Li'l Abner

Li'l Abner
Customer Review: What To Do If A Skunk Gets in Your Woodshed
Buster Keaton should have known better. This is one of the most insufferable films in history. I may donate my copy to the CIA to assist with interrogation of especially hardened suspects. It's that bad. The film immortalizes the unfunny antics of L'il Abner (Jeff York) along with other characters from Dogpatch (and neighboring Skunk Hollow) like the villain Earthquake McGoon (Charles Post,) and the most embarrassing "Indian" in screen history, Lonesome Polecat (Buster Keaton,) whose performance ranks as perhaps the worst ever. The plot concerns the hilarious events of life with one brain cell: entrapment into marriage; the awkwardness of kissing; fistfights; sharing an annual bath with a pig; eating mustard and wondering if that leads to death or merely indigestion, etc. In the physical deformity department Exhibit A is the nose. Most of the cast has on idiotic round nose appliances making them appear more inbred than you might even expect. This was all a bit irritating, but perhaps most annoying of all was the theme song (which we get to hear twice, and was co-written by Milton Berle, who should also have known better) which goes on an on about how all the girls want L'il Abner, and then concludes with a line (about how L'il Abner just wants a porkchop) that fits neither the rhyme or meter of the song. I may not be from a generation that really "gets" the comedic genius of L'il Abner, but this movie was given to me by a friend (I will be avenged), who, in turn, was given this film by his mother who is advanced enough in age to be in the subset of the population who should be able to appreciate this film. She is a very smart and wise woman, and has increased in stature in my eyes for her extremely concise and accurate review of this film, which I think stands as an excellent summary. She said "This is the worst movie I have ever seen." Heed this sage advice and do not watch this if you value your time or sanity. If you are given this as a gift, I recommend a strategy differing from the one that I used (which was acceptance and a troubled "thank you"). Instead I recommend that you momentarily hand it back to the giver, point behind you and exclaim "Look! A bear with the head of Sandra Day O'Connor!" When the giver turns to look for the bear, run in the opposite direction as fast as you can, abandon all your belongings in place, move to Bolivia, and do not reveal your identity for at least ten years. Yes, the movie is that bad.
Customer Review: Comic page characters come to life
Buster Keaton DOES NOT play Li'l Abner-- as some "sage" reviewers think! This early movie version of Lil Abner (1940), brought Al Capp's Dogpatch characters vividly to life. Although the Broadway musical was filmed two decades later, this original Abner film is superior by far. This was Hollywood's first ever attempt at precisely recreating a newspaper comic strip, and the actors chosen, after much makeup, were dead ringers for the characters they portrayed. In particular, Buster Keaton as Lonesome Polecat deserves mention. He is perfect and hilarious as the strange little Indian that brews Kickapoo Joy Juice. Besides Keaton, the cast includes such old-time comedy actors as Edgar Kennedy, Chester Conklin and Al St. John. The plot is somewhat average, but fans of Capp's work will definitely NOT be disappointed seeing the denizens of Dogpatch come to life. This movie is as yummy as "poke chops fo' brekfiss, poke chops fo' lunch, and fo' suppah....MO' poke chops!!"