The Life of Riley

Source of the title

Theories exist as to the origin, for example from James Whitcomb Riley's poems in the 1880s depicting the comforts of a prosperous home life, but it could have an Irish origin: After the Reilly clan consolidated its hold on County Cavan, they minted their own money, which was accepted as legal tender even in England. These coins, called "O'Reillys" and "Reillys," became synonymous with a monied person, and a gentleman freely spending was therefore "living on his Reillys."

Radio

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 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 radio program starring William Bendix as Riley initially aired on the Blue Network, later known as ABC, from January 16, 1944, to June 8, 1945. Then it moved to NBC, where it was broadcast from September 8, 1945, to June 29, 1951.

The supporting cast featured Paula Winslowe as Peg (Riley's wife) and as Riley's mother-in law; John Brown as undertaker "Digger" O'Dell and as Riley's co-worker Jim Gillis; Francis "Dink" Trout as Waldo Binny; Tommy Cook, Bobby Ellis and Scotty Beckett, each playing Junior during the show's run; Sharon Douglas playing Babs, Riley's daughter; and, in one episode, Henry Morgan voicing Riley's father. Alan Reed was a regular on the show as multiple characters, including Riley's boss (Mr. Stevenson) and Peg's father; Shirley Mitchell played Honeybee Gillis; and Hans Conried was Uncle Baxter.

Whereas Gillis gave Riley bad information that got him into trouble, Digger gave him good information that "helped him out of a hole," as he might have put it. Brown's lines as the undertaker were often repetitive, including puns based on his profession; but thanks to Brown's delivery, the audience loved him. The program was broadcast live with a studio audience, most of whom were not aware Brown played both characters. As a result, when Digger delivered his first line, it was usually greeted with howls of laughter and applause from surprised audience members.

The series was co-developed by the nonperforming Marx Brother turned agent Gummo. The American Meat Institute (1944–45), Procter & Gamble (Teel dentifrice and Prell shampoo) (1945–49), and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer (1949–51) took turns as the radio program's sponsor.

Film

William Bendix starred in the 1949 film version of The Life of Riley. This prevented him from starring in the TV series that began in 1949. He took over the starring role in the TV series' second run, which started in 1953. Bendix and Rosemary DeCamp (who starred as Riley's wife in Gleason's version of the TV series) repeated the roles when an hour-long radio adaptation of the feature film was presented on Lux Radio Theater in May 1950.

Television

In 1948, NBC broadcast "two live television test programs based on the radio series." The April 13 episode starred Herb Vigran as Riley, and the April 20 episode had Buddy Gray in the title role.

Jackie Gleason

The show was adapted for television on NBC by the producer of the radio series, Irving Brecher. It was seen for single-season telecast from October 4, 1949, to March 28, 1950.

Originally, William Bendix was to have appeared on both radio and television, but Bendix's RKO Radio Pictures movie contract prevented him from appearing on the television version. Instead, Jackie Gleason starred, along 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. John Brown returned as the morbid counseling undertaker Digby (Digger) O'Dell ("Cheerio, I'd better be... shoveling off"; "Business is a little dead tonight"). Television's first Life of Riley won television's first Emmy (for "Best Film Made For and Shown on Television"). However, it came to an end after 26 episodes, not because of low ratings or a desire by Gleason to leave the series, but because Irving Brecher and sponsor Pabst Brewing Company reached an impasse on extending the series for a full 39-week season. Groucho Marx received a credit for "story."

Episode List:

William Bendix

The second TV series ran for six seasons, from January 2, 1953, to May 23, 1958. It was produced by Tom McKnight for NBC and featured William Bendix. He was supported by Marjorie Reynolds, replacing both Paula Winslowe and Rosemary DeCamp, as wife Peg; Tom D'Andrea as schemer buddy Jim Gillis; Gloria Blondell (sister of Joan Blondell) as Gillis' wife, Honeybee; Lugene Sanders as daughter Babs; and Wesley Morgan as son Junior. This Life of Riley series with Bendix was a ratings hit, ranking at #16 in its first season, with four of its six seasons in the top 30, and ran for a total of 217 episodes. It then went into syndicated reruns.

In all of the show's incarnations, the comedic plotlines centered around Riley himself, a gullible and occasionally clumsy (but big-hearted) man, and the doings and undoings of his family. Riley's penchant for turning mere trouble into near-disaster through his well-intentioned bumbling was often aided or instigated by his arch best friend/next-door neighbor, Gillis.

Legacy

In several ways, Riley was a prototype for later blue-collar sitcom protagonists such as blustery, get-rich-quick schemer Ralph Kramden (played, perhaps not coincidentally, by Jackie Gleason) and his animated stone-age counterpart Fred Flintstone; blustery bigot Archie Bunker; benign, bighearted Dan Conner; and King of Queens Doug Heffernan. Perhaps the greatest tribute to The Life of Riley was paid by Married... with Children: Ed O'Neill's language and manner of speaking as Al Bundy are remarkably similar to Bendix's, and Al's wife, like Riley's, is named Peg. Bendix's Riley, especially, was perhaps too guileless to be the true prototype for this group, but for making blue-collar characters as operable on television as on radio or in film, Chester Riley earned his place in broadcasting history.

The latter portion of the fifth season, broadcast between April and June 1957, was filmed and originally broadcast in color, although only black-and-white film prints of those episodes were syndicated. For the final season, filming reverted to black-and-white.

Sponsors of the TV show included Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer (1949–50), Gulf Oil (1953–58) and Lever Brothers (1957–58).

A comic book adaptation of the show was produced by Dell Comics in 1958 as part of their Four Color series of one-shots.