Annie Oakley, the star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, thrilled audiences around the world with her daring shooting feats. While her act helped fuel turn-of-the-century nostalgia for the vanished, mythical world of the American West, the legend of Annie Oakley had little to do with the real Annie. Although famous as a western sharpshooter, Oakley lived her entire life east of the Mississippi. A champion in a man’s sport, Oakley forever changed ideas about the abilities of women, yet opposed female suffrage. Her fame and fortune came from her skill with guns, a concept that was counter to her Quaker upbringing.
Produced with grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Annie Oakley was originally broadcast in May 2006. It will re-air on PBS American Experience on Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at 8 PM.