"Li'l Abner" Comic Strip Classics by Al Capp

THE FUNNY SITE OF THE DAY -- With the April 19 DVD release of Paramount Picture's boldly visual 1959 musical comedy, "Li'l Abner," starring Peter Palmer, Leslie Parrish, Stubby Kaye, Julie Newmar, and Stella Stevens as the residents of Dogpatch, USA, it's a good time to become acquainted or reacquainted with Al Capp's popular comic strip of rural, beefcake and buxom America.

From the official "Li'l Abner" site's bio for the cartoonist:

"In 1934, Capp struck out on his own. He took his hillbilly idea to United Features Syndicate ... and 'Li'l Abner' was born. Abner was carried at first by only eight newspapers, but his hapless Dogpatchers hit a nerve in Depression-era America. Within three short years, it climbed to 253 newspapers, reaching over 15,000,000 readers. Before long, he was in hundreds more, with a circulation exceeding 60,000,000....

"Besides entertaining millions, Capp permanently affected the popular culture. In 1937, he introduced the annual Sadie Hawkins Day race into his strip. It quickly inspired real life girl-asks-boy dances across America and Sadie Hawkins Day became a national institution. In 1948, his lovable Shmoo characters became a national sensation, creating the largest mass merchandising phenomenon of its era, followed on its heels by the Kigmy. After nearly 20 years of prominent bachelorhood, Li'l Abner finally married Daisy Mae in 1952, an event that shocked the country and made front page news."

Comics.com republishes "Li'l Abner" (which Capp retired in 1977) online each day, except Saturdays, and a 30-day archive is maintained. The pun-filled and often politically barbed comic strip is generally considered one of the supreme greats of the art form. The dialogue-heavy tales may be an acquired taste, however, for contemporary audiences unaccustomed to dialectal humor and lengthy story arcs as opposed to fast, gag-a-day cartoons.

Go: "Li'l Abner" Classics
More: The Official "Li'l Abner" Web Site
"Li'l Abner" (1959) Comedy Movie: Compare Prices
Related: Cartoons, Comic Strips, Animation