VIDEO: BWW's 12 Days of Christmas with Guest Editor Richard Jay-Alexander; Day 10 - The Original Broadway ANNIE with Andrea McArdle

BroadwayWorld.com is, once again, celebrating the Holiday Season with a special 'countdown' which will reveal some favorite holiday-themed performances! For the 5th Anniversary of this Exclusive Feature, we've invited director/producer Richard Jay-Alexander to be our first-ever Guest Editor, to share with us HIS holiday favorites. His list will be composed of holiday songs and boasting performances with artists we know and love from Broadway and beyond. We'll bet that this countdown will surely get you into the holiday spirit, as the big day rolls around on December 25th, but we won't forget Chanukkah and Kwanzaa either. This is sure to be a 'Must Check-In Daily' event to see what's on RJA's list, while we wish you Happy Holidays from all of us at BroadwayWorld.com!

It's Day 10 of BroadwayWorld's 12 Days of Christmas and our Holiday "video" features.

Today we bring you something rare and fun. Via Andrea McArdle and the Original Broadway Cast of ANNIE, is a clip from an Television Special that aired on NBC, in 1977, the year the musical opened on Broadway at the ALVIN Theatre and became a bonafide SMASH! THE ANNIE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL was not particularly good, but was capitalizing on the name of the show that suddenly everyone was talking about.

The set-up or premise was ridiculous: The curtain goes down on the REAL Broadway Show and the kids are upset that they have to work on Christmas Day, so they demand a party. (Are ya with me, here?) The Scrooge-like theatre owner is called "Mr. Nickelander" .... Are you STILL with me ???!!!!

It was not good, but Dorothy Loudon shined, as did choreography by Peter Gennaro. ANNIE has been around alot lately, with the new movie being released, the recent Broadway revival, etc., but nothing ever "ignited" like the ORIGINAL. No matter who or when it was tried. Attempts at sequels on stage even failed, but it's LEGEND now, as are some of the big hits from the score, like "Tomorrow", "It's A Hard Knock Life", and "Maybe"...and tons of stock and amateur productions are done annually, around the world.

Here, today, we offer you Happy Holidays, via Andrea McArdle singing "The Little Drummer Boy."