CIDShmoo
Cidu Bill on Dec 7th 2009
Several suggested this comic for the Geezers tag. Of course, the question here is how Caufield was able to identify (and date) the L’il Abner strip so easily. Oh, and “Back up a frame” could use a bit of explaining, thank you.
Filed in Bill Bickel, CIDU, Frazz, Hey Geezers! Comics!, Jef Mallet, comic strips, comics, humor | 16 responses so far
HM Dec 7th 2009 at 12:01 pm 1
Back up a frame=”Good Grief!” from Peanuts, another 50 year old comic strip.
Skaloop Dec 7th 2009 at 12:02 pm 2
In the third frame, Caufiled used “Good grief”, also language from a 50-year old comic strip.
Kamino Neko Dec 7th 2009 at 12:15 pm 3
Peanuts, specifically.
Of course, neither ‘druthers’ nor ‘good grief’ was coined by the strip in question, and, to make it extra-funny, ‘good grief’ is more thoroughly associated with the strip.
Frank the curmudgeon Dec 7th 2009 at 12:23 pm 4
Perfectly good word that predates Al Capp.
I’d SOONER Lipton.
Elyrest Dec 7th 2009 at 12:41 pm 5
Druthers might have predated Al Capp, but he certainly popularized it. Many people used it who might not have because of L’il Abner. There’s also the song from the Lil’ Abner : The Musical (1956)(Gene De Paul / Johnny Mercer), “If I Had My Druthers.”
“If I had my druthers,
I’d druther have my druthers
Than anything else I know”
When I read this comic originally I had to go back a frame myself to catch the “good grief”. That phrase is so familiar to me that I don’t even mentally grok to Peanuts anymore.
Bob Dec 7th 2009 at 04:00 pm 6
Elyrest - best bumper sticker I ever saw from mid-1970s: “I grok Spock.”
Jim in Phx Dec 7th 2009 at 07:18 pm 7
TANGENT WARNING: “grok Spock”? I was a star trek follower since 1968 and I don’t get that reference. Please explain. Is it some kind of Klingon work I should know? (I don’t speak Klingon.)
Elyrest Dec 7th 2009 at 07:52 pm 8
Jim in Phx - it’s from Robert Heinlen’s book “Stranger in a Strange Land”. It usually means to understand. I was using a variance on it when I said “grok to” as I have obviously been corrupted by consorting with computer nerds.
Adam Dec 7th 2009 at 09:21 pm 9
Since you asked for an explanation, the “back up a frame” is just Frazz breaking the fourth wall.
furrykef Dec 7th 2009 at 10:54 pm 10
Adam - when I read this strip I caught the fourth wall thing but I had no idea what in the third frame Frazz was referring to. I think Skaloop nailed it, though.
Seth Finkelstein Dec 8th 2009 at 12:34 am 11
“Of course, the question here is how Caufield was able to identify (and date) the L’il Abner …”
Li’l Abner apparently survives as a popular school musical.
http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2009_08_05.html#017512
Rasheed Dec 8th 2009 at 05:59 pm 12
Has anyone ever been to Dogpatch USA? The last time we went was around 20 years ago. According to the wiki’, it’s been abandoned since ‘93. I do remember a ‘hillbilly’ vibe of the place, but I didn’t know anything of the Li’l Abner strip at the time, and all I really remember is a pretty elaborate shooting gallery and all I hit was a malfunctioning bird.
My first question should have been “Has anyone ever HEARD of Dogpatch USA and knew Li’l Abner had his own theme park in Arkansas?”
Jeff S. Dec 9th 2009 at 09:49 am 13
Rasheed, having grown up in Springfield, MO, I certainly did. Of course, I heard all about Silver Dollar City too, at approximately a 25:1 ratio compared to Dogpatch USA. The advantage SDC had was all the shows in Branson. Harrison, AR had nothing to help keep Dogpatch USA alive.
[sarcasm] The people who live in the Ozarks just LOVE strips like Li’l Abner and Snuffy Smith. They depicts us so accurately. [/sarcasm]
Sigh…
Rasheed Dec 9th 2009 at 09:54 am 14
Jeff S, I am familiar with both SDC and Branson, although whenever Mom dragged the family out that direction every couple years, it was for some paddleboat. Maybe saw two shows in the ’80s. I had been meaning to go back at one point because when I went to SLU they kept running Yakov commercials….
Telesam Dec 9th 2009 at 11:21 am 15
Ah, yes. Li’l Abner was one of my first shows I did, the school put it on when I was a freshman four years ago. I didn’t have to sing it, but it’s a catchy tune, and I think I still remember it. It’s a very underrated show, IMO.
thejaguar Dec 25th 2009 at 07:57 pm 16
Caulfield is a fan of classic literature. Not all classic literature need lack panels and speech bubbles.