The Unthinkable

In the comic-strip world of Li'l Abner the unthinkable is always happening. But few readers ever expected the most unthinkable event of all: the ("gulp") marriage of Li'l Abner to Daisy Mae. Though Abner has been close enough to the altar to whiff the smoke from the cigar of self-made Magistrate Marryin' Sam, Cartoonist Al Capp always stepped in, in time's nick, with a save. Once, at the crucial moment, a gas explosion blasted Abner into a tree out of Daisy Mae's reach. Another time, after Preacher Sam had completed the $1.25 ceremony (with "hootin' an' hollerin', catch-as-catch-can rasslin' . . . and several embarrassin' jokes told in a loud voice as yo' departs on yore honeymoon"), Li'l Abner was reprieved; his marriage license had expired. But this week the most unthinkable is happening. Man of Honor. As all Al Capp's "slobbering fans" know, Abner is a man of honor. When he joined a club honoring his comic-strip idol Detective Fearless Fosdick (Capp's take-off on Dick Tracy), he swore to follow Fosdick's example in every way. Fosdick soon posed a terrible problem to Abner. During an economy drive on the police force, Fosdick was told by his chief that unless he married, he would be axed along with all the other bachelors. Since a "scientific aptitude test" proved Detective Fosdick too stupid for any other job, he grudgingly married his hatchet-faced girl friend Prudence ("ugh!") Pimpleton.* Abner, true to his pledge, had to follow suit. However, he was so confident a miracle would save him that he did not even bother to get out of bed on the morning when Daisy Mae breathlessly held him to his promise (see cut). But this time, no matter what happens to Fosdick, Abner will stay married.

A Wholesome Note. After 18 years, Capp has finally bowed to true love because he has become worried over the heavy load of satire his strip carries. Readers have begun to complain that it is "un-American," and he thinks a marriage, even a $1.35 (new inflation price) Dogpatch one, will introduce a wholesome note. Says Capp: "When I kidded advertising, people wrote, 'Don't you know advertising is the backbone of America?' This attitude made me uneasy about kidding America . . . The only thing for me to do seemed to be to change completely, hoping that in another year the air would clear." Actually, Capp also has a more practical reason: the marriage opens up a new wealth of material. Asks Capp: "Now how will Abner, who has never worked, support Daisy Mae? Will they have a family? Who will boss the household?"

By the time Li'l Abner fans have recovered from the shock of the marriage, Capp will have another surprise for them. Next fall, he plans to make Fearless Fosdick a separate comic strip and has already lined up papers in 30 cities.

* The face was familiar to Capp but the name escaped him. When Fosdick's bride first turned up in the strip several years ago her name was Bess Backache.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.