Al Capp veterans returning from the war. Capp was also involved with the Sister Kenny Foundation, which pioneered new treatments for polio in the 1940s. Serving in his capacity as honorary chairman, Capp made public appearances on its behalf for years, contributed free artwork for its annual fund-raising appeals, and entertained crippled and paraplegic children in children's hospitals with inspirational pep talks, humorous stories and sketches. In 1940, an RKO movie adaptation starred Granville Owen (later known as Jeff York) as Li'l Abner, with Buster Keaton taking the role of Lonesome Polecat, and featuring a title song with lyrics by Milton Berle.
Al Capp in the annual Sadie Hawkins Day race. In 1952, Capp and his characters graced the covers of both "Life" and "TV Guide". 1956 saw the debut of the Bald Iggle, considered by some "Abner" enthusiasts to be the creative high point of the strip, as well as Mammy's revelatory encounter with the "Square Eyes" Family—Capp's thinly-veiled appeal for racial tolerance. (This fable-like story was collected into an educational comic book called "Mammy Yokum and the Great Dogpatch Mystery!", and distributed by the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith later that year.) Two years later, Capp's studio issued "Martin Luther King and