Talk:Li'l Abner/Archive 1

This is an archive of past discussions about Li'l Abner. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page.

Archive 1

Postage stamp image

It has been argued at both Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics and Wikipedia:WikiProject Fair use that the usage of the image is not fair use since it is not being used to illustrate the stamp but rather the character. Hence it has been removed. User:Hiding talk 17:25, 15 November 2005 (UTC)

Almost none of the stamp images employed on Wikipedia are used to "illustrate the stamp" rather than the subject of the article. It seems pretty clear that currently there is a widespread usage of stamps in the former way, and there's even an image template and image category for these particular types of images. Until our policies in this matter change, I don't see any reason to single out and remove this particular image. Gamaliel 17:39, 15 November 2005 (UTC)

Have you checked what the template says?:

This image is of a United States postage stamp produced in 1978 or later. The copyright for it is owned by the United States Postal Service. It is believed that the use of postage stamps to illustrate the stamp in question (as opposed to the subject of the stamp) on the English-language Wikipedia, hosted on servers in the United States by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation, qualifies as fair use under United States copyright law. Other use of this image, on Wikipedia or elsewhere, may be copyright infringement. See Copyrights for more information.

Note it says it is not acceptable to use it to illustrate the subject of the stamp. It's best if you give your thoughts on that, rather than we just engage in a revert war. User:Hiding talk 19:30, 15 November 2005 (UTC)

Honestly, I hadn't read the template before. Is there a page which describes our policies on stamps? There are certainly a lot of unanswered questions here, for me anyway. Why are pre-1978 stamps acceptable but not post-1978 stamps? Why are stamps less acceptable than book covers? Why can't the fact that the article mentions the stamp be an excuse for fair use, or using the stamp to illustrate the social significance of a subject be fair use? In any case, I'm not sure what a discussion between only two people will accomplish, because if what this template says should be binding WP policy, then there are a lot of editors and articles which will be affected. Gamaliel 20:00, 15 November 2005 (UTC)

The template was probably written by Wikipedia:WikiProject Fair use. Our fair use policies are slowly being tightened due to legal advice, as best as I can understand it. As to other articles, I can't really speak on them, only that we've been discussing this article and image at Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics and have inclined towards removing it. Note technically the image has no source and can be listed for speedy deletion anyway. User:Hiding talk 20:27, 15 November 2005 (UTC)

As to the 1978 thing, I believe copyright laws in the United States changed in that year, although I am not American so I am not 100% positive on that. I actually do agree with you that since the article mentions the stamp it constitutes fair use but the consensus leant the other way. I'm happy to leave well enough alone for now. User:Hiding talk 20:30, 15 November 2005 (UTC)

Druthers

Al Capp did not originate "druthers"--first occurred 1870. (I put this here just to make sure someone doesn't put it back!) Hcethatsme 01:55, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

U.S. Newspapers?

QUOTING THE ARTICLE: "Li'l Abner was a comic strip in United States newspapers, featuring a fictional clan of hillbillies in the impoverished town of Dogpatch."

I expect that this hereabove sentence was written by an Amuricun editur.

I'm perty shure that that Amuricun editur is immensely proud that the immortal "Li'l Abner" is an Amuricun comic strip. And if he or she is NOT immensely proud of that fackt, then they bloody well oughta bee (and thats putting it increidibly perlitely).

And I do trooly appreciate that the town of Dogpatch is in one of the United States of Amurica (thoo I cant rite noe remember wich one.)

Not, with and standing all of the above, this artickle oughta take into account that this incredibul comic strip appeared in noospapers BEYAWNED thoes of the United States of Amurica, including, to my certain nawledge, noospapers in Canada. (For thoes whoes geeographee is week, Canada is the cuntree just north of the aformenshunned United States of Amurica.)

Wanderer57 (talk) 05:57, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

Yah, shoor, yoo betcha! Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 08:49, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

Image copyright problem with Image:Bombface2.jpg

The image Image:Bombface2.jpg is used in this article under a claim of fair use, but it does not have an adequate explanation for why it meets the requirements for such images when used here. In particular, for each page the image is used on, it must have an explanation linking to that page which explains why it needs to be used on that page. Please check

That there is a non-free use rationale on the image's description page for the use in this article.
That this article is linked to from the image description page.

This is an automated notice by FairuseBot. For assistance on the image use policy, see Wikipedia:Media copyright questions. --21:16, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

The article itself

Someone should take the trouble to congratulate the author(s) of this piece, quite irrespective of its accuracy (about which I'm incompetent to comment).

I'm old enough to have grown up with the strip, and reading the Wikipedia article had me laughing helplessly, partly from nostalgia, but mostly because the material is still so hilarious. Thank you one and all.Jim Stinson (talk) 22:16, 7 April 2009 (UTC)

I'm glad you liked it, Jim. You may also enjoy Fearless Fosdick, Shmoo, Al Capp, Dogpatch and Lower Slobbovia. User:Rackinfrackin (talk) 13:47, 16 July 2009 (UTC):

Seriously, the whole thing is extremely well-done, even though its literary reviewer tone probably breaks or at least bends many Wikipedia laws. It really does capture the feel and spirit of the strip, and it would be a shame if it got "objective encyclopediized." Mandrakos (talk) 00:38, 8 October 2015 (UTC)::

I came to this page to say how much I enjoyed this article, and I'm glad to see that others like it too. I've also thought that it bucks Wikipedia's guidelines and wouldn't blame a more by-the-book editor for changing it, but damn, this article is a pleasure to read. Mgushulak (talk) 20:18, 27 September 2016 (UTC)

Skunk Works

A comic strip is the origin of the name: Lockheed Martian "Skunk Works." --LandonJaeger (talk) 04:01, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia style

I have tried to bring this in line with Wikipedia style including:

remove incorrect use of boldface per WP:BOLDFACE and Talk: Al Capp
magazine article titles go in quotation marks and are not italicized
magazine names, book titles, movie name, TV show names are italicized, but they are not written all in caps -- see also WP:CAPS
Quotations are not italicized
plain English words should not generally be linked -- see WP:OVERLINK

Regards, Ground Zero | t 02:23, 12 August 2009 (UTC)

I have made the changes per WP:BOLDFACE again. If you disaagree with the Wikipedia Manual of Style on this point, please raise your objections at Wikipedia talk:Manual of Style. I have also corrected some punctuation and other formatting errors. In an article this long, there are bound to be more. Ground Zero | t 19:42, 12 August 2009 (UTC)

Li'l

The word "Li'l" is a contraction of "Little." Capp was literate enough to know that the apostrophe indicates the glottal pronunciation of the letter "t." This is lost on today's illiterate rappers who try to appropriate the word but always misspell it as "Lil'."Lestrade (talk) 18:18, 5 December 2009 (UTC)Lestrade

Li'l Abner's age

The article gives Li'l Abner's age as "perpetually 19 y'ars." As a 1950's teenager I distinctly recall it being "15 1/2 y'ars old". Anyone else from that era remember differently? --Vaughan Pratt (talk) 06:10, 13 December 2012 (UTC)

I think that was the perpetual age of his younger brother, "Tiny" Yokum. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 06:16, 13 December 2012 (UTC)

August 2013 - how/where to introduce example of the cultural relevance and significance of Li'l Abner such that aspects of the strip's plot could be used as security questions to confirm bona fides of Allied operatives in World War 2?

How or where could we introduce this example of the cultural relevance and significance of Li'l Abner - that aspects of the strip's plot could be used as security questions to confirm bona fides of Allied operatives in World War 2? A specific example is detailed in the book The Bomber Boys: Heroes Who Flew the B-17s in World War II By Travis L. Ayres (details of book follow). On page 125, the text reads,

If the Peter Seniawsky in the Spanish prison was really one of their airmen, then the Americans wanted him back, but the belief of at least some of the American officials was that he was something else entirely...a German spy. They sent a man to investigate.
A few days after the departure of Commander Griffin, Peter was interrogated again. Peter could not determine whether the questioner was British or American, but he sensed the stranger was legitimate so he told his story freely. As the interrogator finished the session and turned to leave, he hesitated and looked directly into Peter's eyes. 'Tell me, Sergeant Seniawsky, do you think Daisy Mae will ever catch Li'l Abner?' The question made Peter chuckle. 'You mean the comic strip? No, she doesn't have a chance.'
The man smiled. 'We will be in touch.' Three days later, a Spanish Air Force officer arrived to escort Peter out of the prison...

Here's a link to the Google Books version where the quote appears. Some feedback on this would be appreciated, as it's a great example of just how culturally relevant the strip was that the US military would use it during WW2 to confirm the identity of an airman lost behind enemy lines who'd managed to escape from Germany, cross through Occupied France and finally get to neutral Spain. Cheers Az x2 17:24, 4 September 2013 (UTC)

Location?

The lede identifies both Kentucky and Arkansas as the locales of the strip. Need to decide and document. 150.243.14.35 (talk) 19:48, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

Masochistic Lady Character Missing

If my memory is right: I don't recall her name, but there was this theme of women fighting in a ring to be head of society. There was one lady who won matches by torturing herself until her opponent gave up. Doesn't anyone recall her name? (EnochBethany (talk) 02:47, 28 March 2015 (UTC))

Tone

The tone of the "Cast" section is breezy and essay-like, and not the encyclopedic tone necessary.--Tenebrae (talk) 23:46, 16 December 2015 (UTC)

The tone of the "Shmoos and other mythic creatures" section also needs work. While expressions like "braining 'em with a kitchen door" and "Fiendish little devil birds whose hellish bite causes unbearable heat" might work well in a pop culture book, they don't fit an encyclopedia. BlackcurrantTea (talk) 06:44, 13 October 2017 (UTC)

Touch one ha'r on the haid of the tone of these sections and you got a feud to fight ! Ah has spoken!!
Dmforcier (talk) 18:38, 5 January 2020 (UTC)

Model for General Bullmoose

Was Andrew Mellon the model for General Bullmoose? They looked and acted much alike. Sicherman (talk) 21:22, 28 July 2021 (UTC)