After watching this 18.61-second film 9 times (twice in slow motion), Iv concluded that Annie hits 7 of 8 fixed targets with her first rifle, but NONE of her upwardly-thrown targets (including one lofted up TWICE by her male assistant; you can recycle targets ad infinitum when you always miss) with her second long gun. In defense of this Old West icon, she probably was not used to performing in a small black box, with the injunction to shoot BEFORE aiming in order to keep any possible "hits" within the view of a stationary camera. To meet the minimum review length requirement for this site, I might add that as a co-founder of B.A.N.G.S. (Broke Americans Need Gun Stamps), Annie's troubles in this flick prove that even the best markswoman sometimes needs an AK or Bushwhacker gun. If poor people deserve food just as much as rich people, they merit assault rifles even more so. Which means the government MUST give the indigent gun stamps to help them get the AKs and ample ammo which are now indispensable to survival in modern America. As they say, if you give a gal a fish, she will eat for a day. But if you give her an AK47, she can shoot all the fish in the barrel!
13 Reviews
Women's empowerment at its finest.
Kitahito24 March 2021
Her story is motivating, her skills are worthy of respect, plus she is... well, quite attractive. This short movie isn't giving her the appreciation she needs, since let's be honest: you could destroy those targets with a longer butter knife is you have one, that's how close they are to Annie. Still, very nice gunwork and steady shooting, with the camera too. So yeah, this is something you should definetly check out if you think women are only capable to do stuff in the kitchen.
Very early film with the real live Annie Oakley
SimonJack28 May 2017
What an interesting little piece of very early film by Thomas Edison's Kinetoscope studio. From the start, even the inventors in the communications field had savvy for marketing. What better way to tout the new motion picture camera than to show a legendary person of the time, Annie Oakley, doing what made her famous?
Another reviewer noted that Oakley appeared to miss all the glass balls tossed in the air. Indeed, this short shows most of them dropping back down and no splattering fragments from hits. I wonder if that wasn't intentional here. The guy who was tossing them was looking right at them and no more than a few feet from where they would be hit and shattered. He wasn't wearing any kind of eye protection and surely would have been pelted with glass splinters had Oakley hit any of the balls. This studio was a single room building that rotated on tracks to follow the sun. The "Black Maria," as it was called, was a very small space, which made it more dangerous for scenes of rifle shooting.
In any event, this was a successful venture for Edison's company. And Annie Oakley continued to entertain the throngs with her dead-eye shooting skills. She performed for crowds that included royalty around the world. For many years, she was a leading draw for Buffalo Bill's Wild West show that performed from 1883 to 1913. Two very good movies have been made about her. "Annie Oakley" of 1935 stars Barbara Stanwyck with a fine cast and a good portrayal of what Buffalo Bill's show must have been like. A 1950 musical comedy biography, "Annie Get Your Gun," stars Betty Hutton and Howard Keel.
For those interested in the technical development of the movies, here's how this little short film came about. Thomas Edison's phonograph, invented in 1877, became so popular that he wanted a way to put music with pictures. Of course, it would take more time to perfect that process (the late 1920s), but in 1988 Edison charged his assistant, William Dickson, with the task of creating a motion picture camera. Dickson pulled together the research and technology of British, French and American scientists and researchers, and used the new American technology of celluloid film to make the first motion picture camera.
Another reviewer noted that Oakley appeared to miss all the glass balls tossed in the air. Indeed, this short shows most of them dropping back down and no splattering fragments from hits. I wonder if that wasn't intentional here. The guy who was tossing them was looking right at them and no more than a few feet from where they would be hit and shattered. He wasn't wearing any kind of eye protection and surely would have been pelted with glass splinters had Oakley hit any of the balls. This studio was a single room building that rotated on tracks to follow the sun. The "Black Maria," as it was called, was a very small space, which made it more dangerous for scenes of rifle shooting.
In any event, this was a successful venture for Edison's company. And Annie Oakley continued to entertain the throngs with her dead-eye shooting skills. She performed for crowds that included royalty around the world. For many years, she was a leading draw for Buffalo Bill's Wild West show that performed from 1883 to 1913. Two very good movies have been made about her. "Annie Oakley" of 1935 stars Barbara Stanwyck with a fine cast and a good portrayal of what Buffalo Bill's show must have been like. A 1950 musical comedy biography, "Annie Get Your Gun," stars Betty Hutton and Howard Keel.
For those interested in the technical development of the movies, here's how this little short film came about. Thomas Edison's phonograph, invented in 1877, became so popular that he wanted a way to put music with pictures. Of course, it would take more time to perfect that process (the late 1920s), but in 1988 Edison charged his assistant, William Dickson, with the task of creating a motion picture camera. Dickson pulled together the research and technology of British, French and American scientists and researchers, and used the new American technology of celluloid film to make the first motion picture camera.
An Interesting Attempt
Snow Leopard11 August 2005
Like many of the earliest Edison Kinetoscope movies, this one showed a popular entertainment figure performing one of her specialties. It's an interesting attempt, and it's nice to have something preserved on film of Annie Oakley, one of the legends of her day. But the footage that resulted is clearly limited by the constraints of the studio.
Like most of the earliest Edison movies, this was filmed inside their 'Black Maria' studio. That setting worked very well in producing movies of various dancers, vaudeville acts, and the like. But with Annie Oakley, it forces her to squeeze her routine into an area much smaller than normal, and while she does a pretty good job anyway, it's clear that under the conditions to which she was more accustomed, she would have done much better.
It was not long at all before the Edison film-makers began to film subjects outdoors when it better suited the material. Even then, though, the scale and speed of Oakley's regular act would probably have created an insurmountable challenge to film with the equipment available in the 1890s. All the same, it's nice to be able to see moving footage of her, so as to be able to flesh out this legendary figure just a little bit better.
Like most of the earliest Edison movies, this was filmed inside their 'Black Maria' studio. That setting worked very well in producing movies of various dancers, vaudeville acts, and the like. But with Annie Oakley, it forces her to squeeze her routine into an area much smaller than normal, and while she does a pretty good job anyway, it's clear that under the conditions to which she was more accustomed, she would have done much better.
It was not long at all before the Edison film-makers began to film subjects outdoors when it better suited the material. Even then, though, the scale and speed of Oakley's regular act would probably have created an insurmountable challenge to film with the equipment available in the 1890s. All the same, it's nice to be able to see moving footage of her, so as to be able to flesh out this legendary figure just a little bit better.
This girl has focus
Horst_In_Translation20 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
"Annie Oakley" is a very early silent short film and back in 1894 films became more and more popular, even if they were still black-and-white, still running only a few seconds and still silent obviously. Here we see a young woman who shows us how gifted she is with the gun. She has some pretty good precision and hits basically every non-moving target and later on even everything that her assistant throws up in the air. Good job from her. And one big exception for this short film is that the title character is actually still really famous today. Annie got her gun. The director of this film, which is over 120 years old, is William K. Dickson again, a film pioneer. This is not a great film by any means, but thanks to the title character actually a pretty interesting watch. Only for its time though.
Pull!
MrCritical12 November 2003
As the commercial exploitation of the kinetoscope grew, filmmakers realized they needed to produce films that appealed to an audience that included middle-class women. This film was produced with this audience in mind where Oakley demonstrated her awesome marksmanship.
Great short film of what is possibly the first film featuring a firearm. Annie Oakley shows off her stuff and looks very good doing it.
10* (10* Rating System)
Great short film of what is possibly the first film featuring a firearm. Annie Oakley shows off her stuff and looks very good doing it.
10* (10* Rating System)
A legend on film...
kobe141315 July 2014
Annie Oakley shows off her shooting prowess for the camera of William Heise and W.k.L. Dickson. She first shoots at targets on a board, and then fires at targets being tossed up into the air by an assistant. This was filmed at Edison's Black Maria studio in New Jersey.
This film was more energetic than most shorts from 1894. Oakley's shooting seems to be live and real, especially when shooting at the board. It is hard to tell if she is hitting the tossed targets, but we can still tell the great skill she has. She was probably the biggest star the filmed by the Edison duo in 1894.
I give it two out of ten stars.
This film was more energetic than most shorts from 1894. Oakley's shooting seems to be live and real, especially when shooting at the board. It is hard to tell if she is hitting the tossed targets, but we can still tell the great skill she has. She was probably the biggest star the filmed by the Edison duo in 1894.
I give it two out of ten stars.
An important and impressive part of history.
lhmcm25 September 2022
This short film is important for 2 reasons: One, because it's real footage of the legendary Annie Oakley; two, because it is the earliest known depiction of the American west. Not The Great Train Robbery (1903), not Kindnapping by Indians (1899), but this. In 1894, there were anthers like this - Bucking Bronco, Sioux Ghost Dance, - but this is the earliest. While The Great Train Robbery kickstarted the genre as a 12 minute story, this film was the beginning. However, this is just a 20 second recording. So it isn't much, but I gave it a 10 star rating because its an important part of history, and it's impressive to see someone with such good aim exploding glass orbs. It's obviously not iconic or a masterpiece, but it's a great way to spend 26 seconds, and everyone should see it.
Shooting star
vukelic-stjepan11 December 2016
It is first film where someone is starring. And who is starring there? See title of movie. You don't know who is Annie Oakley? I did not know also, but Annie is interesting girl who made her career with gun.
Wikipedia says: ''Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey; August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) was an American sharpshooter and exhibition shooter. Her "amazing talent"[1] first came to light when the then-15-year-old won a shooting match with traveling-show marksman Frank E. Butler (whom she married). The couple joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West show a few years later. Oakley became a renowned international star, performing before royalty and heads of state.''
I am curious, does USA people know who is Annie Oakley, is she recognized know or she is forgotten.
Wikipedia says: ''Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey; August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) was an American sharpshooter and exhibition shooter. Her "amazing talent"[1] first came to light when the then-15-year-old won a shooting match with traveling-show marksman Frank E. Butler (whom she married). The couple joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West show a few years later. Oakley became a renowned international star, performing before royalty and heads of state.''
I am curious, does USA people know who is Annie Oakley, is she recognized know or she is forgotten.
The original "Annie get your gun"!
PeterJordan25 February 2003
A little slice of American History from the Edison Black Maria studio from November of 1894 shows the real life Annie Oakley shooting fixed targets and airbourne tossed glass balls. Truly a fascinating little piece of film that bridges the real Wild West with a theme that was to run through countless fictional movies in the century to follow.
2.24.2024
EasonVonn24 February 2024
The picture is unexpected smooth and incredible. With Annie Oakley's perfect shooting performance perfectly make this picture join the rank of great films at the early cinema in Black Maria(mostly consisted with dynamic sport figures)
"Most films featured well-known sports figures, excerpt from noted vaudeville acts, or performances by dancer or acrobats. Annie Oakley displayed her riders. A few Kinetoscope shorts were knockabout comic skits, forerunners of the story film." FILM HISTORY PAGE7 The picture is unexpected smooth and incredible. With Annie Oakley's perfect shooting performance perfectly make this picture join the rank of great films at the early cinema in Black Maria(mostly consisted with dynamic sport figures)
"Most films featured well-known sports figures, excerpt from noted vaudeville acts, or performances by dancer or acrobats. Annie Oakley displayed her riders. A few Kinetoscope shorts were knockabout comic skits, forerunners of the story film." FILM HISTORY PAGE7.
"Most films featured well-known sports figures, excerpt from noted vaudeville acts, or performances by dancer or acrobats. Annie Oakley displayed her riders. A few Kinetoscope shorts were knockabout comic skits, forerunners of the story film." FILM HISTORY PAGE7 The picture is unexpected smooth and incredible. With Annie Oakley's perfect shooting performance perfectly make this picture join the rank of great films at the early cinema in Black Maria(mostly consisted with dynamic sport figures)
"Most films featured well-known sports figures, excerpt from noted vaudeville acts, or performances by dancer or acrobats. Annie Oakley displayed her riders. A few Kinetoscope shorts were knockabout comic skits, forerunners of the story film." FILM HISTORY PAGE7.
Great Film
Michael_Elliott18 September 2018
Annie Oakley (1894)
This film from Edison is certainly of historical interest since it shows the legendary Annie Oakley performing some of her trick shots. This film clocks in at just 21-seconds but there's no question that you can't help but be highly entertained just because you get to see her in action. What's so fascinating about these old movies is that they often captured famous shows and acts on film and it's great being able to see them today. More times than not these shows are long forgotten but being able to see someone like Oakley was great fun.
This film from Edison is certainly of historical interest since it shows the legendary Annie Oakley performing some of her trick shots. This film clocks in at just 21-seconds but there's no question that you can't help but be highly entertained just because you get to see her in action. What's so fascinating about these old movies is that they often captured famous shows and acts on film and it's great being able to see them today. More times than not these shows are long forgotten but being able to see someone like Oakley was great fun.
The Real Annie
Tornado_Sam11 November 2017
Like many of Dickson and Heise's performance movies, such as the well-known "Annabelle" series, this brief film serves a much different purpose when viewed today than when originally released. In the beginning, the biggest reason Edison's company was so into shooting vaudeville acts and other various sensations of the period was, obviously, to promote the titular performer further as well as cashing in on showing brief sneak peeks of the act through this new medium. Like all of the performance movies, "Annie Oakley" did help this cause, but today serves a completely different purpose than normally. Frequently, watching films of Luis Martinetti, Hadj Cheriff and others help us remember these forgotten historical figures: yet, in this case we can use Edison's record of the act to acquire an idea of what Oakley's skill was like when viewed all those years ago. Clearly her persona is already very well known, and does not need any more recognition; so a film like this one helps illustrate the original fame of the performer rather than serving as a purpose to remember a forgotten historic sensation.
As such, "Annie Oakley" would be a must-see short for any film historians or (more importantly) history buffs. The famous sharpshooter was filmed only once in the Black Maria studio on September 24 1894, a date on which many members of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (including "Buffalo Bill" Cody himself) were shot in order to promote their acts further into Europe. (Indeed, the show itself would also be touring European continents shortly after these movies were made, which shows how Edison probably wanted an excuse to introduce his invention to other countries). In this thirty-second clip, the only known motion picture record of Oakley, Annie is shown inside the studio against that boring black background we've gotten used to, shooting several rows of glass balls in rapid succession. A man (very probably Francis E. Butler, her husband) then assists her in tossing coins into the air which she shoots down one by one.
We can only speculate why Edison chose to film Oakley in such an unnatural setting. As Snow Leopard has already pointed out, it's clear she isn't always always right on the mark and occasionally takes two shots before getting a hit. A more natural setting might have been a rodeo ring, (like the one used for Bucking Broncho) in which she may have felt more confident and/or comfortable with her marksmanship. Alas, that wasn't the case at all, and it would be a couple more years until shooting on location became a more practiced concept with the Edison studios.
Nonetheless, "Annie Oakley" is a very important record simply because of the famous historical figure it portrays. As is the case with most cinema of this period, watching brief documentary snippets such as these allow us to get an idea of what was popular during the time. Keeping that in mind, every Edison performance short, entertaining or not, is worth seeing simply because of how they depict long forgotten life of all those years ago.
As such, "Annie Oakley" would be a must-see short for any film historians or (more importantly) history buffs. The famous sharpshooter was filmed only once in the Black Maria studio on September 24 1894, a date on which many members of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (including "Buffalo Bill" Cody himself) were shot in order to promote their acts further into Europe. (Indeed, the show itself would also be touring European continents shortly after these movies were made, which shows how Edison probably wanted an excuse to introduce his invention to other countries). In this thirty-second clip, the only known motion picture record of Oakley, Annie is shown inside the studio against that boring black background we've gotten used to, shooting several rows of glass balls in rapid succession. A man (very probably Francis E. Butler, her husband) then assists her in tossing coins into the air which she shoots down one by one.
We can only speculate why Edison chose to film Oakley in such an unnatural setting. As Snow Leopard has already pointed out, it's clear she isn't always always right on the mark and occasionally takes two shots before getting a hit. A more natural setting might have been a rodeo ring, (like the one used for Bucking Broncho) in which she may have felt more confident and/or comfortable with her marksmanship. Alas, that wasn't the case at all, and it would be a couple more years until shooting on location became a more practiced concept with the Edison studios.
Nonetheless, "Annie Oakley" is a very important record simply because of the famous historical figure it portrays. As is the case with most cinema of this period, watching brief documentary snippets such as these allow us to get an idea of what was popular during the time. Keeping that in mind, every Edison performance short, entertaining or not, is worth seeing simply because of how they depict long forgotten life of all those years ago.
See also
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