moonspinner55 Al Capp's yokel comic strip comes to the screen via the Broadway musical hit, keeping most of the stage talent intact, with Dee Dee Wood 'adapting' Michael Kidd's original choreography (one of the strangest movie credits I've seen). The hill-folk who live in Dogpatch, apparently the most useless city in the U.S.A., don't seem to fret much after the governor arrives to say their town has been selected as the next Atom Bomb test site; no, they're all revved up over Sadie Hawkins Day, when the single gals get their pick of the bachelor men. Quick-thinking "Mammy" Yokum (Billie Hayes, who has enough energy for three people and continually points to the heavens) hopes to thwart the politicos by putting Dogpatch on the map with her homemade muscle-growing tonic, an orange-colored elixir which raises the interest of the dastardly General Bullmoose. Elaborate production design (shot completely on Paramount's sound stages) almost makes up for the lack of good songs and the ragtag story, which drags on far too long. The performances are variable, with Stubby Kaye and Bern Hoffman doing the best work (Hoffman's Earthquake McGoon is treated rather badly by his own people, yet he appears to be the most efficient feller in the bunch!). Leslie Parrish is a lovely Daisy Mae, though she never gets a strong scene, while Hayes and Joe E. Marks do everything but the Rumba as the Yokums. Not bad by any means, yet the lack of funny tunes, amusing patter and a really tasty story makes the film only a sub-par musical entry. ** from ****

John Wayne Peel I remember being excited just seeing.the television ads for this movie. I just loved when cartoon characters were brought to life on the big screen. What I didn't expect at the time (I was not even 9 years old when it came out) was that.it was a musical, so as a kid, when the songs were played, I was a trifle bored UNTIL Stubby Kaye sang Jubilation T. Cornpone, then I was hooked.The incredibly beautiful Leslie Parrish as Daisy Mae didn't hurt either.The premise involved a military experiment that would turn the scraggly, skinny hillbillies into hulking he-men was fun too.Remember, this was based on a comic strip created by Al Capp who was from my home town of Cambridge, Massachusetts which I found particularly cool as well.All the best elements were there as well. Kickapoo Joy Juice, for one, and.or course, Sadie Hawkins Day.And a great surprise cameo by both the AWESOME Julie Newmar as Stupefyin' Jones, and Jerry Lewis who at that time was my favorite, but that changed when I actually met him.Anyway, needless to say, I loved it. A true classic that made.me a fan of musical comedies.

djhbooklover I saw this show on stage in San Francisco when it was on a national tour in 1959. I had been a movie fan since 1940 and a theatre lover since 1950 I saw the movie with my wife later that year having heard the original Broadway cast recording numerous times previously. Obviously we love the show and the movie came as close as possible to capture the stage production. Having read the comics all my earlier life I was familiar with Al Capp and his satire. There were only a few transfers of hit shows from Broadway to movies in that era which included original cast members. Two I enjoyed and own copies on DVD or VCR are NEW FACES OF 1952 and WHERE'S CHARLEY?. Gerald Bordman in American MUSICAL THEATRE A CHRONICLE (1978) says it ran almost 700 performances on Broadway in the late fifties. I certainly understand that movies do not always please viewers but the great majority of reviewers on this site are enthusiastic and have very ably described the many qualities which are apparent in this production. The success of this musical undoubtedly paved the way for the creation of ANNIE.

bkoganbing Lil Abner ran as a comic strip for over 20 years before being converted into a long running Broadway musical. The original production had Peter Palmer in the lead with Edie Adams instead of Leslie Parrish being Daisy Mae. It debuted in 1956 and ran for two years.Our government has determined Nevada with its contribution of Las Vegas to our culture should no longer be a site of atomic testing. Dogpatch with its 100% unemployment should be. So everyone's to pack up and leave in a week.Needless to say the residents of Dogpatch who Al Capp created are not ready to leave, but they are blindly patriotic. They have to find some thing worth salvaging in Dogpatch.They hit on it with Mammy Yoakum's Yoakumberry tonic which she has been feeding a spoonful of to Lil Abner since his birth. He's grown up big and strong with a soloflex physique.Let's just say that there's a problem with Yoakumberry tonic. Mammy Yoakum may have hit upon steroid abuse 30 years ahead of time. That leads to all the complications, matrimonial and political, contained in the plot.I liked the production and the surreal sets, very much like Warren Beatty's production of Dick Tracy later on, another cartoon character. I didn't like the fact that the best song of the Gene DePaul-Johnny Mercer score was left out of the film. It's called Love in a Home and Bing Crosby did a fine record of it back in 1956.Peter Palmer had he come along even 10 years earlier might have given folks like Howard Keel and Gordon MacRae competition for musical leads in film. As it was, musicals were slowly dying out as they became to expensive to produce.The one who got the most attention on Broadway and Hollywood was Stubby Kaye as Marrying Sam. DePaul and Mercer wrote a wonderful satirical song called Jubilation T. Cornpone about a less than able southern general who was proud to call Dogpatch his hometown. Kaye was a great performer and fortunate are we that in Guys and Dolls and Lil Abner we have his two best known performances preserved.By the way, the character General Bullmoose who Howard St. John played, is a spoof of Eisenhower's flannelmouth Defense Secretary Charles E. Wilson. He was the President of General Motors and during his confirmation made that comment that came out "what was good for General Motors was good for the USA." He was the perfect living caricature of a blowhard businessman and Al Capp had a field day with him. Hence the choral song What's good for General Bullmoose is good for the USA.Dogpatch may have been useless, but it's sure a nice place to visit.