Li'l Abner

Li'l Abner is a 1959 musical film based on the comic strip of the same name created by Al Capp. It was also based on a successful Broadway musical that opened in 1956. The movie was produced by Norman Panama and directed by Melvin Frank (co-writers of the Broadway production). Some music was adapted directly from the Broadway production, but the original portions of the motion picture score were written and conducted by Nelson Riddle and Joseph J... more

Li'l Abner is a 1959 musical film based on the comic strip of the same name created by Al Capp. It was also based on a successful Broadway musical that opened in 1956. The movie was produced by Norman Panama and directed by Melvin Frank (co-writers of the Broadway production). Some music was adapted directly from the Broadway production, but the original portions of the motion picture score were written and conducted by Nelson Riddle and Joseph J. Lilley, which earned them an Oscar nomination for Best Score in 1960 and earned Riddle a Grammy nomination for Best Soundtrack Album. The movie was released on December 11, 1959 by Paramount Pictures. Almost every major character in the movie was played by the same person who held that role in the original Broadway cast. Notable exceptions are Daisy Mae (played by Edie Adams on Broadway) and Appassionata von Climax (played on stage by Tina Louise). It's a "typical day" in Dogpatch, U. S. A., a hillbilly town where Abner Yokum lives with his... less