From the JSH mailbag:
Can you do a blog asking people where Lil Abners was located in Louisville?
Thanks.
This is probably a job for the Filson Club, or for a mission to the library to consult old city directories, but let's see if anyone out there pipes up on this. Who remembers the Li'l Abner's Restaurant in Louisville?
9 comments:
I find this funny because I just opened this blog and sat down at the computer with a bowl of cream of wheat. Weird. If only I was wearing a high silk hat.
I recall that Lil Abner's was located on Lexington Rd, near Grinstead, in the early 60's. The format was similar to Frisch's.
Jim Porters is where Li'l Abner was.
Part of Jim Porters is the original
building
Li'l Abner's was indeed where present day Jim Porter's resides. It had a giant statue of Mr. Abner Yoakum "hisself" out front. The actual restaurant was sort of "swayback" in a hillbilly cabin motif. All the interior was decorated similarly. I was very young at the time it operated, but was of course extremely popular with kids. All the menu items were named after elements of the comic strip. There was a huge dessert called the "Nightmare Alice", that was served with the lights off whilst sparklers blazed on top. You couldn't go there without at least a couple of them ordered up each evening. The owners I believe were thinking of starting a chain, but somewhere along the line Al Capp demanded too much money for the likenesses. It then became Big Abner's, with everything the same except with all different names (and of course no identifiable figures). That kind of took the air out of it and it folded. Frischs moved in afterwards, the giant "Abner" character replaced by an exploded view Big Boy (the burger, not the character!). It's shame it never took off; mine 6 year old mind remembers it as my favorite place to eat!
And they had balloon Schmoo's on the table.
I can't believe I remember this after 45 years away from Louisville!
I remember that place. We used to go there for breakfast after church. They had a jar of "tarnip" relish on each table. yuck! They also had a sundae or maybe a banana split using a gallon of ice cream. If you could finish it, you got another one free.
RON-R
MY BROTHER AND I WERE JUST TRYING TO REMEMBER THE NAME OF THE HUGE BANANA SPLIT. IF I AM RIGHT IT WAS CALLED THE "STANISLAUS" OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I TRIED ONE ON WHEN I WAS ONLY ABOUT 14 AND THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE TO GO OUTSIDE AND PUKE. WAY MORE THAN I COULD HANDLE. GREAT PLACE !
Ron, You're spot on about the name of the dish. I also remember that if you ate the whole thing your name went up on the wall on a smallish plaque. Too bad about the Al Capp greediness. Lil Abner's was another part of what made (and makes) Louisville a great place.
Alex (formerly of Anchorage)
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