Li'l Abner (1940 film)
Encyclopedia
Li'l Abner is a 1940 film based on the comic strip
of the same name
created by Al Capp
. The three most recognizable names associated with the film are Buster Keaton
as Lonesome Polecat, Jeff York
(much better-known as first rival bad-guy, then ally, Mike Fink
in the Davy Crockett TV serials) as Li'l Abner, and Milton Berle
, who co-wrote the title song.
race.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
of the same name
Li'l Abner
Li'l Abner is a satirical American comic strip that appeared in many newspapers in the United States, Canada and Europe, featuring a fictional clan of hillbillies in the impoverished town of Dogpatch, Kentucky. Written and drawn by Al Capp , the strip ran for 43 years, from August 13, 1934 through...
created by Al Capp
Al Capp
Alfred Gerald Caplin , better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip Li'l Abner. He also wrote the comic strips Abbie an' Slats and Long Sam...
. The three most recognizable names associated with the film are Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
as Lonesome Polecat, Jeff York
Jeff York
Jeff York was an American film and television actor who began his career in the late 1930s using his given name Granville Owen Schofield...
(much better-known as first rival bad-guy, then ally, Mike Fink
Mike Fink
Mike Fink called "king of the keelboaters", was a semi-legendary brawler and boatman who exemplified the tough and hard-drinking men who ran keelboats up and down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers....
in the Davy Crockett TV serials) as Li'l Abner, and Milton Berle
Milton Berle
Milton Berlinger , better known as Milton Berle, was an American comedian and actor. As the manic host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater , in 1948 he was the first major star of U.S. television and as such became known as Uncle Miltie and Mr...
, who co-wrote the title song.
Synopsis
Li'l Abner becomes convinced that he is going to die within twenty-four hours, so agrees to marry two different girls: Daisy Mae (who has chased him for years) and Wendy Wilecat (who rescued him from an angry mob). It is all settled at the Sadie Hawkins DaySadie Hawkins Day
An American folk event, Sadie Hawkins Day is a pseudo-holiday that originated in Al Capp's classic hillbilly comic strip, Li'l Abner . This inspired real-world Sadie Hawkins dances, where girls ask boys out.-Original story:...
race.
Cast
- Li'l Abner Yokum played by Jeff York (as Granville Owen)Jeff YorkJeff York was an American film and television actor who began his career in the late 1930s using his given name Granville Owen Schofield...
- Daisy Mae Scraggs played by Martha O'Driscoll
- Pansy "Mammy" Yokum played by Mona RayMona RayMona 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...
- Lucifer "Pappy" Yokum played by Johnnie MorrisJohnnie Morris (actor)Johnny Morris was an American comedian/actor who began his career in vaudeville and then worked as a comedian/supporting actor in the movies....
- Lonesome Polecat played by Buster KeatonBuster KeatonJoseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
- Cousin Delightful played by Billie SewardBillie SewardBillie Seward was a 1930s motion picture actress from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Marriage:In 1934 Seward was linked romantically to actor Lyle Talbot. She married William Wilkerson, owner of the Trocadero and Ciro's, on September 30, 1935. Wilkerson was also the owner and publisher of the...
- Wendy Wilecat played by Kay Sutton
- Granny Scraggs played by Maude EburneMaude Eburneright|thumbMaude Eburne was a Canadian character actress of stage and screen, known for playing eccentric roles.Born in Bronte-on-the-Lake, Ontario and studied elocution in Toronto...
See also
- Al CappAl CappAlfred Gerald Caplin , better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip Li'l Abner. He also wrote the comic strips Abbie an' Slats and Long Sam...
- Li'l AbnerLi'l AbnerLi'l Abner is a satirical American comic strip that appeared in many newspapers in the United States, Canada and Europe, featuring a fictional clan of hillbillies in the impoverished town of Dogpatch, Kentucky. Written and drawn by Al Capp , the strip ran for 43 years, from August 13, 1934 through...
- Sadie Hawkins DaySadie Hawkins DayAn American folk event, Sadie Hawkins Day is a pseudo-holiday that originated in Al Capp's classic hillbilly comic strip, Li'l Abner . This inspired real-world Sadie Hawkins dances, where girls ask boys out.-Original story:...
- DogpatchDogpatchDogpatch was the fictional setting of cartoonist Al Capp's classic comic strip, Li'l Abner .In Capp's own words, Dogpatch was "an average stone-age community nestled in a bleak valley, between two cheap and uninteresting hills somewhere." The inhabitants were mostly lazy hillbillies, who usually...
- Dogpatch USADogpatch USADogpatch USA is an abandoned theme park located on State Highway 7 between the cities of Harrison and Jasper in Arkansas, USA, an area known today as Marble Falls...
- Salomey