65TH ANNIVERSARY OF L'IL ABNER COMIC STRIP

65TH ANNIVERSARY OF L'IL ABNER COMIC STRIP

STOCKBRIDGE, Conn. (Wireless Flash) -- There'll be a celebration in the mythical town of Dogpatch, Kentucky, today -- it's the 65th anniversary of the day the "L'il Abner" comic strip made its debut. On August 13, 1934, the Al Capp-penned comic strip appeared for the first time. It ran in newspapers for 43 years until Capp's death in 1977. Capp, who was born in New Haven, Connecticut, supposedly invented the characters during on a two-week road trip through the south when he was just 15 years old. Although the strip was an instant hit when it debuted, it faded into obscurity after he died and, these days, the only L'il Abner reference still widely used is "Sadie Hawkins Day," which is the day when women can ask guys out on dates. However, Syracuse University communications professor Robert Thompson says the comic strip's true legacy is in southern fried sitcoms like "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Dukes of Hazzard" and "Andy Griffith."