to the absence of international copyright law Nolan received no royalties for his hit song. Nolan was so frustrated with this injustice that he quit composing music all together. His anger inspired a Scottish saying - "she's having an Annie Rooney." To add insult to injury, a unrelated 1925 silent movie was released copying the name of Nolan's song for its title. Then, in the a mid-1920's a comic strip in The Chicago Tribune was inspired by Annie called Little Orphan Annie. And before long, King Features launched an obvious knock-off comic strip in 1927 called Little Annie Rooney. The comic became a popular strip from 1927-1966. In 1931, Fleischer Studios used the song for an installment of their Screen Songs series. The short, which features a statuette of Betty Boop in the background, features Annie as Bimbo's girlfriend (voiced by Little Ann Little) - the two get married in the end of the cartoon. Fleischer used the song Little Annie Rooney again in 1935 as one of several 1890's hits featured in the Color Classics short Musical Memories. The popularity of Annie continued into the 1940's with the hit film Miss Annie Rooney - the 1943 film was Shirley Temple's first teenage role. Meanwhile, Little Orphan Annie inspired it's own radio show and films. In 1977 the character inspired the hit Broadway musical Annie. While many made a fortune off Michael Nolan's popular hit song and the comics and films it inspired, Nolan never received any royalties at all and he ultimately died broke.
190?

HOME
RECORDING
1910

ARTHUR
C. CLOUGH
&
BILLY
MURRAY
192?

JAMES
EGAN

​
192?

MAX BOAG
AND HIS
SKATERS
BAND
(WALTZ
MEDLEY)
1932

DEBROY
SOMER
(WALTZ
MEDLEY)
1937

THE
TRANSCO
CHORALE
194?

HISTORIC
CAROUSEL
​MUSIC
1950
THE
LEGENDARY
SONS OF
​PIONEERS
19??

THE
BANJO
KINGS
1963

BIG TOP
CAROUSEL
BAND ORGAN
1964

ALLEM
GARDINER'S
ACCORDIAN
BAND
2014

RICHARD
PHILLIPS



PLAYER
​PIANO
LITTLE ANNIE ROONEY
​
1.
A winning way, a pleasant smile
Dressed so neat but quite in style
Merry chaff your time to wile
Has little Annie Rooney
Every ev'ning, rain or shine
I make a call twist eight and nine
On her who shortly will be mine
Little Annie Rooney

Chorus:
She's my sweetheart, I'm her beau
She's my Annie, I'm her Joe
Soon we'll marry, never to part
Little Annie Rooney is my sweetheart

2.
The parlor's small, but neat and clean
And set with taste so seldom seen
And you can bet the household queen
Is little Annie Rooney
The fire burns cheerfully and bright
As a family circle round, each night
We form, and every one's delight
Is little Annie Rooney

3.
We've been engaged close on a year
The happy time is drawing near
I'll wed the one I love so dear
Little Annie Rooney
My friends declare I'm in a jest
Until the time comes will not rest
But one who knows its value best
​Is little Annie Rooney
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