I'll treat her just like she wasn't my wife. Well, it's showing up and just being there is worth an awful lot. When Riley learns that the couple is to spend their honeymoon in separate rooms, he becomes suspicious. Though other friends may fail you, I shall be the last to let you down.". Before going, Riley instructs his precocious son Junior to exchange his piggy bank coins into bills and meet him at the restaurant, assuming that Junior's savings combined with his five dollars will be enough to pay for the meal. Well, if you ask any group of ordinary citizens, "How many here have attended a cremation?" From NE Ohio to North Central Mississippi, everyone has their own ideas and preferences for what they will plant this year. 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. Thanks for any help. He's where he's buried for good. Every time I have a birthday, I realize that Mom's getting a year older. I cant even blame my wife too much. Jim Gillis: Are you kiddin'? home|introduction|watch online|stories & special video|to be an undertaker|join the discussion You had your tonsils out. And something is. Peg Riley: You certainly are, Dear. After the boorish Monahan orders the most expensive items on the fancy French menu, however, Riley barely has enough to cover the check. For the second run, Bendix returned as Riley, while Marjorie Reynolds appeared as Peg. I've really come to the point where I can see in a fire all that release; I can see the Holy Spirit in it, you know. Do you speak French? It's possible to pay with credit card or Western Union, but PayPal isn't an option. It seems Digger ODell was a friendly undertaker character in The Life of Riley , a radio soap opera that aired back in the 1930s, but that still doesnt explain the curious popularity of the name, if you ask me. It's not always the same thing, and for everyone it's different. Her testimony is like all testimony -- it is a combination of gratitude and grief, and that the gratitude does not trump the grief, nor does the grief undo the gratitude. Peg Riley: Chester Riley! Digby 'Digger' O'Dell: No, only Latin and Greek. None of us knew what reference was being made here.In grade five very few people here NL (Canada) were familiar with American radio.When the "Life Of Reilly" came to TV my appreciation of "Digger" was finally launched. The till still rings. Peppers take longer than tomatoes to get going, so start them first. After roaming around the park a bit, I found the plaque has been carefully preserved and moved to a better (and more visible) location, bolted to a wall towards the rear of the new Veterans Plaza area of Overton Park. I have often noticed the difference between the first day that a family will spend here and the next day. Are social changes the reasons that we are more fearful and reluctant to deal with death in our everyday lives? The stores are open. To Riley's amazement, Stevenson reveals that he had already planned to promote him to foreman, beginning in January. And I'm the most blissful man in the world. Don't forget the gallon I gave to the Red Cross. It follows the changes in our species, certainly in our culture. [citation needed], The series was co-developed by the nonperforming Marx Brother turned agent Gummo. started calling him "Digger". Well, if it's such a gift, why did it cost you 25 dollars? MUSIC: LOU KOSLOFF'S "LIFE OF RILEY THEME" . I cant say what finally happened to Digger. Babs, however, has her heart set on Jeff and rejects Burt's advances. He's a boy who Chester A. Riley: He's a boy! People will know that. This is a sign to me that they don't care, that heaven is not having to worry about these things, so I'm determined not to worry about them either. As Bluff City Buick customers watched, Digger ODell (left) prepared to enter the worlds smallest apartment, where he planned to stay at least 57 days. 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. I thought, this guy could play it. I've come to admire the earth, the wind and the fire. By using this site, you agree to our updated. Junior Riley: Why don't you wet a piece of confetti and drown your brain? Digby 'Digger' O'Dell : Why, I was just taking a stroll around the pond. 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. The local newspapers reported that an 18x24-inch plywood air shaft allowed Digger to receive air and food, and he had carefully stocked his tiny domicile with lights, reading glasses, even packs of cigarettes. After 13 days in his coffin, Memphis police showed up with shovels to unearth Digger. In many ways we represent the place where whatever conversation people want to have about death and dying and grief and bereavement. Bearing witness one way or another, that's a key ingredient. The program even utilized a stable of so-called "silent" characters, individuals referred to often but never actually heard. Oh, yeah. there are very few hands raised in the room, because cremation is often shorthand for disappearance. And why do the rituals of a funeral matter? He then is embarrassed in front of the Monahans when Junior appears with his full piggy bank, having been unable to open it, and during a struggle with the waiter, the bank falls to the ground and breaks. Vance Lauderdale is the history columnist for Memphis magazine and Inside Memphis Business. Well, I'll kiss you twice tonight. William Bendix is heard as Riley, along with co-stars Paula Winslowe, John Brown, Tommy Cook, and Barbara Eiler - plus series creator Irving Brecher . Peg Riley: Well, he's always been so bright. The trouble is, in our culture we try to have one or the other -- either/or -- and it's both and then some in real experience. 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. US. The custom of eulogy, what is its meaning? 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. 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. Do you hear that, Peg? Chester A. Riley: I got troubles, Digger. 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. According to the obituary, Digger was born in Georgia in 1915. John Brown returned as the morbid, counseling undertaker Digby (Digger) O'Dell. 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. Irving Brecher's onscreen credit reads: "Written and directed by Irving Brecher." Chester A. Riley: None of that radical talk out of you just 'cause you go to high school! As usual, he doesn't know what to do, until Digby O'Dell, the Friendly Unde. 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." They need to talk to someone. People will say, "I'd like something simple and inexpensive," and I want to say, "Well, over here we have simplicity; over here we have cheap." In terms of the practical details, what are some of the things you learned from your dad? It has to do with the gift of language. Unknown. Slap, slap, slap Rip, Rip, Rip it's over! producer's chat|readings & links|site map|dvd & transcript|press reaction According to the 1999 obituary, Digger was survived by his wife, Julie Ann "Maggie" Smith of Dawsonville, Georgia; a son, Bobby Smith, of Lakewell, Florida; and a stepson, Timothy Eugene Fowler, of Gainesville, Georgia. He always knew that the real traffic was between the living and the dead, and it is in managing that and emboldening the living to deal with their dead that you do them the most service. Whether youre growing hot or sweet varieties, there are some important tips for success. There's been a sort of national conversation about funerals over the years. Lewis, and I think, how would you get by without it? I enjoy listening to the frogs croak. 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. 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. 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. [1], Irving Brecher pitched the radio series for friend Groucho Marx under the title The Flotsam Family, but the sponsor balked at what would have been essentially a straight head-of-household role for Marx. I was watching [author and cultural commentator] Christopher Hitchens the other day. The stock market is open. He'd made a few films, like Lifeboat, but he was not a name. in Literary Quotes in Movie Quotes in TV Shows Other photos show preparations for the publicity stunt. I think we're all complicit in the banishment of the dead to the peripheries. This character was extremelly successfull, with many puns based on his profession. The character of Digger O'Dell was not resurrected as a result of actor John Brown having been placed on the Hollywood blacklist. We get to say when people are dead to us, or dead enough, so that we can let them go. Chester A. Riley, a riveter at Stevenson Aircraft in Los Angeles, works hard but is always behind in his bills. 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. https://www.quotes.net/movies/the_life_of_riley_107479, https://www.quotes.net/movies/the_life_of_riley_quotes_107479. I really don't care. There must be some reason for it! Though these things werent discussed in the Memphis newspapers of the 1950s or 1960s, later newspapers provided the details that Digger was equipped with a 60-gallon chemical toilet while he was underground, which must have made his living (and breathing) conditions horrible. Chester A. Riley: No. He never acted this way before. The Life of Riley starring William Bendix as lovable, blundering, Chester A. Riley, was a radio situation comedy broadcast during and after wartime 40s. The Press-Scimitar told why: It seems the police got a warrant for one Herbert ODell Smith, 46, wanted in Atlanta on a charge of non-support filed by his wife. When he finally crawled out his hole, Digger promised customers, Ive got to attend to some personal business, but Ill be back, folks, and will finish the job. Later, he told reporters, Thats the way the cookie crumbles. 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. So it's interesting times we live in that way. I know it won't matter, it will be others, but do you see yourself as the fire or the earth, or --? . When you grow up in funeral service, you always have a job. main photograph corbis, all rights reserved Cast & Crew Read More Irving Brecher Director William Bendix Chester A. Riley James Gleason Gillis Rosemary Decamp Peg Riley Bill Goodwin Sidney Monahan Beulah Bondi Miss [Martha] Bogle Film Details Genre Comedy Release Date Mar 1949 Premiere Information There are several videos on line. Director Irving Brecher Writers Irving Brecher Groucho Marx (story) Stars William Bendix Rosemary DeCamp James Gleason See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist 10 User reviews Photos 10 Top cast Edit A cover was placed over his apartment and he was sealed in, with the intention being to break the personal record of 57 days that he had set here during his previous visit to Memphis, though that location wasnt mentioned. And does the rise in cremation in America parallel changes in demographics? When he his first line, it was usually greeted with howls of laughter and applause from the audience. And particularly when you see the transaction which involves this rather impressive life-or-death event with the rather mundane mercantility of it all.
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