Li'l Abner (1940)

Li'l Abner

What did I just watch? Based on the extremely popular comic strip by Al Capp that ran from 1934 to 1977, Li'l Abner is a bizarre, little comedy. Abner (Jeff York) is a country bumpkin who is super handsome, super strong, and super dumb. He likes fishing and eating and fighting and heroically helping people in need. What he does not like is girls and hugging and kissing. The problem is that all the girls who live in Dogpatch looovvveee Li'l Abner, especially Daisy Mae (Martha O'Driscoll), who follows Abner around like a lost puppy.

Li'l Abner has to be careful. The 'Code of the Hills' is very strict about male-female relations. And even more worrisome is the upcoming Sadie Hawkins Day event - a race where all the single ladies get to chase all the bachelors through the woods - if they catch a bachelor, they get to marry him on the spot. How much you want to bet Daisy and other ladies are aiming right for Li'l Abner.

Let's get this out of the way. L'il Abner is not really a good movie. First of all, I was kind of offended by their extreme accents. Every character sounds exactly like Ben Stiller's Simple Jack in Tropic Thunder. Any second, I expected Abner to cry out, "this head movie makes mah eyes rain!" I heard the comic strip was smarter, with a wicked satirical edge. But none of this comes across in the film, which just makes everyone simple-minded and dumb. I can't imagine any one living out in the country not being offended.

The plot is also all over the map. For the first hour, I didn't even have any clue what the plot was! They spend a long time introducing all the characters, including Lonesome Polecat (played by a genius Buster Keaton, who is completely wasted in this role), and Mammy and Pappy Yokum (Mona Ray and Johnnie Morris). All of these characters are introduced in strange ways and then proceed with an unfunny gag or two, just to waste some more time. Then there is a big bad guy in Dogpatch named Earthquake McGoon (Charles A. Post) who is the vilest villain ever. And then there's that Sadie Hawkins Dance. Everything eventually comes together in the end, but not very satisfactorily.

With all these bad qualities, though, there is something endearing in the movie. It does portray a more innocent time that is admittedly appealing in its naivete. There are also some genuinely funny sight gags, such as Lonesome Polecat running really slowly during Sadie Hawkins Day because he wants to get caught. And when Daisy tries to ensnare Abner with the Code of the Hills (see the Best Line below), I genuinely laughed. I also liked the design of the movie. These characters look exactly like their counterparts in the comic strip, and this must have been a big treat for fans. Kudos to the makeup and art direction teams for that.

So with a few funny gags, I don't regret watching it. If you are a fan of the strip, you may want to check it out. Everyone else, well, it's not a waste of time if you do watch it, but I wouldn't rush out to see it. And anyone who doesn't like old movies should avoid it at all costs. It might make their eyes rain.  

BEST LINE:

Granny: "You gots to marry her. L'il Abner. You kissed her. It's the Code of the Hills."

Li'l Abner: "I respects and salutes the Code of the Hills."

Daisy: "I LOVES the Code of the Hills."

MVP: Probably Martha O'Driscoll as Daisy Mae, Abner's true love (or so she says). Her earnest over-the-top obsession with Abner is actually quite funny. O'Driscoll embraces the absurdity of her character and the situations. Her preparations for Sadie Hawkins are funny - before the race, she stretches and warms up like a boxer. And her lining up at the start line, with her jean shorts, country gal frilly shirt, and...uh, high heels made me laugh out loud. O'Driscoll balances the role well and made me smile. So MVP for her!

TRIVIA: This is more trivia for the comic strip, but it is too interesting not to tell you. You ever heard of Sadie Hawkins Day? I'm willing to bet that your high school had some sort of Sadie Hawkins Dance, where the girls ask the boys out instead of the other way around. This pseudo "holiday" is fake; it was entirely invented by Al Capp for the Li'l Abner comic strip. The idea was so popular that by 1952, there were over 40,000 known locations celebrating Sadie Hawkins Day. And now it's celebrated in high schools across America, by kids who have no idea where it came from...