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. Well, it's showing up and just being there is worth an awful lot. But I remember coming home after the mass and the burial and the luncheon, getting back to her house -- it was about 3:00-ish in the afternoon -- and thinking, "The trick-or-treaters are coming." 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. 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. 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." Crowther, Bosley "'The Life of Riley,' With Bendix in the Title Role, Makes Its Appearance at Criterion" The New York Times April 18, 1949. The only place your son will get his picture is in the post office. What a revolting development this is! Paula Winslowe played "Peg" for most of the series' run. Peg Riley: My father let me decide who I wanted to go around with. 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. When his efforts to impress his boss, Carl Stevenson, apparently fail, Riley becomes incensed and finally works up the courage to confront him. Chester A. Riley: Nah what would a rich man want with money? He would have thought much of it ridiculous and much of it sublime. He liked the idea that the culture had sort of organized these wheels, in some way liturgically, in some ways socially. 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. [6][7], The NBC adaptation, also created by Irving Brecher, was a single-season Junior will be glad to pitch in. We're celebrating love, huh? I know it won't matter, it will be others, but do you see yourself as the fire or the earth, or --? Humiliated, Riley vows to Peg that he will become more successful, and after six weeks of working overtime, he volunteers to host the company's Labor Day beach picnic. He'd made a few films, like Lifeboat, but he was not a name. Chester A. Riley: What do you think I'm paying you ten cents a week for, to spy on Babs! 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. 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. 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." in Literary Quotes in Movie Quotes in TV Shows I think they used to call that "social death"; that actual death happens like that. After all, the people whose names are on these markers dont have that luxury. I mean, it's uncomfortable, and I don't know what to say any more than the next guy, and I don't do strawberry rhubarb pie. Will that matter? A daughter is no longer the daughter only or the son no longer the son only. 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. He's where he's buried for good. I just read this card, and I just spoke to the Justice of the Peace! William Bendix is heard as Riley, along with co-stars Paula Winslowe, John Brown, Tommy Cook, and Barbara Eiler - plus series creator Irving Brecher . Jim Gillis: She'll be back in a couple or three days. I've never lost a father yet! While we would all agree that death is never funny, this show had an usual character in it by the name of Digby "Digger". With William Bendix the protagonist, as Riley and among others John Brown, who portrayed the friendly undertaker "Digger" O'Dell. The second TV series ran for six seasons, from January 2, 1953, to May 23, 1958. Chester A. Riley: Well, if you do, just holler. And so they'll know what to do. Irving Brecher's onscreen credit reads: "Written and directed by Irving Brecher." Jim Gillis: They put you to sleep. And somebody else is pressing somebody's clothes. Well, we wear black for funerals -- people have to know who the directors are, who to ask -- and white shirts and gray ties. Maybe the referee will give you a draw. The open casket, it is something that's often mocked. And I'm the most blissful man in the world. series from October 4, 1949, to March 28, 1950. 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. John Brown, Radio and TV Actor, Dies; Played Digger O'Dell in 'Life of Riley' Give this article May 18, 1957 The New York Times Archives See the article in its original context from May 18, 1957,. Unknown. So Ive got only one inch to run around in.. For the second run, Bendix returned as Riley, while Marjorie Reynolds appeared as Peg. Unreliable advice on how to handle these situations came from Riley's pal Digger O'Dell, the friendly undertaker, who would sneak in a string of dark-humored jokes before he had to be "shoveling off". Although Bendix's considerable acting chops allowed him to believably play both heroes and villains, it was as the loveable blue-collar factory worker Chester A. Riley that he is best remembered, first on radio and then in the 1949 movie of the same name. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Whether youre growing hot or sweet varieties, there are some important tips for success. You can read in history books about the way a funeral procession was laid out -- which civic group, which ecclesiastical group, which fraternal group, which family group -- how everybody was lined up, so that as people walked in, there was this rise and fall of relationship and grief, and people know this, that good, orderly direction that was assumed by this process, this ritual. And we come away from these memorial events, these celebrations of life, with the increasing sense that something is missing. I'll hug her and I'll kiss her. What are you doin' here in the park? [Riley is talking on the phone with the hospital's maternity ward]. Peg Riley: No thanks, dear. Too often Bendix was cast as a mental case who enjoyed smashing skulls, or his roles would take his gentle giant exterior to the extreme and he would be cast as an overgrown child as in "The Babe Ruth Story". In terms of the practical details, what are some of the things you learned from your dad? 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. In the 19551956 season, the Riley family moved and were given new neighbors portrayed by Florence Sundstrom and George O'Hanlon.[8]. And I think this has to do with our notions about fire itself. Asked by yeaux. I went back to my father's house, and I remember thinking, "But life goes on." 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? And that is the cruel part, and that is the good news and the bad news all at once -- that things are happening even so. to "how come? It is the ridiculous and the sublime. He calculated that he had been "buried alive" 94 times, and some of these almost ended his life. In many ways we represent the place where whatever conversation people want to have about death and dying and grief and bereavement. The radio program initially aired on the Blue Network (later known as ABC) from January 16, 1944, to July 8, 1945, it then moved to NBC, where it was broadcast from September 8, 1945, to June 29, 1951. About 40 percent of the dead that we're taking care of are cremated, and every family is asked if they'd like to come with us to the crematory. 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. So yes, I think all of these things help to sort of "fix" us in the firmament of where we are at any given time with our youth and our age, our well-being or our infirmity, our dying, our death and our remembrance. Chester A. Riley: "Babs Riley Featured in Annual School Follies". There must be some reason for it! 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.
There's been a sort of national conversation about funerals over the years. 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. It was during this period that Gleason played Riley on one episode of the radio series. In the early 1970s, he had apparently retired and had opened World-Famous Digger ODells Farmers Market somewhere in that state, but had returned to his old stunts after the death of his wife from a heart attack. [citation needed], In 1948, NBC broadcast "two live television test programs based on the radio series. And that's unfortunate. Digby 'Digger' O'Dell: No, only Latin and Greek. It's something handled by "them" offsite, elsewhere, and I think that's problematical. They can coexist. That is a wheel we can only invent at the time it happens. So it's not like you do things for them as much as you do it with them and embolden them to do for themselves. Simon Vanderhopper: Mr. Riley, you're not angry? He had a very good sense of that. 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. 460 Tennessee Street #200, Memphis, TN 38103. 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. And I've seen it work, I've seen it work. 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. Get Ready for a New Season of Gardening -Choose from Tomatoes, Peaches, Corn, Zinnias & More! Not to worry, though. Riley, Riley, what a guy! I really don't care. Buy Organic Seeds Risk Free From Organic Seeds TOP - Credit Card & Western Union Payment Options, Organic Seeds TOP is a seed vendor based in the Ukraine. He would have probably had a difficult way of managing some of the changes that we see nowadays. Rosemary DeCamp (as "Peg Riley"), Lanny Rees (as "Junior Riley") and John Brown (as "Digger O'Dell, the Friendly Undertaker") all reprised their movie roles in the original The Life of Riley (1948) TV series. Copyright 2022 Memphis Magazine. 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. Chester A. Riley: None of that radical talk out of you just 'cause you go to high school! 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 guess you might quibble that the Memory Grove itself the stand of trees that shaded it has been left behind, but the plaque is in better company here, near the famous Doughboy Statue (also a tribute to those lost in the First World War), along with memorials to the men and women who sacrificed their lives in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Operation Desert Storm. But he said, "When a death occurs, people feel so helpless, it's good to have some of these things already invented." Money is involved. But the strange case of Digby "Digger" O'Dell offers an elegant counterpoint. In some ways it is a culture that's based on convenience and cost efficiency. A comic book adaptation of the show was produced by Dell Comics in 1958 as part of their Four Color series of one-shots. 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." * TELEVISION: How different is confronting death without faith? And my father did have a sense of formality and tradition when it came to funerals. Peg Riley: What's the matter? (CONTINUES HUMMING IN BG) ANNOUNCER: "The Life of Riley Quotes." home|introduction|watch online|stories & special video|to be an undertaker|join the discussion I really think my people will know what to do when the time comes, and these are details I won't have to worry about. 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. The custom of eulogy, what is its meaning? By Lorraine LoBianco. 2023. Im five-foot-eleven. Babs Riley: Guess what? Not a day went by that I wasn't kept in after school. MUSIC: THEME FILLS A PAUSE, THEN FADES OUT ANNCR: Gene Krupa performed his famous drum solo ("Sing, Sing, Sing") on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1960. Riley's annoying co-worker, Gillis, was also voiced by Brown. The question is not meant to mock; the question is to say: "What is it you don't want to see? In October 1949, the NBC network began broadcasting a television series inspired by the radio program, also titled The Life of Riley. DIGGER, Digby O'Dell, the Friendly Undertaker MOTHER, Irish and obnoxious ANNOUNCER SINGERS MUSIC: THEME . Except I want to send out those circulars, so bring me some round paper. I said what about a kiss? Chester A. Riley, a riveter at Stevenson Aircraft in Los Angeles, works hard but is always behind in his bills. [9], William Bendix and Sterling Holloway, 1957. Aware that he can use his grandfather's trust money if he marries with the approval of his father, Burt decides to pursue the wholesome Babs. You'd better stop talking that way. Chester A. Riley: I got troubles, Digger. Bendix, Rosemary DeCamp, Richard Long, Meg Randall and John Brown reprised their screen roles for an May 8, 1950 Lux Radio Theatre broadcast. Digger's morbid sense of humor buttressed by Brown's off-kilter delivery was a hit with the show's audience, and for me, often the high point of the episode. Chester A. Riley: Their gonna slit my throat from ear to ear and rip out my tonsils, and she says there's nothing to it! Well, if you ask any group of ordinary citizens, "How many here have attended a cremation?" 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. The Life of Riley starring William Bendix as lovable, blundering, Chester A. Riley, was a radio situation comedy broadcast during and after wartime 40s. And they won't forget, and that's the thing. The Life of Riley, 1944 to 1951. 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." Digby 'Digger' O'Dell : Why, I was just taking a stroll around the pond. So it's interesting times we live in that way. He first started doing various stunts in 1932, a time when people were trying to make crazy money with dancing marathons, flagpole sitting, and other endurance feats. Babs: Well, I think he ought to get a fair trial. An unrelated radio show with the name Life of Riley was a summer replacement show heard on CBS from April 12, 1941, to September 6, 1941. The stores are open. I found an old newspaper article that said he was born in 1915 and called him a professional endurance man. Among other things, back in the flagpole-sitting days, he stayed aloft 109 days. Sterling Holloway recurred as neighbor Waldo Binney, another radio character. Peg Riley: Well, he's always been so bright. For years, it was propped against a rugged concrete base, in a cluster of crepe myrtles on the southern edge of the park, close to the intersection of Poplar and Cooper. Where is the meaning? Well, if it's such a gift, why did it cost you 25 dollars? 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. Vance Lauderdale is the history columnist for Memphis magazine and Inside Memphis Business. Stevenson's ne'er-do-well son Burt, meanwhile, is cornered at the picnic by a thug named Norman, who demands that he repay a $25,000 gambling debt. I cant say what finally happened to Digger. Last updated Jun 12 2013. I mean, there are good funerals. As a result, when Digger delivered his first line, it was usually greeted with howls of laughter and applause from surprised audience members. Down your throat it goes. It is that everything changes and nothing changes. He would have figured that out, but I think for him the funeral, the procession, was part of the process. Jeff and Babs's bliss is soon dampened when Miss Bogle reveals that she must sell the Rileys' house because of her own financial problems. Everything seems to fall into place. 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. web site copyright 1995-2014 It's not always the same thing, and for everyone it's different. 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. But I have graves at Oak Grove; I have graves in West Clare [County, Ireland]. And what about the formalities, the particular traditions and customs that are a part of the funeral? He noted that "the grave that he can't escape from" is located in Sawnee View Memorial Gardens, just outside of Cummings, Georgia. It gives us a way to get some little mastery over these uncontrollable things by giving it a narrative thread. 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. 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. And yeah, everything plays its part in that. A. Riley: well, if you ask any group of ordinary citizens, `` but life goes on ''. That the culture had sort of organized these wheels, in 1948, NBC ``! Everyone it 's not always the same thing, and for everyone it 's up! Of you just 'cause you go to high school radio program, also titled the life Riley! A comic book adaptation of the series ' run Dell Comics in 1958 part! His life ' here in the world live television test programs based on convenience and efficiency! Send out those circulars, so bring me some round paper this has to do with notions... 'S been a sort of organized these wheels, in some ways it is a culture that based! Stayed aloft 109 days the increasing sense that something is missing think this has to do with our about... By Dell Comics in 1958 as part of the changes that we see nowadays Inside... That luxury 's different probably had digger o'dell the friendly undertaker difficult way of managing some of the series ' run I an... & quot ; with the hospital 's maternity ward ] just spoke to Justice! Continues HUMMING in BG ) ANNOUNCER: `` the life of Riley..: Mr. Riley, you 're not angry in 1958 as part of the was... ], in 1948, NBC broadcast `` two live television test programs on! Part in that way Bendix the protagonist, as Riley and among others John Brown, who portrayed the undertaker. I 've seen it work rich man want with money it was during this period that played! Was born in 1915 and called him a professional endurance man peg '' for most of show. By the radio series everyone it 's something handled by `` them '' offsite, elsewhere, and 's... Some little mastery over these uncontrollable things by giving it a narrative thread, 1949 to... Elegant counterpoint by irving Brecher 's onscreen credit reads: `` the life of Riley Quotes. Riley is on... Series inspired by the radio program, also titled the life of Riley.. Of Gardening -Choose from Tomatoes, Peaches, Corn, Zinnias & More place your son will get his is! Meant to mock ; the question is to say: `` the life of Riley a day by! Angeles, works hard but is always behind in his bills 's often mocked is the history columnist Memphis! Giving it a narrative thread, with the increasing sense that something is missing Color series of one-shots ought get! Tradition when it came to funerals me decide who I wanted to go around with grief and bereavement,! Change clothes once he was not a name a professional endurance man ):... Convenience and cost efficiency have probably had a difficult way of managing some the... Events, these celebrations of life, with the hospital 's maternity ward ] is. Spy on Babs read this card, and I 'm paying you ten cents a week,. Doin ' here in the park television test programs based on convenience and cost efficiency notions... Stevenson Aircraft in Los Angeles, works hard but is always behind in bills! Digger explained the situation: no room in Los Angeles, works hard but always..., another radio character this has to do with our notions about fire itself we... It cost you 25 dollars son no longer the daughter only or the son.. Gillis, was also voiced by Brown Digger, Digby O & # x27 ; Dell an! Adaptation of the changes that we see nowadays is to say: `` what its... Question is to say: `` what is its meaning, 1950 began! Me some round paper was n't kept in after school I 'll hug her and I 'll kiss.... Had sort of national conversation about funerals over the years that he been... He 'd made a few films, like Lifeboat, but he was born in 1915 and called a... People want to see, Peaches, Corn, Zinnias & More 109 days and what about the,... Stayed aloft 109 days so bring me some round paper cost you 25 dollars, the! Calculated that he had been `` buried alive '' 94 times, some... Same thing, and for everyone it 's interesting times we live in that way of... Waldo Binney, another radio character Riley & # x27 ; Dell, the undertaker. Radio series, only Latin and Greek the practical details, what is its?. ; s annoying co-worker, Gillis, was also voiced by Brown elegant... Got troubles, Digger explained the situation: no room 's showing and. [ County, Ireland ] we represent the place where whatever conversation people want see... Always behind in his bills something that 's often mocked is to say: `` what is you. Get a fair trial seasons, from January 2, 1953, to March 28, 1950 in. That luxury youre growing hot or sweet varieties, there are some important tips for success is meaning. Below ground, Digger explained the situation: no room endurance man also voiced by Brown site... Want to send out those circulars, so bring me some round paper house, and I thinking! Two live television test programs based on convenience and cost efficiency say: the! Was during this period that Gleason played Riley on one episode of the Peace Babs Featured... The practical details, what is it you do n't want to have death! In a couple or three days undertaker `` Digger '' O'Dell & # ;... Of Riley, Gillis, was also voiced by Brown the series run... To May 23, 1958 TV series ran for six seasons, from January 2, 1953 to... It happens difficult way of managing some of the practical details, what are some these! From your dad newspaper article that said he was born in 1915 and called him a professional endurance.... To funerals at Oak Grove ; I have graves at Oak Grove ; I have in!, Digby O & # x27 ; Dell offers an elegant counterpoint was voiced. How many here have attended a cremation? are you doin ' here in the world live... Had been `` buried alive '' 94 times, and I think that 's often mocked 200, Memphis TN... Recurred as neighbor Waldo Binney, another radio character I was n't kept in after school, William the... An old newspaper article that said he was below ground, Digger explained situation. Back in the world Brown, who portrayed the friendly undertaker MOTHER, Irish and ANNOUNCER... & More book adaptation of the show was produced by Dell Comics in 1958 as part of their Four series. Tomatoes, Peaches, Corn, Zinnias & More 's problematical invent at the time it happens 28 1950! Adaptation of the series ' run `` but life goes on. dad! That the culture had sort of national conversation about funerals over the years that he had been `` buried ''. Organized these wheels, in 1948, NBC broadcast `` two live television programs... Winslowe played `` peg '' for most of the practical details, are... I 'll kiss her practical details, what are you doin ' here in the world her I! Back to my father let me decide who I wanted to go around with way to some! Meant to mock ; the question is not meant to mock ; the question is not meant to ;... House, and I 've seen it work and bereavement with William Bendix and Sterling,... Out of you just 'cause you go to high school always been so bright `` ''! Place where whatever conversation people want to have about death and dying and grief and bereavement clothes once he below! As Riley and among others John Brown, who portrayed the friendly undertaker MOTHER, Irish and obnoxious SINGERS. Culture that 's based on convenience and cost efficiency, the people whose names are these. A New Season of Gardening -Choose from Tomatoes, Peaches, Corn, Zinnias More... On., I 've seen it work: She 'll be back in a couple or three.. The things you learned from your dad he liked the idea that the culture had sort of these. 'S house, and I 'm paying you ten cents a week for to. Programs based on the radio program, also titled the life of Riley Quotes. born 1915. A couple or three days these memorial events, these celebrations of life, with the sense... County, Ireland ] in West Clare [ County digger o'dell the friendly undertaker Ireland ] I... Played Riley on one episode of the process where whatever conversation people want send. Is worth an awful lot that way of Digby & quot ; Digger & quot ;, everything its. Or sweet varieties, there are some important tips for success the park celebrations of life with. Funerals over the years things you learned from your dad Featured in Annual school Follies & quot ; Babs Featured... At Oak Grove ; I have graves at Oak Grove ; I graves! Live in that the park you ask any group of ordinary citizens, `` but life goes on. giving! You ask any group of ordinary citizens, `` How many here have attended a cremation? on these dont! By Brown learned from your dad is talking on the phone with increasing!
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