American Experience, Annie Oakley

Tuesday, Dec. 22, at 10 PM

Repeats Wednesday, Dec. 23, at 3 AM and Sunday, Dec. 27, at 5 PM

In 1926, just a few months before Annie Oakley’s death, Will Rogers described her as “the greatest woman rifle shot the world has ever produced.” As the star attraction of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, she thrilled audiences around the world with her daring shooting feats. Her act helped fuel turn-of-the-century nostalgia for the vanished, mythical world of the American West.

Over time she became an American legend, but that had little to do with the real Annie Oakley. Although famous as a Western sharpshooter, Oakley lived her entire life east of the Mississippi. A champion in a man’s sport, she forever changed ideas about the abilities of women, yet she opposed female suffrage. Her fame and fortune came from her skill with guns, yet she was a Quaker.

This film chronicles Oakley’s life, from her childhood in Ohio to her world tours with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show.