Riley could easily be described as the Archie Bunker of the 1940s. I think we're among the first couple generations for whom the presence of the dead at their funerals has become optional, and I see that as probably not good news for the culture at large. Chester A. Riley: Well, if you do, just holler. People will know that. She must have money. So I'm interested in it. Jim Gillis: They put you to sleep. Sometimes it's as simple as going up the street, down the block, into the church, out of that building, over to the bridge, over the river, over to the graveyard. I planned the whole thing. I really don't care. I think of disbelief as a faith of its own kind. He had a very good sense of that. We are more mobile, more portable, more scattered. It follows the changes in our species, certainly in our culture. The CBS program starred Lionel Stander as J. Riley Farnsworth and had no real connection with the more famous series that followed a few years later. CONTINUES IN BG SINGERS: Riley, Riley, what a pal! Searching for Herbert ODell Smith took me nowhere, and youd be surprised how many people in America are named Digger ODell. Why, theres Edwin Digger Odell of Abilene, Texas; Allen Digger ODell of Malvern, Iowa; Charles Wayne Digger ODell of Lebanon, Tennessee; Loren Digger ODell of Brookfield, Missouri you get the picture. Jim Gillis: Yeah, well, he oughta shampoo more often - with kerosene! I think it suggests that we're going to get from one place to the other, whatever it is that we have to do to process this new reality, to get the dead to the edge of their changed role and get the living to the edge of this new changed life that they're going to lead without this person in their lives anymore. "Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60-minute radio adaptation of the movie on May 8, 1950 with William Bendix, Rosemary DeCamp, Meg Randall . Brief Synopsis A factory worker tries to cope when his daughter dates the boss's son. Some do. But we are much more willing to go stand next to the hole in the ground than we are willing to stand next to the fire. Junior will be glad to pitch in. That's enough, isn't it? He played "Al" on the radio series "My Friend Irma". https://www.quotes.net/movies/the_life_of_riley_107479, https://www.quotes.net/movies/the_life_of_riley_quotes_107479. With William Bendix the protagonist, as Riley and among others John Brown, who portrayed the friendly undertaker "Digger" O'Dell. Other photos show preparations for the publicity stunt. During a burial in California, a sudden earthquake caved in the sides of his "apartment" and he had to be rescued. And at least so far as my experience is concerned, the living who bear those burdens honorably are better off for it. Chester A. Riley is back, with long-suffering wife Peg, trouble-prone kids Junior and Babs, moochy pal Gillis, and Digger O'Dell, The Friendly Undertaker in sixteen hilarious half-hour episodes. It was produced by Tom McKnight for NBC and featured William Bendix. I want reports! 1 The oblivion is the oblivion wherever it is. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. It's the people who, in many ways, try to put on the smiley face, that brittle grin you see so often that says, "We're going to be happy." Bareiss, Warren "The Life of Riley" Encyclopedia of Television I needed to read that piece because I'm disinclined -- when someone's sick, when someone's out of sorts, when someone's dead -- I'm disinclined to be around that. And we suspect there'll be more Riley movies. I'm not the type of friends who buts in. By using this site, you agree to our updated. "; from "what are we going to buy?" So what you've seen is what I've seen: that people who deal with their dead deal with death better. But there's no question that cremation has become normative in a way that it used to be exceptional. Most say, "No, go ahead and take care of that." One option is organic fertilizer made from chicken manure, which can be found at Menard's for a reasonable price of $10.99 per 25-pound bag. And I've seen it work, I've seen it work. Banners asked customers and anyone driving past the Buick showroom on Union Avenue, "HOW LONG CAN HE STAY BURIED ALIVE?" Everything seems to fall into place. Let's see! I mean, that is the terrible, terrible part. Once Riley declares to Stevenson that he does not want the promotion, Babs realizes she is free and runs into Jeff's waiting arms. The Life of Riley was an American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, a 1950s television series, and a 1958 comic book. We're celebrating love, huh? [1] (Marx would get his own series Blue Ribbon Town instead.) Even a criminal gets time off for good behavior. But when people go with us, it's at the back end of an industrial park in Lavonia, near a railroad track, so it's unlike the kind of commemorative surroundings that we have in our local cemeteries -- more is the pity. I just gave him a sedative. Chester A. Riley is back, with long-suffering wife Peg, trouble-prone kids Junior and Babs, moochy pal Gillis, and Digger O'Dell, The Friendly Undertaker in sixteen hilarious half-hour episodes. The Life of Riley was an American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, a 1950s television series, and a 1958 comic book. The American Meat Institute (194445), Procter & Gamble (Teel dentifrice and Prell shampoo) (194549), and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer (194951) took turns as the radio program's sponsor. In terms of the practical details, what are some of the things you learned from your dad? It earned $1.6 million in the U.S. and Canada,[4] preventing him from starring in the TV series that began in the same year. I've never lost a father yet! I'm the guy that has the hearse, but there's someone else in town who is making a strawberry rhubarb pie to bring to the luncheon afterward, and that's what she's doing on the day. I said what about a kiss? Riley's catch phrase in the series and the film was "what a revolting development this turned out to be." "I play every chance I get music, that is!" Mounted on one of his five Harleys and racing most everywhere across the nation will be National Number 57; that's "Digger O'Dell," the friendly undertaker. I've always been touched by the fact that there seems to be as much laughter as weeping at the big life events. Well, it's showing up and just being there is worth an awful lot. And why do the rituals of a funeral matter? And it works; it does work. Months after my father died, I can remember this wave of feelings that would come over me, catching me at the most unpredictable times, this wallop of him being dead, him being gone. And then one year it disappeared, and I fretted that someone had stolen it for scrap metal. The idea for the radio program had originated as a sitcom for Groucho Marx called The Flotsam Family , but Groucho was Groucho and the sponsor couldn't accept him as a family man. Not wanting to uproot his family, Riley determines to come up with the $1,500 down payment and goes from bank to bank searching for a loan. Chester A. Riley: Do I have a hole in my neck? Jim Gillis: Are you kiddin'? Instead, Jackie Gleason starred, with Rosemary DeCamp replacing Paula Winslowe as wife Peg, Gloria Winters as daughter Barbara (Babs), Lanny Rees as son Chester Jr. (Junior), and Sid Tomack as Jim Gillis, Riley's manipulative best buddy and next-door neighbor. Crowther concluded, "[W]e suppose there are millions who will like this sort of truck. And the components of a funeral sometimes change. And what about the formalities, the particular traditions and customs that are a part of the funeral? What we don't want to see is our mother or our father dead, and that is the part we need to see. [citation needed] Mel Blanc provided some voices as well, including that of Junior's dog Tiger as well as that of a dog catcher who claimed to have a special bond with dogs. And particularly when you see the transaction . Chester A. Riley: Hello, Digger. So for me, I can remember swinging the door all through my teen years, and I think it was 1973 -- I was probably 24 or 25 years old [when I decided]. The Life of Riley (1949) co-starred Rosemary DeCamp, James Gleason, Beluah Bondi, Richard Long and John Brown as "Digger O'Dell" the friendly undertaker, a role that he also played on the radio program. Gillis often gave Riley bad information that got him into trouble, whereas Digger gave him good information that "helped him out of a hole," as he might have put it. And you have mentioned the range of feelings and emotions at a funeral. No one escaped Crowther's vitriol: Bendix was "an oaf," Lanny Rees, as son, Junior, looked "slightly frightening," Randall as Babs was "just another shapely blonde," and John Brown as Digger was "extremely disappointing in the flesh." And the things we have to do in that period of two days or three days, that's also largely what you do for us, is that right? Comedy Romance A factory worker's family is thrown into an uproar when his teenage daughter starts to date his boss' son. Though other friends may fail you, I shall be the last to let you down.". The second TV series ran for six seasons, from January 2, 1953, to May 23, 1958. Asked by yeaux. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "The Blade's Log of Radio and Television Programs (9:00 p.m.)", Zoot Radio, free old time radio show downloads of, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Life_of_Riley&oldid=1135022718, This page was last edited on 22 January 2023, at 03:47. Who is the producer of syndicated radio's 'The Sean Hannity Show' that is consistently referred to on-air as "Sweet Baby James"? He was Herbert ODell Smith, and he conducted this buried alive stunt, along with countless other feats of endurance, across the South. So in a sense, cremation suits us in that way. The Life of Riley was the initial release of Brecher Productions, Inc. William Bendix first played "Riley" in the popular NBC radio series on which this film was based, and John Brown played "'Digger' O'Dell" in the series. I enjoy listening to the frogs croak. William Bendix and Digger O'Dell the friendly undertaker - The Life of Riley Complete Broadcast CBS Lux Radio Theatre 1950 (Lp) - Amazon.com Music Buy used: $198.00 $3.99 delivery January 26 - February 2. 1949. So we weep and we laugh, we laugh and we sing, and we try to work our way around this changed reality in much the same way a death in the family articulates this changed reality. 460 Tennessee Street #200, Memphis, TN 38103. But cremation has increased since then by about 10 percent in every decade. Do you speak French? What does your funeral home represent for this town? Dwarf Mr Snow, Fred's Tie Dye, Saucy Mary, Sweet Scarlet, Kangaroo Paw Green, Idaho Gem and Banana Toes are just a few of the varieties one gardener is growing in a 4x8 bed of "bulletproof" tomatoes. While we would all agree that death is never funny, this show had an usual character in it by the name of Digby "Digger". I've seen at the end of the day people walking upright away from graves, people walking upright away from fires, as if they were going to survive it. MUSIC: THEME FILLS A PAUSE, THEN FADES OUT ANNCR: Another gardener is pla, Growing Peppers in Your Garden: Tips, Hardening Off and Soil Mix, Growing peppers is a great way to spice up your garden. But maybe with the fact that 75 million baby boomers are working their way up to the bar of mortality now, it's dawning on them that this could happen to them. I never felt better. to "how come? "It is I, Digger O'Dell, your friendly undertaker. Scars On My Heart / Her (7", Single) Ranger. If you don't pay attention Peg Riley: Well, I'm trying to tell ya, he just moons around the house! Digby 'Digger' O'Dell : Why, I was just taking a stroll around the pond. . It's a culture that doesn't like to be reminded of mortality. . Plunged into darkness, Riley takes the advice of friend and neighbor, undertaker "Digger" O'Dell, and invites his guests to a restaurant. It has always been a family-owned and -operated firm, founded by Thomas Lynch's father, Edward Joseph Lynch. Everything assumes its natural order. I think the national rate now is right around 38 percent. And for those who are unchurched or unfamiliar in any tradition that gives them sort of the framework for this, a funeral home is still a safe place to talk about matters mortuary and matters of mortality. After all, the people whose names are on these markers dont have that luxury. While the ratio may not be ideal for tomatoes, it can still produce great results with some preparation and understanding of the plant's genetic potential. Digger O'Dell @diggerodell7655 56 subscribers Subscribe Home Videos Shorts Playlists Community Channels About Videos Play all 16:13 Searching for the lost Asylum (SHD, FX removed to fix some. But then I can read the work of Barbara Brown Taylor or St. Paul or C.S. See production, box office & company info, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA. What are you doin' here in the park? After the boorish Monahan orders the most expensive items on the fancy French menu, however, Riley barely has enough to cover the check. Chester A. Riley: You know, Peg, I don't know what kind of wife she's gonna mae, but 40 years from now, somebody's gonna have a terrific mother-in-law. So we had those advantages. Peg Riley: No. Riley's usual reply to the messes he would get in to became a catch phrase that swept the nation: What a revoltin' development this is! He has been buried in a concrete vault for 36 days, sealed in glass 33 days, and spent 26 days underwater., But somewhere along the way, he decided to concentrate on burying himself in the worlds smallest apartment, as the various promotions called it. Executives, who immediately began production on a television series, did not share Crowther's opinion, but because Bendix's movie contract barred him from doing television (a not uncommon ban in the early days of the medium when studios wanted to discourage audiences from staying home and watching TV), Jackie Gleason played Riley for one unsuccessful season in 1950. What age were you when you really seriously thought you might become a funeral director, and how much of your dad's influence was a part of that decision? Chester A. Riley: Hello, Digger. Still, as every grieving person knows, we have to reinvent the wheel in which we are now orphaned. Will that matter? He didnt come close to breaking his record. Procter and Gamble's new Radiant Creme Shampoo in the handy tube! Jim Gillis: Sure! Not sure where the voice actor was inspired from, but Mancubus sounds exactly like Digger O'Dell, the friendly undertaker from the old Life of Rile Press J to jump to the feed. We can't prearrange that. We are now without a mother or without a father. Chester A. Riley: Why should an old man married for years run away with a pretty blond? And they open your mouth. However, it came to an end after 26 episodes because Irving Brecher and sponsor Pabst Brewing Company reached an impasse on extending the series for a full 39-week season. Riley is overjoyed by his unexpected "step up," unaware that Babs asked Burt to offer him the job, and that he did so without his father's knowledge. So this pilgrimage, this journey that we go on, replicates in many ways other journeys that we see in life, from infancy to toddlerhood, from toddlerhood to teenagers to adulthood, the journeys we take in life in our heart, in the life of our mind, the life of our spirit. He jumps across the line just as a girl, who is covered by a blanket, is being shot by an arrow and plunges off a cliff. Peg Riley: Well, he's always been so bright. 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