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. Whether someone comes into the funeral home insisting on the least expensive or the most expensive, I see in both cases an effort to assign value to cost, and I just think in my own experience it's never had much to do with it. "Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60-minute radio adaptation of the movie on May 8, 1950 with William Bendix, Rosemary DeCamp, Meg Randall . I think of disbelief as a faith of its own kind. 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. 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. And it works; it does work. What are you doin' here in the park? Digger O-Dell And The Friendly Undertakers. Chester A. Riley: I'll go home right now. Punchy: Hey, why don't you get up, pal? Thomas Lynch is a writer and a poet. There is a comfort when you don't have to reinvent that wheel, when we know we have to be at church at a certain time and that these prayers will be said and not those, and that this is accustomed behavior and this is outside the pale, and this is where we go. 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. They can coexist. Some do. They come in to talk about what to do with a child who's grieving because a schoolmate died, to talk about what will happen in the event of their own death, how to handle a dying parent, nursing home arrangements, elder care. And most good customs allow for some wiggle room, you know. But people will go home, and they will look at pictures of the dead; they'll look at movies of the dead; they'll quote the dead to one another; and they will weep and laugh and carry on. While readying for Monahan, Riley's daughter Babs, a serious-minded college student, catches the eye of Miss Bogle's handsome young nephew, Jeff Taylor. It was during this period that Gleason played Riley on one episode of the radio series. By using this site, you agree to our updated. And is that the purposefulness in the ebb and flow of a wake and a funeral? We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly. Copyright 2022 Memphis Magazine. Despite Gillis' accusations and Peg's doubts, Riley goes along with the wedding plan until Junior uses the Stevensons' intercom to eavesdrop on Burt's room. He played "Al" on the radio series "My Friend Irma". Paula Winslowe played "Peg" for most of the series' run. The radio series also benefited from the immense popularity of a supporting character, Digby "Digger" O'Dell , "the friendly undertaker." Brecher told Brown, "I want a very sepulchral voice, quavering, morbid," and he got it right away. And yet you write that beautiful essay Tract in your book, The Undertaking, which is in some way a map, is it? Cullen, Frank, Hackman, Florence and McNeilly, Donald Vaudeville Old & New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America Vol. 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. Today he is just living the life of RileyThis is the story of Chester A. Rileywho is just livingin Los Angeles California." Peg Riley: Well, of all the revolting ideas! Let's see! Chester A. Riley: Well, if you do, just holler. But you've seen people come in that are agnostics or --. He's a man who's understood In Brooklyn or in Hollywood. We get to say when people are dead to us, or dead enough, so that we can let them go. Maybe because it's happening to their parents or their siblings and some of their friends now, suddenly I see the cultural conversation changing from "how much?" Lewis, and I think, how would you get by without it? Chester A. Riley: Yes. According to the obituary, Digger was born in Georgia in 1915. The Brother immediately. And I think this has to do with our notions about fire itself. I do not care but that they do it honorably. My mother died on the 27th of October and was buried on the 31st of October, so it was the Eve of All Saints. But, you know, we used to say to my father, who directed a fair few funerals, "What do you want done with you when you're dead?," and he'd say, "Well, you'll know what to do." He never acted this way before. A comic book adaptation of the show was produced by Dell Comics in 1958 as part of their Four Color series of one-shots. That's not what you don't want to see, because we can fix that all." When the publicity manager urged him to change into a dark suit (so it would be more funeral-like) Digger refused: Ive got to have my robe. When the promoter begged him to change clothes once he was below ground, Digger explained the situation: No room. At the mobile home park, a local reporter didnt have a very high opinion of the aging stuntman, writing, He has the flushed face and shaking hand of a man who has seen the sun rise over many an empty bottle. Digger showed up at the park wearing only a bathrobe. She means other kinds of trouble. Chester A. Riley, a riveter at Stevenson Aircraft in Los Angeles, works hard but is always behind in his bills. Digger O'Dell, the friendly undertaker ANNCR: It's new! Acti-Sol Hen Manure is one popular product that has been used with success by experienced, This website uses cookies for functionality, analytics and advertising purposes as described in our. [1], William Bendix also starred in the 1949 film version of The Life of Riley directed by Irving Brecher. Henry Morgan voiced Riley's father in one episode. Isn't that awful? Babs: Well, I think he ought to get a fair trial. Burial was the norm in the Western world probably until the mid-60s. Peg Riley: Theatre, huh? And what about the formalities, the particular traditions and customs that are a part of the funeral? I see it all as part of the one journey, all as part of the one pilgrimage. I thought, this guy could play it. What are you doin' here in the park?Digby 'Digger' O'Dell: Why, I was just taking a stroll around the pond. The crematory we use is impeccably run by ethical people, people we inspect, unannounced, a couple times every year. But the strange case of Digby "Digger" O'Dell offers an elegant counterpoint. People will know that. If you're playing human to human, you'll do fine. Peg Riley: No. Chester A. Riley: Nah what would a rich man want with money? Chester A. Riley: I got troubles, Digger. But cremation has increased since then by about 10 percent in every decade. 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. 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. My, you're looking fine today; very natural" and leave stage with ""Cheerio, I'd better be shoveling off", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Life_of_Riley. He calculated that he had been "buried alive" 94 times, and some of these almost ended his life. Vance Lauderdale is the history columnist for Memphis magazine and Inside Memphis Business. 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. Do you hear that, Peg? 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
Jackie Gleason starred as Riley during the show's first year, while DeCamp and Lanny Rees reprised their film roles for the series. t.r., memphis. The last mention I can find of his exploits came from a 1979 newspaper published in the little town of Phenix City, Alabama, which reported that Digger was performing his 158th burial in the parking lot of Macks Mobile Homes there. 461. Dear t.r. What does your funeral home represent for this town? Digger: Every good undertaker has his ear to the ground - we pick up a lot of dirt that way. "The Life of Riley" The Billboard Magazine Dec 6, 1947
This character was extremelly successfull, with many puns based on his profession. [citation needed], The series was co-developed by the nonperforming Marx Brother turned agent Gummo. And why do the rituals of a funeral matter? They'll survive it. Peg Riley: Yeah? In 1907, a penniless farmer named Ruben Shipp discovered gold while plowing his field. Not a day went by that I wasn't kept in after school. I always knew I'd bring up my daughter to be somebody someday. Could have been man/wife or brother/sister. But when the entire conversation circles around and around about how much it's going to cost or how can you prevent this charge, I just find it silly after a while. "[2], The reworked script cast Bendix as blundering Chester A. Riley, a wing riveter at the fictional Cunningham Aircraft plant in California. And there's somebody else doing this, that. This is got to be one of the largest collection of a single classic show I have stumbled across. 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? "The Life of Riley Quotes." So everything is weakened; weakened and tightened at the same time. But don't go there searching for a tombstone marked Digger O'Dell. So yeah, I enjoyed writing that piece. His frequent exclamation of indignation became one of the most famous catch phrases of the 1940s: "What a revoltin' development this is!" The radio series greatly benefited from the immense popularity of a supporting character, Digby "Digger" O'Dell (John Brown), "the friendly undertaker." Chester A. Riley: Hello, Digger. Brown also played "Gillis" on the radio. 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. "; from "what are we going to buy?" The expression "life of Riley" or "living the life of Riley (Reilly)" emerged in the early 1920s, and was probably derived from turn-of-the-century Irish songs, such as "The Best in the House Is None Too Good for Reilly." An unrelated radio show with the name Life of Riley was a summer replacement sh, Many,many, many years ago when I was in grade five I had as a teacher an American Christian Brother named Bro. Digby 'Digger' O'Dell : Why, I was just taking a stroll around the pond. Last updated Jun 12 2013. Still, as every grieving person knows, we have to reinvent the wheel in which we are now orphaned. I planned the whole thing. But more and more, when we say to them, "You may, and maybe you ought " or, "Maybe someone in your family should be designated, just to go in as your proxy, to say, 'Everything was done as it should be done,'" they do it. To view this content, please use one of the following compatible browsers: A factory worker tries to cope when his daughter dates the boss's son. 16 in its first season, with four of its six seasons in the top 30, and ran for a total of 217 episodes. Well, if it's such a gift, why did it cost you 25 dollars? Chester A. Riley: Okay, maybe he ain't no Gregory Peck, but my boy's got it up here [points to head] . Once Riley declares to Stevenson that he does not want the promotion, Babs realizes she is free and runs into Jeff's waiting arms.