Li'l Abner (1959 film)

Last updated
Li'l Abner
Lilabner.jpg
Directed by Melvin Frank
Written by Al Capp
Norman Panama
Melvin Frank
Produced byNorman Panama
Starring Peter Palmer
Leslie Parrish
Stubby Kaye
Howard St. John
Julie Newmar
Stella Stevens
Cinematography Daniel L. Fapp
Edited by Arthur P. Schmidt
Music by Gene De Paul
Joseph J. Lilley
Nelson Riddle
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
  • December 11, 1959 (1959-12-11)
Running time
114 minutes
LanguageEnglish
Box office$3,200,000 (US/ Canada) [1]

Li'l Abner is a 1959 musical comedy film based on the comic strip of the same name created by Al Capp and the successful Broadway musical of the same name that opened in 1956. The film was produced by Norman Panama and directed by Melvin Frank [2] (co-writers of the Broadway production). It was the second film to be based on the comic strip, the first being RKO's 1940 film, Li'l Abner.

Contents

Plot

It's a "typical day" in Dogpatch, U. S. A., a hillbilly town where Abner Yokum lives with his parents. Mammy Yokum insists on giving Abner his daily dose of "Yokumberry tonic", although he is fully-grown. He has a crush on Daisy Mae Scragg (although he resists marrying her) and she on him; Abner's rival for her affections is the World's Dirtiest Rassler, Earthquake McGoon.

Sadie Hawkins Day is approaching. On this day the "girls chase the men and marries whomstever [sic] they catches," as Senator Jack S. Phogbound puts it. However, the citizens of Dogpatch find out that their town has been declared the most unnecessary place in the country—and will be the target of an atom bomb, since the nuclear testing site near Las Vegas is allegedly spoiling things for the wealthy gamblers there.

Dogpatch people at first are pleased about leaving. They change their minds when Mammy Yokum points out some of the horrible, awful customs they'll have to adapt to, like regular bathing and (worst of all) going to work for a living. Now anxious to remain, the Dogpatchers try to muster something necessary about their town to save it. The government scientist in charge of the bomb testing, Dr. Rasmussen T. Finsdale, rejects all of their suggestions. However, Mammy brings forth her "Yokumberry Tonic", the substance that has made Abner the handsome, muscular, strapping specimen that he is. The only tree in the whole world that grows Yokumberries exists in the Yokums' front yard. Thus, the town of Dogpatch will become "indispensable" to the outside world.

Meanwhile, a greedy business magnate named General Bullmoose covets the tonic as well, since he could market it (as "Yoka-Cola," he tells Abner) and uses his wiles to get the tonic dishonestly. This involves Appassionata von Climax, the general's mistress. He cooks up a scheme to get Ms. von Climax to marry Li'l Abner, after which Abner would be killed and von Climax would become owner of the tonic, "by community property", and turn it over to Bullmoose.

He orders von Climax to enter the race on Sadie Hawkins Day. She catches Li'l Abner (with help from Evil Eye Fleegle) and Daisy Mae ends up heartbroken. But then Daisy, Mammy, Pappy and Marryin' Sam discover (through Mammy's "Conjurin' Power") what General Bullmoose is up to; Daisy promises to marry McGoon if he helps them to save Abner's life. McGoon agrees and rounds up practically everyone in Dogpatch to go to Washington on the rescue mission.

McGoon and the other Dogpatchers disrupt the society party at which Abner is supposed to drink a toast as a prelude to suffering the whammy—and the whammy-giver, Evil Eye Fleegle, says it won't work unless the subject has drunk liquor. So Bullmoose calls for a champagne toast. Fleegle strikes with his 'Truth Whammy' but McGoon deflects the whammy with a silver platter—and the whammy hits Bullmoose, who confesses his scheme.

Yokumberry Tonic is a failure: although it made the subjects healthy and muscular, they don't care about romance...to their wives' chagrin. (This also explains why Abner has resisted marrying Daisy for so long.) Back at Dogpatch — with the tonic rejected, the bombing is on again — the wedding of McGoon and Daisy Mae is on; Romeo Scragg and his kin are armed to keep Marryin' Sam from stalling. Daisy Mae has a plan of her own—she shows McGoon the rest of her Scragg relatives (including "Priceless and Liceless" Scragg, and the "Bar Harbor Scraggs," who've been "barred from every harbor in the country") and he backs out.

Dr. Finsdale orders the wedding stopped in order to evacuate. Pappy Yokum and some of the other Dogpatchers start to pull down an equestrian statue of Jubilation T. Cornpone (the town's founder) from a tall pedestal, claiming they won't leave without it. A stone tablet falls, and it turns out to carry an inscription ordered by Abraham Lincoln, who has declared the city of Dogpatch a "National Shrine" because of Cornpone's incompetence as a Confederate General. Abner points out "You can't bomb a national shrine" and Finsdale relents, cancelling the bombing and leaving Abner and Daisy free to marry.

Cast

[3]
ActorRole
Peter Palmer Li'l Abner Yokum
Leslie Parrish Daisy Mae
Stubby Kaye Marryin' Sam
Howard St. John General Bullmoose
Stella Stevens Appassionata von Climax
Julie Newmar Stupefyin' Jones
Billie Hayes Mammy Yokum
Joe E. MarksPappy Yokum
Bern Hoffman Earthquake McGoon
Al NesorEvil Eye Fleagle
Robert Strauss Romeo Scragg
William Lanteau Available Jones
Ted Thurston Senator Jack S. Phogbound
Carmen AlvarezMoonbeam McSwine
Alan Carney Mayor Dawgmeat
Stanley SimmondsDr. Rasmussen T. Finsdale
Diki LernerLonesome Polecat
Joe Ploski Hairless Joe
Babette BainLouella
Jerry Lewis Itchy McRabbit
Donna Douglas Lovelie
Lesley-Marie ColburnYoung Dogpatch Girl
Valerie Harper Luke's Wife
Beth Howland Clem's Wife
Brad Harris Muscleman Luke
Gordon Mitchell Muscleman Rufe

Production

Casting

Almost every major character in the movie was portrayed by the same performer who appeared in the role on Broadway. Significant exceptions are Daisy Mae (played by Edie Adams on Broadway), Appassionata von Climax (played on stage by Tina Louise) and Mammy Yokum (played on stage by Charlotte Rae). [lower-alpha 1] Jerry Lewis appears in a brief cameo as Itchy McRabbit. [6]

Music

Several songs, with music by Gene De Paul and lyrics by Johnny Mercer, were adapted directly from the Broadway production, but the original portions of the motion picture score were written and conducted by Nelson Riddle and Joseph J. Lilley, which earned them an Oscar nomination for Best Score in 1960 and earned Riddle a Grammy nomination for Best Soundtrack Album. The movie was released on December 11, 1959 by Paramount Pictures.

Reception

Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote, "Unless you are thoroughly allergic to bad grammar and cartoon repartee, you should have a good time at Li'l Abner, especially if you're a kid." [7] Variety stated, "The musical is lively, colorful and tuneful, done with smart showmanship in every department." [8] John L. Scott of the Los Angeles Times described the film as "delightful nonsense" with dance numbers that "are explosions of energy that set one's feet to twitching." [9] Harrison's Reports wrote that the film "slows down appreciably when it dips into complicated plot," but "the tunes by Johnny Mercer are sprightly if not memorable and the dances staged by Dee Dee Wood are pure delight." [10] Richard L. Coe of The Washington Post declared, "Li'l Abner is broad, colorful fun and I should think even Al Capp would be pleased with it." [11] The Monthly Film Bulletin said, "The dancing is fresh and energetic but, like the whole film, is unhappily served by the flat, hamfisted direction. Panama and Frank attempt no more than a straight VistaVision record of their Broadway musical, and show a complete indifference to the possibilities of staging such an attractive number as 'If I Had My Druthers.'" [12] John McCarten of The New Yorker wrote, "On Broadway the show was primitive; in the movies it is Neanderthal." [13]

Home media

The film was released on DVD on April 19, 2005, by Paramount Home Entertainment. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Capp</span> American cartoonist (1909–1979)

Alfred Gerald Caplin, better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip Li'l Abner, which he created in 1934 and continued writing and drawing until 1977. He also wrote the comic strips Abbie an' Slats and Long Sam (1954). He won the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award in 1947 for Cartoonist of the Year, and their 1979 Elzie Segar Award, posthumously for his "unique and outstanding contribution to the profession of cartooning". Capp's comic strips dealt with urban experiences in the Northern United States until the year he introduced "Li'l Abner". Although Capp was from Connecticut, he spent 43 years writing about the fictional Southern town of Dogpatch, reaching an estimated 60 million readers in more than 900 American newspapers and 100 more papers in 28 countries internationally. M. Thomas Inge says Capp made a large personal fortune through the strip and "had a profound influence on the way the world viewed the American South".

<i>Lil Abner</i> 1934–1977 American comic strip by Al Capp

Li'l Abner is a satirical American comic strip that appeared across multiple newspapers in the United States, Canada and Europe. It featured a fictional clan of hillbillies in the impoverished mountain village of Dogpatch, USA. Written and drawn by Al Capp (1909–1979), the strip ran for 43 years – from August 13, 1934, through November 13, 1977. The Sunday page debuted six months after the daily, on February 24, 1935. It was originally distributed by United Feature Syndicate and, later by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate.

<i>Lil Abner</i> (musical) American musical based on comic strip by Al Capp

Li'l Abner is a 1956 musical with a book by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, music by Gene De Paul, and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Based on the comic strip Li'l Abner by Al Capp, the show is, on the surface, a broad spoof of hillbillies, but it is also a pointed satire on other topics, ranging from American politics and incompetence in the United States federal government to propriety and gender roles.

Unique Art Manufacturing Company was an American toy company, founded in 1916, based in Newark, New Jersey that made inexpensive toys, including wind-up mechanical toys, out of lithographed tin. One of its early products was a wind-up toy featuring two tin boxers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stubby Kaye</span> American actor, comedian, vaudevillian and singer

Bernard Shalom Kotzin, known as Stubby Kaye, was an American actor, comedian, vaudevillian, and singer, known for his appearances on Broadway and in film musicals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chrysler Imperial Parade Phaeton</span> Motor vehicle

Three Chrysler Imperial Parade Phaetons were produced in 1952 by Chrysler as ceremonial vehicles. They were styled by Virgil Exner and were in many ways a preview of the new "100 Million Dollar" styling that would debut in 1955 on the newly separate Imperial marque and on other full-size Chrysler Corporation Cars.

<i>Fearless Fosdick</i> American comic strip character

Fearless Fosdick is a long-running parody of Chester Gould's Dick Tracy. It appeared intermittently as a strip-within-a-strip, in Al Capp's satirical hillbilly comic strip, Li'l Abner (1934–1977).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dogpatch USA</span> Former theme park in northwest Arkansas

Dogpatch USA was a theme park located in northwest Arkansas along State Highway 7 between the cities of Harrison and Jasper, an area known today as Marble Falls. It was based on the comic strip Li'l Abner, created by cartoonist Al Capp and set in a fictional village called Dogpatch. The park opened in 1968, and closed in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stella Stevens</span> American actress (1938–2023)

Stella Stevens was an American actress and model. She is also the mother of actor Andrew Stevens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billie Hayes</span> American actress (1924–2021)

Billie Armstrong Brosch, known professionally as Billie Hayes, was an American television, film, and stage actress, best known for her comic portrayals of Witchiepoo and Li'l Abner's Mammy Yokum.

Swee'Pea is a character in E. C. Segar's comic strip Thimble Theatre/Popeye and in the cartoon series derived from it. His name refers to the flower known as the sweet pea. Before his addition to the animated shorts, the name "Sweet Pea" was a term of affection used by main character Popeye. In the cartoon We Aim to Please, he addressed girlfriend Olive Oyl that way.

Mona Ray was an American stage and screen comedian / actress from the late 1920s to the early 1940s. Her most famous role was an appearance in black face as the mischievous slave Topsy in the 1927 silent film Uncle Tom's Cabin. During the 1930s, she starred in a number of musical/comedy films; she also appeared as Mammy Yokum in the 1940 version of Li'l Abner. She last appeared on the Broadway stage in 1942.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Strauss (actor)</span> American actor

Robert Strauss was an American actor. He became most familiar in Hollywood films of the 1950s such as Stalag 17 (1953), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard St. John</span> American actor (1905–1974)

Howard St. John was a Chicago-born character actor who specialized in unsympathetic roles. His work spanned Broadway, film and television. Among his best-remembered roles are the bombastic General Bullmoose in the stage and screen versions of the 1956 musical Li'l Abner, and his supporting roles in the classic comedies Born Yesterday (1950) and One, Two, Three (1961).

Debra Lee Feuer is an American former actress. She starred in the films Moment by Moment, The Hollywood Knights, To Live and Die in L.A., MacGruder and Loud, Il burbero and Homeboy: the latter in which she starred with her then-husband Mickey Rourke.

<i>Lil Abner</i> (1940 film) 1940 film

Li'l Abner is a 1940 film based on the comic strip Li'l Abner created by Al Capp. The three most recognizable names associated with the film are Buster Keaton as Lonesome Polecat, Jeff York as Li'l Abner, and Milton Berle, who co-wrote the title song.

Toby Press was an American comic-book company that published from 1949 to 1955. Founded by Elliott Caplin, brother of cartoonist Al Capp and himself an established comic strip writer, the company published reprints of Capp's Li'l Abner strip; licensed-character comics starring such film and animated cartoon properties as John Wayne and Felix the Cat; and original conceptions, including romance, war, Western, and adventure comics. Some of its comics were published under the imprint Minoan. Some covers bore the logo ANC, standing for American News Company, at the time the country's largest newsstand distributor.

Charles William "Whammy" Douglas was an American professional baseball player. The right-handed pitcher stood 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg) during his active career. Douglas was able to forge a professional career despite having lost an eye at age 11. Moreover, his blindness is what gave rise to Douglas's nickname, his glass eye giving the appearance of an "evil eye," putting the "whammy" on opposing batters.

<i>Sir Baboon McGoon</i>

Sir Baboon McGoon was an American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress last assigned to the 324th Bombardment Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, operating out of RAF Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire, England. The plane was featured in Popular Science magazine following an October 1943 belly landing in England. It was recovered and repaired, then later ditched in the North Sea on 29 March 1944 after a bombing run over Germany—the plane's 10-man crew all survived but became prisoners of war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bern Hoffman</span> American film, television and theatre actor

Benjamin Bernard Hoffman was an American film, television and theatre actor. He was perhaps best known for playing "Earthquake McGoon" in Li'l Abner, both in the Broadway play and in the 1959 film.

References

Informational notes

  1. Billie Hayes, who plays Mammy Yokum in this film, appeared in the Broadway production as a replacement for Charlotte Rae in the role; [4] Hayes also reprised the role in a 1971 TV production of Li'l Abner. [5]

Citations

  1. "Rental Potentials of 1960", Variety, 4 January 1961 p 47. Please note figures are rentals as opposed to total gross.
  2. "Li'l Abner". Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  3. Li'l Abner (1959) , retrieved 2018-08-16
  4. Li'l Abner Broadway cast - replacements at IBDB
  5. Li'l Abner (1971 TV production). at IMDb
  6. Evanier, Mark. "Li'l Abner in Hollywood" . Retrieved 2015-01-12.
  7. Crowther, Bosley (December 12, 1959). "The Screen: 'Li'l Abner'". The New York Times . 19.
  8. "Film Reviews: Li'l Abner". Variety . November 4, 1959. 6.
  9. Scott, John L. (December 17, 1959). "'Li'l Abner' Lively Dogpatch Hoe-Down". Los Angeles Times . Part IV, p. 10.
  10. "'Li'l Abner' with Peter Palmer, Leslie Parrish and Stubby Kaye". Harrison's Reports . November 7, 1959. 178.
  11. Coe, Richard L. (December 19, 1959). "Abner Is in Best of Hands". The Washington Post . C14.
  12. "Li'l Abner". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 27 (317): 80. June 1960.
  13. McCarten, John (December 19, 1959). "The Current Cinema". The New Yorker . p. 126.
  14. "DVD Talk".