I enjoy listening to the frogs croak. Who is the producer of syndicated radio's 'The Sean Hannity Show' that is consistently referred to on-air as "Sweet Baby James"? I think mine will know what to do, too, not because I've said, "Do this or that," but because they have seen life as I have seen it, and they sort of know me and I know them. Don't forget the gallon I gave to the Red Cross. Whether in the most abstract sense or in the most particular, this is a safe harbor, a place they can have that conversation. Peg Riley: Every day this week, he's been kept in after school. As usual, he doesn't know what to do, until Digby O'Dell, the Friendly Unde. Is he in some of of trouble or something? Its 32 inches across, 32 inches high, and six feet long. Get Ready for a New Season of Gardening -Choose from Tomatoes, Peaches, Corn, Zinnias & More! Well, if you ask any group of ordinary citizens, "How many here have attended a cremation?" But he said, "When a death occurs, people feel so helpless, it's good to have some of these things already invented." [after Riley discovers the man he accused of bank robbery is a policeman]. I think it's always been the case that funerals in general, and funeral directors in particular, provide an easy target for cartooning, because there is so much about what we do that can be held up for ridicule. You were just married! 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. I'll hug her and I'll kiss her. He's resting. Sponsors of the TV show included Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer (194950), Gulf Oil (195358) and Lever Brothers (195758). MUSIC: THEME FILLS A PAUSE, THEN FADES OUT ANNCR: It's possible to pay with credit card or Western Union, but PayPal isn't an option. I prefer the dead languages. [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. 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. The Brother immediately. Land of miracles, where dreams come true! Gillis: I tried to help you, Riley, but I'm through. 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. I think he was keenly aware of the fact that a good funeral is not about what we buy or what we spend; that a good funeral is very much about what we do when someone dies. We saw people start organizing these commemorative events to which everyone was invited but the dead guy. 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". This is the edited transcript of interviews conducted with hin during the winter and spring of 2006-2007. Do you hear that, Peg? Web. Yeah, it's a mystery. So what I find is that before people bring their expertise as an embalmer or as a manager or as an executive or as a director, before any expertise, you ante up your humanity, you know? Also, in 1958, it hi Chester A. Riley: Okay, maybe he ain't no Gregory Peck, but my boy's got it up here [points to head] . 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. In some ways it is a culture that's based on convenience and cost efficiency. It's not always the same thing, and for everyone it's different. If you're playing human to human, you'll do fine. 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,. 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. Jim Gillis: They put you to sleep. I have children at home; my wife had taken them home from the luncheon. We make appointments for cremations because we have to go and watch the placement of the body in the retort and the beginning of the process, the identification process that's part of that, and we retrieve the ashes. He calculated that he had been "buried alive" 94 times, and some of these almost ended his life. 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. We already ordered the baby announcements. CONTINUES IN BG SINGERS: Riley, Riley, what a pal! I said NO! It was produced by Tom McKnight for NBC and featured William Bendix. 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. Actor Ted de Corsia's name appears as both "de Corsia" and "deCorsia" in the onscreen credits. So we had those advantages. If you havent visited this area of the park, you should. That they do it for themselves I think is very important. Chester A. Riley: Nah what would a rich man want with money? She has her picture on the front page. 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: And I've seen it work, I've seen it work. And most good customs allow for some wiggle room, you know. Irving Brecher's onscreen credit reads: "Written and directed by Irving Brecher." 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! "[2], The reworked script cast Bendix as blundering Chester A. Riley, a wing riveter at the fictional Cunningham Aircraft plant in California. Jim Gillis: Yeah, well, he oughta shampoo more often - with kerosene! During cocktails, a bill collector from the electric company shows up, and after Riley sends him on his way, he disconnects the Rileys' electricity. 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. The boss' son (Long), who is in love with Babs, suggests that they get married in order to save Riley's job. 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. But when some widowed person comes out and takes you by the shoulders and said, "Thank you, I couldn't have done this without you," and all you did was be there, or answer the call, or show up, there's this deep sense of having been of use to people at a time of need. I planned the whole thing. Still, as every grieving person knows, we have to reinvent the wheel in which we are now orphaned. In the 19551956 season, the Riley family moved and were given new neighbors portrayed by Florence Sundstrom and George O'Hanlon.[8]. Irving Brecher, who would direct the film adaptation of Life of Riley, had seen William Bendix in a film called The McGuerins of Brooklyn (1942) and knew he'd found his man. Id like to think that the cemetery installed a periscope so visitors could see him, or at least a tube where they could drop coins and see if they could ring the bell but I doubt it. Chester A. Riley: Yes. He noted that "the grave that he can't escape from" is located in Sawnee View Memorial Gardens, just outside of Cummings, Georgia. 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. 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. Starting with the right soil and conditions can make all the difference when it comes to germination and transplanting of pepper seedlings. Once Riley declares to Stevenson that he does not want the promotion, Babs realizes she is free and runs into Jeff's waiting arms. 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. The character of Digger O'Dell was not resurrected as a result of actor John Brown having been placed on . Although Hollywood Reporter announced in January and February 1949 that the film would have its premiere in March 1949 in Cincinnati, no definite information about the premiere was found. 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. 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. The open casket, it is something that's often mocked. [5] Originally, William Bendix was to have appeared on both radio and TV, but Bendix's RKO Radio Pictures movie contract prevented him from appearing on the TV version. Not all of the radio cast made the transition to film; Paula Winslowe and Barbara Eiler were replaced with DeCamp and Meg Randall as Riley's . 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." "It is I, Digger O'Dell, your friendly undertaker. What does your funeral home represent for this town? 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. I don't know what my part of it is, except it's duty, detail: Show up, do this, do that, be sure the car starts, keep it clean, you know, that type of thing. After 13 days in his coffin, Memphis police showed up with shovels to unearth Digger. To Babs's delight, Jeff, who has just moved in next door with his aunt, is a dedicated pre-med student. His real name, it seems, was Herbert O'Dell Smith. 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. 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