SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WESTSIDE STORY AND LI'L ABNER:

SIMILARITIES AND FIFFERENCES BETWEEN WESTSIDE STORY AND LI’L ABNER: The Westside Story and Li’l Abner are two American musicals that on the surface appear amateurish but actually address deep social and political issues of their time. The two movie musicals, Li’l Abner and Westside Story, therefore address many similar but also some differing social issues. Li’l Abner is a comic satire, a mockery of the (Federal) political system, and gender roles in the United States. The Westside Story, in contrast is a romantic tragedy similar to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, which among other things deals with issues of juvenile delinquency and gender. The issue of gender and masculinity is prominent in both musicals, as featured in the rite of Sadie Hawkins day festival in Li’l Abner and in the character ‘Anybodys’ in the Westside Story. Mammy Yokum’s concoction is believed to turn weaklings into strong and muscular men, something that eventually was used to convince Washington to spare Dogpatch (Li’l Abner’s town). While Li’l Abner, a comic strip is funny and humorous, the Westside Story is not at all funny. The Westside Story is a dark and tragic Broadway show. In the Westside Story, dance takes the leading role instead of song as in Li’l Abner. The entire cast in the Westside Story comprises largely of dancers, primarily kids with very little experience. In Li’l Abner, however song (singing) is a more important element and the cast consist of more experienced people. The story in Li’l Abner is primarily told through songs while that in the Westside Story is mainly though dance. A striking difference in the two musicals is their plots. Li’l Abner, unlike most comic strips deals with southern experiences and was set in Dogpatch, Kentucky. The Westside Story however is set in the New York City and addresses northern issues. Although the plot, cast and the mood of the musicals are different, they both address questions of politics, gender, love, and rivalry. Both musicals turned out to be very iconic and enduring. The endurance of both musicals is largely the result of the relevance of the issues they address through time and generation