In the early 1950s , Monroe and Gregg Palmer both unsuccessfully auditioned for roles as Daisy Mae and Abner in a proposed Li ' l Abner television series based on the Al Capp comic strip , but the show was never made . In the early 1950s , Monroe and Gregg Palmer both unsuccessfully auditioned for roles as Daisy Mae and Abner in a proposed Li ' l Abner television series based on the Al Capp comic strip , but the effort never materialized .