Li'l Abner (musical)
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- For the film based on the musical, see Li'l Abner (film).
Li'l Abner is a musical theatre production based on the comic strip Li'l Abner by Al Capp. It has music by Gene De Paul and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The book was written by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank.
In keeping with the Li'l Abner comic strip, the musical is, on the surface, a broad satire on hillbillies but is, in fact, a more pointed satire taking on any number of topics, ranging from an incompetent United States federal government to standards of masculinity.
The plot centers on two things: first, Dogpatch, the town that is the main setting of the comic strip, has been declared the "most unnecessary town" in the U.S. and is set to be turned into a nuclear testing site; second, the water that Li'l Abner has been drinking all of his life is discovered to be a potion that makes men strong and handsome, but also utterly uninterested in sex.
The town is ultimately saved when a plaque is discovered declaring that its local hero, the Confederate general Jubilation T. Cornpone was, by virtue of his incompetence, so instrumental in the defeat of his own army as to be a hero of the Republic.
Contents |
[edit] The songs
- "The Country's In The Very Best Of Hands"
- "Don't Take That Rag Offen The Bush"
- "If I Had My Druthers"
- "Jubilation T. Cornpone"
- "Love In A Home"
- "The Matrimonial Stomp"
- "Namely You"
- "Oh, Happy Day"
- "Past My Prime"
- "Progress Is The Root Of All Evil"
- "Put 'Em Back"
- "Room Enuf For Us"
- "A Typical Day"
- "Unnecessary Town"
[edit] 1956 Broadway production
The show opened at the St. James Theatre on November 15, 1956 and ran for 693 performances.
Cast:
- Daisy Mae played by Edie Adams
- L'il Abner Yokum played by Peter Palmer
- General Bullmoose played by Howard St. John
- Marryin' Sam played by Stubby Kaye
- Mammy Yokum played by Charlotte Rae
- Appassionata von Climax played by Tina Louise
- Stupifyin' Jones played by Julie Newmar
- Moonbeam McSwine played by Carmen Alvarez
[edit] 1959 Paramount musical film
The film version of the show was directed by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank. The music was scored and conducted by Nelson Riddle and Joseph J. Lilley.
Cast:
- Daisy Mae played by Leslie Parrish
- Li'l Abner Yokum played by Peter Palmer
- General Bullmoose played by Howard St. John
- Marryin' Sam played by Stubby Kaye
- Mammy Yokum played by Billie Hayes
- Pappy Yokum played by Joe E. Marks
- Appassionata von Climax played by Stella Stevens
- Stupifyin' Jones played by Julie Newmar
- Moonbeam McSwine played by Carmen Alvarez
- Earthquake McGoon played by Bern Hoffman
- Girl in orange dress played by Valerie Harper
- Hillbilly Girl played by Lesley-Marie Colburn
- Lovelie played by Donna Douglas
- Itchy McRabbitt played by Jerry Lewis
