Li’l Abner **** (1959, Peter Palmer, Leslie Parrish, Stubby Kaye, Billie Hayes, Howard St John, Stella Stevens, Julie Newmar) – Classic Movie Review 8934

Director Melvin Frank and producer Norman Panama’s 1959 Technicolor musical Li’l Abner is an extremely bright and breezy film version of the delightful 1956 Broadway show based on the comic strip by Al Capp’s comic strip and its nice and quirky characters in the hillbilly town of Dogpatch. Li’l Abner is exuberantly written, produced and directed by the film-making team.

It was nominated for one Oscar – Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture (Nelson Riddle and Joseph J Lilley) – and was Golden Globe nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical.

Li’l Abner is a delicious film with marvellous songs from Johnny Mercer (Lyrics) and Gene de Paul (Music); energetic dancing choreographed by Dee Dee Wood and based on Michael Kidd’s original stage choreography; vivacious playing all round, with Stubby Kaye the standout as Marryin’ Sam.

In the story, the US Congress wants Dogpatch as its atomic test site, but Li’l Abner (Peter Palmer) and the rest of the town’s citizens have other ideas. Meanwhile, Daisy Mae Scragg (Leslie Parrish) hopes to win over Li’l Abner by catching him in the traditional race on Sadie Hawkins Day.

The film is lots and lots of fun, and utterly huggable. Jerry Lewis appears unbilled as Itchy McRabbit and Valerie Harper has an uncredited walkon in her second film as a girl in an orange dress, Luke’s Wife.

Also in the cast are Billie Hayes as Pansy (‘Mammy’) Yokum, Howard St John as General Bullmoose, Stella Stevens as Appassionata Von Climax, Julie Newmar as Stupefyin’ Jones, Robert Strauss as Romeo Scragg, Joe E Marks as Pappy Yokum, Bern Hoffman as Earthquake McGoon, Al Nesor as Evil Eye Fleagle, William Lanteau, Ted Thurston, Carmen Alvarez, Alan Carney, Stanley Simmonds, Diki Lerner, Joe Ploski, Robert Barnas, Chester Conklin, Brad Harris, Beth Howland and Gordon Mitchell.

Valerie Harper (1939–2019).

RIP the much loved stage actress and TV icon Valerie Harper, who died at 80, on 30 August 2019.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8934

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com