"Li'l Abner" is a film that clearly has lost its appeal over time. After all, back in 1959, Al Capp's comic strip, "Li'l Abner" was popular. But the strip is long gone and today plays very poorly. Folks who live in the Southern USA probably will see the stereotypes in the strip as pretty offensive and outdated. After all, these citizens of the town of Dogpatch make those in "The Beverly Hillbillies" seem like Harvard grads by comparison!!
So, if the film is horribly outdated, why would I bother with it? After all, I hate the strip and the awful view it gives of the Ozarks and the rest of the South! Well, it's because there is a strange cameo I really wanted to see. I have no idea how, but the producers of the film managed to get Jerry Lewis to appear as 'Itchy McRabbit'...a very minor character in the story. And, this was when Lewis was one of the most famous and powerful actors in Hollywood! I can only assume the filmmakers were holding one of Jerry's family members hostage...or perhaps they had some incriminating photos of the guy!
When the film began, I knew it would be tough going for me. Instead of being based just on the strip, it's apparently a filmed version of a popular Broadway musical from 1956. Yes, the strip was THAT popular that it spurred on this musical adaptation! The sets look like Broadway sets as well...very, very, very colorful and a bit comical and two-dimensional. While usually this is a deficit, it did seem to fit the production. But the songs....well, they pretty much lost me...as well as the characters, story and well, that's really pretty much everything but the sets!
So was it worth watching this saga about Earthquake McGoon trying to force pretty Daisy Mae to marry him and the US government threatening to blow up Dogpatch? Not really...at least not for the average viewer. There are many GLOWING reviews for it on IMDB, but I assume these are older viewers who don't represent the average viewer. After all, this is a self-selecting group of reviewers. And, I didn't enjoy it because the plan to blow up the town wasn't put into effect!! Sorry to reveal this spoiler...but if you hate the film, it doesn't offer a happy ending!
By the way, although I disliked the movie, I must admit that if you liked "Popeye" (1980), you'd likely love "Li'l Abner". Both really reproduced the look of a comic strip...but I can't see most folks wanting to see a live action version of most strips.
I give the film a 3. It's terrible...but I must admit they did a great job of bringing the awful characters and awful town to the screen! So, if they HAD to make a Li'l Abner film, at least they did a decent job of it.
So, if the film is horribly outdated, why would I bother with it? After all, I hate the strip and the awful view it gives of the Ozarks and the rest of the South! Well, it's because there is a strange cameo I really wanted to see. I have no idea how, but the producers of the film managed to get Jerry Lewis to appear as 'Itchy McRabbit'...a very minor character in the story. And, this was when Lewis was one of the most famous and powerful actors in Hollywood! I can only assume the filmmakers were holding one of Jerry's family members hostage...or perhaps they had some incriminating photos of the guy!
When the film began, I knew it would be tough going for me. Instead of being based just on the strip, it's apparently a filmed version of a popular Broadway musical from 1956. Yes, the strip was THAT popular that it spurred on this musical adaptation! The sets look like Broadway sets as well...very, very, very colorful and a bit comical and two-dimensional. While usually this is a deficit, it did seem to fit the production. But the songs....well, they pretty much lost me...as well as the characters, story and well, that's really pretty much everything but the sets!
So was it worth watching this saga about Earthquake McGoon trying to force pretty Daisy Mae to marry him and the US government threatening to blow up Dogpatch? Not really...at least not for the average viewer. There are many GLOWING reviews for it on IMDB, but I assume these are older viewers who don't represent the average viewer. After all, this is a self-selecting group of reviewers. And, I didn't enjoy it because the plan to blow up the town wasn't put into effect!! Sorry to reveal this spoiler...but if you hate the film, it doesn't offer a happy ending!
By the way, although I disliked the movie, I must admit that if you liked "Popeye" (1980), you'd likely love "Li'l Abner". Both really reproduced the look of a comic strip...but I can't see most folks wanting to see a live action version of most strips.
I give the film a 3. It's terrible...but I must admit they did a great job of bringing the awful characters and awful town to the screen! So, if they HAD to make a Li'l Abner film, at least they did a decent job of it.