This is the first ever film adaptation of the monumentally popular Lil’ Abner comic strip, and it’s a good one. Lil’ Abner the film was reverently directed by Albert S. Rogell, who took great pains to translate the cartoon strip as faithfully to the screen as possible. Utilizing costumes, makeup, perfect casting, and precisely transcribed dialogue, Rogell’s Abner is as exact a three dimensional rendition of a comic strip that has ever been accomplished in the history of film. The story is strictly Abner: the male citizens of Dogpatch are lazy good for nothings, while the female citizens wish to ensnare the men in matrimony! The chief means of locking down a man is by catching him on Sadie Hawkins Day, where if you net a man you keep him! Classic Americana fun, Lil’ Abner is a slice of twentieth century pop culture that still packs loads of charm.
