Li'l Abner (1940)

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

This version of Li'l Abner brings you back to the roots of how some of the films were done at this time and how the screwball comedy was at this time i.e. Bringing Up Baby, etc. Li'l Abner will bring a smile to your face and there will be some good laughs along the way. Not the best of films, but definitely a fun one to see and to bring you back to the roots of what some films were like during this period. Worth seeing once for the enjoyment and nostalgia. Watch for Buster Keaton in his small role too.

In rural Dogpatch, most eligible young women want to marry hunky Jeff York (as Li'l Abner). Curly blonde Martha O'Driscoll (as Daisy Mae) tries to arouse Mr. York with cleavage and a twisted ankle, but York doesn't want to get hitched. When a phony doctor gives him 24 hours to live, he reconsiders. Also turned on by dark-haired Kay Sutton (as Wendy Wilecat), York eventually finds himself engaged to both women. Based on Al Capp comic strip, this version of "Li'l Abner" is flat and uninspired. It does have an interesting cast of veterans, though, including Buster Keaton (as Lonesome Polecat) doing his stone-faced Indian schtick.*** Li'l Abner (11/1/40) Albert S. Rogell ~ Jeff York, Martha O'Driscoll, Buster Keaton, Maude Eburne

I was pleasantly surprised watching this comedy for a number of reasons. First, it was not as low budget and amateurish as I expected. It was actually a quite respectable B movie with make-up, sets, stunts and camera-work that matched the level of W.C. Fields and Laurel and Hardy features of the time.Second, Buster Keaton's short role prefigured the third banana roles he would play in the American International Beach Movies of the 1960's. His on-screen time is less than five minutes, still, I suspect he had a lot more to do with the production of the movie than his bit part would indicate. The gags have a Keatonesque quality. For example the ending scenes of the women chasing men are reminiscent of the ending scenes in his "Seven Chances." The world of Dogpatch has a self contained, parody of the intellectual world quality, as does many of the comedic worlds created by Keaton (See his "Three Ages" for example.The humor in the movie foreshadows the hillbilly humor of the 1960's television series, "The Beverly Hillbillies." A recent Lucille Ball biog movie suggested that Keaton had played a major part in the success of the 1950's television series "I Love Lucy." If Keaton did play a role in designing some of the gags in this movie, one might suggest that Keaton was in some sense responsible for a great deal of the successful comedies of the 1950's and 1960's.On the other hand, the producers might have hired them only because they liked his silent film work and he might not have had any input to the film other than his two or three days on set in his bit part. I wonder if anybody else has any information about the role Keaton played in this still charming movie.

The list of musicals I'll watch is longer than the list of ballets. I can only think of two musicals I'll sit through (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers & Li'l Abner), and no ballets. Of the latter I make it a point to attempt to watch one ballet every year to prove to myself that I find them tedious. Except for the athleticism, the whole lot leaves me cold.Why is Li'l Abner in this select list? God only knows, but it always amuses me, and that can't be all bad. Over characterisations, corny songs, technicolour levels set at 11, and Stupyfing Jones, what more can one want.