Li'l Abner (film)

:"For the Broadway musical version, see Li'l Abner"Infobox_Film
name = Li'l Abner


director = Melvin Frank
writer = Al Capp
Melvin Frank
starring = Peter Palmer
Leslie Parrish
Julie Newmar
Stella Stevens
producer = Norman Panama
editing = Arthur P. Schmidt
music = Gene De Paul
distributor = Paramount Pictures
released = December 11, 1959
runtime = 114 minutes
language = English| imdb_id = 0053001

"Li'l Abner" is a 1959 musical film based on the comic strip of the same name created by Al Capp. It was also based on a successful Broadway musical that opened in 1956. The movie was produced by Norman Panama and directed by Melvin Frank (co-writers of the Broadway production). Some music in the movie was 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.

Almost every major character in the movie's cast was played by the same person who held that role in the original Broadway cast. Notable exceptions are the characters of Daisy Mae (played by comedienne Edie Adams on Broadway) and Appassionata von Climax (played on Broadway by Tina Louise).

There were actually two film versions of Li'l Abner--both based on the Al Capp comic strip. The 1959 film--a musical nominated for Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy awards and based on the Tony-Award winning Broadway show--is the better known of the two. There was another version of Li'l Abner--filmed in black and white--which was released in 1940 by [http://www.imdb.com/company/co0079587/ Vogue Productions] . The 1940 version was not a musical, but played as a comedy, and the storyline was significantly different from the later productions. The three most recognizable names associated with the 1940 film were Buster Keaton as Lonesome Polecat, Jeff York (much better-known as perennial bad-guy Mike Fink in the Daniel Boone TV serials) as Li'l Abner, and Milton Berle, who wrote the title song. The copyright on the 1940 film has expired and it is now available for download from [http://emol.org/movies/lilabner/index.html EMOL.org] .

ynopsis

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 grown. He has a crush on Daisy Mae Scragg, and she on him; his 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.

The Dogpatch people try to muster something necessary about their town, but a government inspector, Dr. Finsdale, rejects all of their suggestions until he comes upon Yokumberry tonic, which will make men young and strong and make Dogpatch "indispensable!"

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, Bullmoose's mistress. He cooks up a scheme to get Ms. von Climax to marry Abner, after which Li'l Abner would be killed and von Climax would become owner of the tonic, "by community property" [sic] , and turn it over to Bullmoose. To begin the plan, Bullmoose orders von Climax to enter the race on Sadie Hawkins Day. She catches Li'l Abner, and Daisy Mae ends up with McGoon. Daisy lives up to her part of the bargain--but convinces McGoon to go to Washington to save Abner's life (Mammy Yokum has seen a vision that Bullmoose intends to kill Abner).

McGoon does go, and he and Daisy's ragtag kinfolk 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 is about to strike with his truth whammy, and McGoon deflects the whammy with a silver platter--and the whammy hits Bullmoose, who confesses his scheme to a policeman.Meanwhile, the Yokumberry tonic is a failure. Although it made the subjects healthy and muscular, they don't care about romance, to their wives' chagrin. 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. But Daisy Mae shows McGoon the rest of her relatives (including "Priceless and Liceless") and he backs out.Dr. Finsdale returns and orders the wedding stopped in order to evacuate. Pappy Yokum starts to pull down an equestrian statue of Jubilation T. Cornpone from a tall pedestal. 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

* "Daisy Mae" played by Leslie Parrish
* "Li'l Abner Yokum" played by Peter Palmer
* "Marryin' Sam" played by Stubby Kaye
* "Mammy Yokum" played by Billie Hayes
* "Pappy Yokum" played by Joe E. Marks
* "General Bullmoose" played by Howard St. John
* "Appassionata von Climax" played by Stella Stevens
* "Available Jones" played by William Lanteau
* "Stupefyin' Jones" played by Julie Newmar
* "Senator Jack S. Phogbound" played by Ted Thurston
* "Moonbeam McSwine" played by Carmen Alvarez
* "Earthquake McGoon" played by Bern Hoffman
* "Dr. Rasmussen T. Finsdale" played by Stanley Simmonds
* "Evil Eye Fleagle" played by Al Nesor
* "Lovelie" played by Donna Douglas
* "Hillbilly Girl" played by Lesley-Marie Colburn
* "Girl in orange dress" played by Valerie Harper
* "Muscleman Luke" played by Brad Harris
* "Itchy McRabbit" played by Jerry Lewis (uncredited)

DVD release

ee also

* Al Capp
* Li'l Abner
* Fearless Fosdick
* Joe Btfsplk
* Sadie Hawkins Day
* Dogpatch
* Dogpatch USA
* Lower Slobbovia
* Long Sam
* Abbie an' Slats
* Li'l Abner (musical)
* Shmoo
* Salomey

External links

*imdb title|0053001|Li'l Abner
* [http://www.lil-abner.com/ Li'l Abner Web site by Capp Enterprises]