Showing posts with label Li'l Abner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Li'l Abner. Show all posts
August 16, 2025
August 14, 2025
The Birth of Li'l Abner ~ August 13, 1934
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Yesterday was the birth of Li'l Abner, so to speak. Written and illustrated by Al Capp (1909–1979), the strip was published on August 13, 1934, the strip ran for 43 years, from August 13, 1934, through November 13, 1977.
The strip featured an amazing array of totally unbelievable but lovable (more or less) characters, the lead, of course, Li'l Abner, his sweetheart Daisy Mae Yokum, his mother Mammy Yokum, his father Pappy Yokum, Honest Abe Yokum Daisey and Abner's son, his brother Tiny Yokum, Salomey the pet pig, Moonbeam McSwine and her father Moonshine McSwine, Hairless Joe and Lonesome Polecat moonshine purveyors, Senator Jack S. (Jackass) Phogbound, Stupefyin' Jones: A walking aphrodisiac who is very dangerous on Sadie Hawkins Day, the tycoon Bashington T. Bullmoose, the cannibal Wolf Gal, the wrestler Earthquake McGoon, Evil Eye Fleagle (the name says it all) and there are dozens of many other characters as well as mythical creatures such as the Shmoos.
One of the offshoots of Li'l Abner was Fearless Fosdick, a comic strip-within-the-strip parody of the Chester Gould plainclothes detective, Dick Tracy. Fearless Fosdick was licensed for use in an advertising campaign for Wildroot Cream-Oil, a popular men's hair tonic.
Fosdick's profile on advertising displays became a prominent fixture in
barbershops across America — advising readers to "Get Wildroot
Cream-Oil, Charlie!" A series of ads appeared in newspapers, magazines
and comic books featuring Fosdick's battles with Anyface, a murderous
master of disguise. Anyface was always given away by his dandruff and messy hair. I used Wildroot Cream-Oil from the mid 50's until the mid 80's.
The local for these characters, which includes every stereotype of Appalachia, is Dogpatch the impoverished community which consists mostly of ramshackle log cabins, turnip fields, pine trees,
and hogwallows. Most Dogpatchers are shiftless, ignorant scoundrels and
thieves. The men are too lazy to work, and Dogpatch girls are desperate
enough to chase them. Those who farm their turnip fields watch turnip
termites swarm by the billions every year to devour Dogpatch's only crop
(along with their homes, their livestock, and all their clothing). Capp intended for suffering Americans in the midst of the Great
Depression, to laugh at the residents of Dogpatch even worse off than
themselves. In his words, Dogpatch was "an average stone-age community nestled in a
bleak valley, between two cheap and uninteresting hills somewhere."
The characters of Li'l Abner were brought to life several times in many ways: in 1946 Capp wrote a song for Daisy Mae, entitled, (Li'l Abner) Don't Marry That Girl!! and it was recorded by Frank Sinatra as well as Helen Carroll and the Satisfiers (their version was the best). The group also recorded the theme song for the television series, Little Lulu.
With John Hodiak in the title role, the Li'l Abner radio drama ran weekdays on NBC from Chicago, from November 20, 1939, to December 6, 1940.
In 1940, Li'l Abner was brought to the big screen with Daisy Mae played by Martha O'Driscoll and Li'l Abner Yokum played by Granville Owen (aka Jeff York): it also featured Buster Keaton.
Beginning in 1944, Li'l Abner was adapted into a series of color theatrical cartoons by Screen Gems for Columbia Pictures, directed by Sid Marcus, Bob Wickersham, and Howard Swift.
Evil-Eye Fleegle makes an animated cameo appearance in the United States Armed Forces Special Weapons Project training film, Self Preservation in an Atomic Attack (1950).
In 1952, Fearless Fosdick was incorporated into a short-lived TV series. The puppet show was created and directed by puppeteer Mary Chase, written by Everett Crosby, and voiced by John Griggs, Gilbert Mack, and Jean Carson. Fearless Fosdick premiered on Sunday afternoons on NBC; 13 episodes featuring the Mary Chase marionettes were produced.
In 1956, the musical, Li'l Abner, opened on Broadway on November 15, 1956, at the St. James Theatre where it ran for 693 performances. The producers conducted a long search for the actor to play the title
role: over 400 actors auditioned for the part, and at one time, Dick Shawn was reported to be their preferred choice. However, the producers eventually chose unknown singer Peter Palmer, who had been serving in an army entertainment unit; Panama and Frank saw him perform on a segment of The Ed Sullivan Show featuring talented American soldiers. Palmer was a trained singer with a music degree from the University of Illinois, where he had also played football; at 6'4" and 228 pounds, Palmer had the right "look" to play Li'l Abner.
It was adapted into a Technicolor motion picture at Paramount Pictures in 1959 by producer Norman Panama and director Melvin Frank, with an original score by Nelson Riddle.
Lena the Hyena makes a brief animated appearance in the live and animated film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).
Sadie Hawkins Day is an American folk event and pseudo-holiday originated by Capp's hillbilly comic strip Li'l Abner (1934–1977). The annual comic strip storyline inspired real-world Sadie Hawkins events,
the premise of which is that women ask men for a date or dancing.
"Sadie Hawkins Day" was introduced in the comic strip on November 15,
1937; the storyline ran until the beginning of December. The storyline was revisited the following October/November, and inspired a fad on college campuses. By 1939, Life reported that 201 colleges in 188 cities held a Sadie Hawkins Day event. Capp finally set the date for Sadie Hawkins Day as November 26, in his last Li'l Abner daily strip on November 5, 1977.
Fans of the strip include novelist John Steinbeck, who called Capp "very possibly the best writer in the world today" in 1953 and recommended him for the Nobel Prize in literature, media critic. Theorist Marshall McLuhan considered Capp "the only robust satirical force in American life": in his book Understanding Media, McLuhan called Li'l Abner's Dogpatch "a paradigm of the human situation". Comparing Capp to other contemporary humorists, McLuhan wrote: "Arno, Nash, and Thurber are brittle, wistful little précieux beside Capp!".
John Updike called Li'l Abner a "hillbilly Candide" said that the strip's "richness of social and philosophical commentary approached the Voltairean." Capp has been compared to Fyodor Dostoevsky, Jonathan Swift, Laurence Sterne, and François Rabelais. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly and Time called him "the Mark Twain of cartoonists". Charlie Chaplin, William F. Buckley, Al Hirschfeld, Harpo Marx, Russ Meyer, John Kenneth Galbraith, Ralph Bakshi, Shel Silverstein, Hugh Downs, Gene Shalit, Frank Cho, Daniel Clowes, and Queen Elizabeth are all reportedly fans of Li'l Abner.
Li'l Abner characters were often featured in mid-century American advertising campaigns including Grape-Nuts cereal, Kraft caramels, Ivory soap, Oxydol, Duz and Dreft detergents, Orange Crush, Nestlé cocoa, Cheney neckties, Pedigree pencils, Strunk chainsaws, U.S. Royal tires, Head & Shoulders shampoo, General Electric light bulbs and Fruit of the Loom.
There were Dogpatch-themed family restaurants called "Li'l Abner's" in Louisville, Kentucky, Morton Grove, Illinois, and Seattle, Washington.
Wildroot Cream-Oil: Fearless Fosdick was licensed for use in an advertising campaign for Wildroot Cream-Oil, a popular men's hair tonic. Fosdick's profile on advertising displays became a prominent fixture in barbershops across America — advising readers to "Get Wildroot Cream-Oil, Charlie!" A series of ads appeared in newspapers, magazines and comic books featuring Fosdick's battles with Anyface, a murderous master of disguise. Anyface was always given away by his dandruff and messy hair.
Dogpatch characters were heavily licensed throughout the 1940s and 1950s: the main cast was produced as a set of six hand puppets and 14-inch (360 mm) dolls by Baby Barry Toys in 1957. A 10-figure set of carnival chalkware statues of Dogpatch characters was manufactured by Artrix Products in 1951, and Topstone introduced a line of 16 rubber Halloween masks prior to 1960. After the introduction of the Shmoos, they were licensed everywhere in 1948 and 1949. A garment factory in Baltimore made a line of Schmoo apparel — including "Shmooveralls", Shmoo dolls, clocks, watches, jewelry, earmuffs, wallpaper, fishing lures, air fresheners, soap, ice cream, balloons, ashtrays, comic books, records, sheet music, toys, games, Halloween masks, salt and pepper shakers, decals, pinbacks, tumblers, coin banks, greeting cards, planters, neckties, suspenders, belts, curtains, and fountain pens. In one year, Shmoo merchandise generated over $25 million in sales. Close to a hundred licensed Shmoo products from 75 different manufacturers were produced, some of which sold five million units each.
Capp once told one of his assistants that he knew Li'l Abner had finally "arrived" when it was first pirated as a pornographic Tijuana bible parody in the mid-1930s.
The Adventures of a Fuller Brush Man, published c. 1936
Li'l Abner ran until November 13, 1977, when Capp retired. Capp, a lifelong chain smoker, died from emphysema two years later at age 70, at his home in South Hampton, New Hampshire, on November 5, 1979.
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Helen Carroll and the Satisfiers ~
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, August 13, 2025
September 25, 2022
20,000 vinyl LPs 328: Li'l Abner & Peter Palmer
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This month is the birthday of Broadway musical actor, Peter Palmer, who was born on September 20, 1931, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was best known for his portrayal of Li'l Abner, with Edie Adams who played Daisy Mae Scragg; Palmer played the role of Li'l Abner Yokum both on Broadway and in the film.
I used one of the satirical songs he sang in Li'l Abner, The Country's in the Very Best of Hands, during the, The Vote, event at the Gray Loft Gallery (link below) last weekend.
Palmer chose the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
to study voice. He was the first music major to letter in football at
the university. He was an impressive 6' 3" and well built . . .
. . . so he was
perfect in the role of the innocent, muscle-bound but gentle L'il
Abner of Dogpatch
which was often referred to by its inhabitants and outsiders as being
the most miserable and unnecessary place on earth.
While he was at UI, his team won the Big Ten championships in 1951 and 1953 and the Rose Bowl in 1952. Palmer sang the national anthem at every home game in 1953 before taking the field. He was deaf in one ear.
In a couple of months, it will be sixty four years ago when L'il Abner opened on November 15th, 1956, at the St. James Theater on Broadway in New York City; seems like only yesterday.
In 1963 Palmer appeared in Brigadoon and in 1974, he appeared on Broadway with Carol Channing in Lorelei, a revision of the 1949 production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
Peter Palmer died in Tampa, Florida on September 21, 2021, the day after his 90th birthday. His son, Steven Palmer, said, “As a family we knew this was coming and that’s why we had such a wonderful celebration of his birthday this weekend,” Steven Palmer wrote. “He enjoyed being celebrated by his children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews and friends and extended family. Gonna miss you, Pops.”
Act I
A Typical Day – Dogpatchers
If I Had My Druthers – Li'l Abner and Cronies
If I Had My Druthers (Reprise) – Daisy Mae
Jubilation T. Cornpone – Marryin' Sam and Dogpatchers
Rag Offen the Bush – Dogpatchers
Namely You – Daisy Mae and Li'l Abner
Unnecessary Town – Li'l Abner, Daisy Mae and Dogpatchers
What's Good for General Bullmoose – Secretaries
There's Room Enough For Us†
The Country's in the Very Best of Hands – Li'l Abner and Marryin' Sam
Sadie Hawkins Day (Ballet) – Dogpatchers
Act II
Oh Happy Day – Drs. Finsdale, Smithborn, Krogmeyer and Schleifitz
I'm Past My Prime – Daisy Mae and Marryin' Sam
Love in a Home – Li'l Abner and Daisy Mae
Progress Is the Root of All Evil – Bullmoose
Progress Is the Root of All Evil (Reprise) – Bullmoose
Put 'Em Back – Wives
Namely You (Reprise) – Daisy Mae
The Matrimonial Stomp – Marryin' Sam and Dogpatchers
Finale – Company
Throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, Palmer appeared on numerous television episodes, including small parts on Dallas, M*A*S*H, Leave It To Beaver and Emergency!
In 1990 he had a small role in the Tim Burton film, Edward Scissorhands, which starred Johnny Depp; it is one of my very favorite movies.
Peter Palmer died in Tampa, Florida on September 21, 2021, the day after his 90th birthday. His son, Steven Palmer, said, “As a family we knew this was coming and that’s why we had such a wonderful celebration of his birthday this weekend,” Steven Palmer wrote. “He enjoyed being celebrated by his children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews and friends and extended family. Gonna miss you, Pops.”
vinyl LP side 1
photos by Styrous®
A Typical Day – Dogpatchers
If I Had My Druthers – Li'l Abner and Cronies
If I Had My Druthers (Reprise) – Daisy Mae
Jubilation T. Cornpone – Marryin' Sam and Dogpatchers
Rag Offen the Bush – Dogpatchers
Namely You – Daisy Mae and Li'l Abner
Unnecessary Town – Li'l Abner, Daisy Mae and Dogpatchers
What's Good for General Bullmoose – Secretaries
There's Room Enough For Us†
The Country's in the Very Best of Hands – Li'l Abner and Marryin' Sam
Sadie Hawkins Day (Ballet) – Dogpatchers
Act II
Oh Happy Day – Drs. Finsdale, Smithborn, Krogmeyer and Schleifitz
I'm Past My Prime – Daisy Mae and Marryin' Sam
Love in a Home – Li'l Abner and Daisy Mae
Progress Is the Root of All Evil – Bullmoose
Progress Is the Root of All Evil (Reprise) – Bullmoose
Put 'Em Back – Wives
Namely You (Reprise) – Daisy Mae
The Matrimonial Stomp – Marryin' Sam and Dogpatchers
Finale – Company
Tracklist:
Side 1:
Side 1:
A1 - Orchestra* - Overture And A Typical Day
A2 - Ensemble* - A Typical Day
A3 - Peter Palmer (2), Marc Breaux, Ralph Linn, Jack Matthew, Robert McClure, George Reeder - If I Had My Druthers
A4 - Stubby Kaye, Ensemble* - Jubilation T. Cornpone
A5 - Ensemble* - Rag Offen The Bush
A6 - Edith Adams*, Peter Palmer (2) - Namely You
A7 - Edith Adams*, Peter Palmer (2), Ensemble* - Unnecessary Town
A2 - Ensemble* - A Typical Day
A3 - Peter Palmer (2), Marc Breaux, Ralph Linn, Jack Matthew, Robert McClure, George Reeder - If I Had My Druthers
A4 - Stubby Kaye, Ensemble* - Jubilation T. Cornpone
A5 - Ensemble* - Rag Offen The Bush
A6 - Edith Adams*, Peter Palmer (2) - Namely You
A7 - Edith Adams*, Peter Palmer (2), Ensemble* - Unnecessary Town
Side 2:
B1 - Peter Palmer (2), Stubby Kaye - The Country's In The Very Best Of Hands
B2 - Stanley Simmonds, George Reeder, Ralph Linn, Marc Breaux - Oh, Happy Day
B3 - Edith Adams*, Stubby Kaye - I'm Past My Prime
B4 - Peter Palmer (2), Edith Adams* - Love In A Home
B5 - Howard St. John - Progress Is The Root Of All Evil
B6 - Carmen Alvarez, Pat Creighton, Lillian D'Honau, Bonnie Evans (3), Hope Holiday, Deedee Wood - Put 'Em Back
B7 - Stubby Kaye, Ensemble* - The Matrimonial Stomp
Companies, etc.
Arranged By [Ballet Music Arranged By] – Genevieve Pitot
Artwork [Cover], Concept By [Based on the Characters Created By] – Al Capp
Featuring, Performer [With] – Charlotte Rae, Edith Adams*, Howard St. John, Peter Palmer (2), Stubby Kaye
Lyrics By – Johnny Mercer
Music By – Gene De Paul*
Music Director – Lehman Engel
Orchestrated By [Orchestrations] – Philip J. Lang
Performer [Cast] – Al Nesor, Bern Hoffman, Joe E. Marks, Julie Newmar, Stanley Simmonds, Ted Thurston, Tina Louise, William Lanteau
Performer [Singers] – Anthony Saverino, Don Braswell, George Ritner, Hope Holiday, Jack Matthew, James Hurst, Jane House, Jeanette Scovotti, Joan Cherof, Joyce Gladmond, Lanier Davis, Louise Pearl, Margaret Baxter, Oran Osburn, Pat Creighton, Robert McClure
Producer [Produced For Records By] – Goddard Lieberson
Written-By [Book By] – Melvin Frank, Norman Panama
Credits:
Arranged By [Ballet Music Arranged By] – Genevieve Pitot
Artwork [Cover], Concept By [Based on the Characters Created By] – Al Capp
Featuring, Performer [With] – Charlotte Rae, Edith Adams*, Howard St. John, Peter Palmer (2), Stubby Kaye
Lyrics By – Johnny Mercer
Music By – Gene De Paul*
Music Director – Lehman Engel
Orchestrated By [Orchestrations] – Philip J. Lang
Performer [Cast] – Al Nesor, Bern Hoffman, Joe E. Marks, Julie Newmar, Stanley Simmonds, Ted Thurston, Tina Louise, William Lanteau
Performer [Singers] – Anthony Saverino, Don Braswell, George Ritner, Hope Holiday, Jack Matthew, James Hurst, Jane House, Jeanette Scovotti, Joan Cherof, Joyce Gladmond, Lanier Davis, Louise Pearl, Margaret Baxter, Oran Osburn, Pat Creighton, Robert McClure
Producer [Produced For Records By] – Goddard Lieberson
Written-By [Book By] – Melvin Frank, Norman Panama
Notes:
Based on the characters created by Al Capp
Although original versions were on Columbia Masterworks labels, this version is on Columbia label style that ran 1965-70, though without "NONBREAKABE", this label version would date from 1967-70. LP is housed in original Columbia Masterworks sleeve.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Pressing Plant ID (Small “ᴘ” stamped in run-outs): P
Matrix / Runout (Side A label matrix): (x"Lp" 39344)
Matrix / Runout (Side B label matrix): (x"Lp" 39345)
Matrix / Runout (Side A stamped): XXLP-39344-2BE A o
Matrix / Runout (Side B stamped): XXLP-39345-1BF P A2 o
Norman Panama, Melvin Frank & Michael Kidd, Johnny Mercer, Gene De Paul* – Li'l Abner - An Original Musical Comedy
Norman Panama - Li'l Abner - An Original Musical Comedy album cover
Label: Columbia Masterworks – OL 5150
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1956
Genre: Stage & Screen
Style: Soundtrack, Musical
Norman Panama - Li'l Abner - An Original Musical Comedy album cover
Label: Columbia Masterworks – OL 5150
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1956
Genre: Stage & Screen
Style: Soundtrack, Musical
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
Broadway World ~ L'il Abner Star Peter Palmer Dies at Age 90
Deadline ~ Peter Palmer Dies: Li’l Abner Star Was 90
Hollywood Reporter ~ Peter Palmer, Star of ‘Li’l Abner’ Dies at 90
Military.com ~ How the Army Made Li’l Abner Actor Peter Palmer a Star
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