How different is confronting death without faith? It gives me room to do either, all along this sort of emotional register. The second TV series ran for six seasons, from January 2, 1953, to May 23, 1958. Do you hear that, Peg? It was later reused by Benjamin J. Grimm of the Fantastic Four. Unknown. All rights reserved. Well, we wear black for funerals -- people have to know who the directors are, who to ask -- and white shirts and gray ties. 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. What are you doin' here in the park? Chester A. Riley: "Babs Riley Featured in Annual School Follies". 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. Who were the other musicians in that performance? Buried alive? See production, box office & company info, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA. The open casket, it is something that's often mocked. 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? All to the good, I say. 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. I always knew I'd bring up my daughter to be somebody someday. US. And I'm, along with the next guy, as interested in those cartoons as everyone else is. His frequent exclamation of indignation"What a revoltin' development this is! It is that everything changes and nothing changes. This is the edited transcript of interviews conducted with hin during the winter and spring of 2006-2007. It was during this period that Gleason played Riley on one episode of the radio series. Riley's catch phrase in the series and the film was "what a revolting development this turned out to be." 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. The elements are the elements. 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! Barbara 'Babs' Riley: But Dad, Simon's only 20. One option is organic fertilizer made from chicken manure, which can be found at Menard's for a reasonable price of $10.99 per 25-pound bag. At the beginning of the November 11, 1949 radio episode the announcer explained that William Bendix had strained his voice while performing the role of an umpire for an upcoming film (Kill the Umpire) and Gleason substituted for him that one night. Today he is just living the life of RileyThis is the story of Chester A. Rileywho is just livingin Los Angeles California." His real name, it seems, was Herbert O'Dell Smith. Opening credits conclude with the following written statement: "America! Packed among his riding gear when on tour is a trumpet, and Helm has been known to join local bands in jam sessions. What is missing is the corpse: the thing itself, not the idea of the thing. Dr. Beamish: Not now, I'm afraid. Sponsors of the TV show included Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer (194950), Gulf Oil (195358) and Lever Brothers (195758). 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. Chester A. Riley: Yeah! But don't go there searching for a tombstone marked Digger O'Dell. 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. We are more mobile, more portable, more scattered. Buick customers could view him through a periscope, or they could drop coins down a tube that urged them, Can you ring the bell? Nobody seemed to ask and the newspapers werent telling how on earth the man would use the bathroom during his 58 days (and maybe longer) underground. It's something handled by "them" offsite, elsewhere, and I think that's problematical. But there's no question that cremation has become normative in a way that it used to be exceptional. UP AND UNDER ANNCR: Prell brings you "The Life of Riley"! I have often noticed the difference between the first day that a family will spend here and the next day. [6][7], The NBC adaptation, also created by Irving Brecher, was a single-season Chester A. Riley: Babs, do you realize when I was 20, your mother was supporting me and a baby? I've come to admire the earth, the wind and the fire. I see my sons now working through this, and their generation. 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. He would have probably had a difficult way of managing some of the changes that we see nowadays. 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. I remember it hitting me there in the house: She actually died; we actually buried her today; she's actually not coming back here; she's actually gone. 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 Riley: All right, but Professor Van Plantan says I have a natural gift for acting. . It's amazing! Cullen, Frank, Hackman, Florence and McNeilly, Donald Vaudeville Old & New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America Vol. And there's somebody else arranging the flowers. It's not always the same thing, and for everyone it's different. Copyright 2022 Memphis Magazine. He'll never amount to anything. 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. A reader named Ronnie Bierbrodt, who obviously did more research than I did, even turned up his obituary and a copy of the memorial booklet given out at his funeral. Not wanting to uproot his family, Riley determines to come up with the $1,500 down payment and goes from bank to bank searching for a loan. Im five-foot-eleven. Well, both my parents were buried like Irish Catholics were buried, so there was this sort of tribal and religious language that had been developed over centuries for how we do this. William Bendix is heard as Riley, along with co-stars Paula Winslowe, John Brown, Tommy Cook, and Barbara Eilerplus series creator Irving Brecher . The program even utilized a stable of so-called "silent" characters, individuals referred to often but never actually heard. Crowther, Bosley "'The Life of Riley,' With Bendix in the Title Role, Makes Its Appearance at Criterion" The New York Times April 18, 1949. He never came back here, as promised, but he continued to perform these stunts until he died in 1999, at the age of 83. That they do it for themselves I think is very important. Maybe bigger. Chester A. Riley: Nah what would a rich man want with money? Everything assumes its natural order. 2023. Whether youre growing hot or sweet varieties, there are some important tips for success. I enjoy listening to the frogs croak. 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. Chester A. Riley: Hello, Digger. But the strange case of Digby "Digger" O'Dell offers an elegant counterpoint. Who is the producer of syndicated radio's 'The Sean Hannity Show' that is consistently referred to on-air as "Sweet Baby James"? We are less grounded than our grandparents were. If you don't pay attention Peg Riley: Well, I'm trying to tell ya, he just moons around the house! 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. 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." William Bendix is heard as Riley, along with co-stars Paula Winslowe, John Brown, Tommy Cook, and Barbara Eiler - plus series creator Irving Brecher . 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. Every time I have a birthday, I realize that Mom's getting a year older. He would have figured that out, but I think for him the funeral, the procession, was part of the process. Chester A. Riley: Gee, Gillis, you're brave - making out you're happy when all the time, inside, you've got a broken heart. For more than 30 years he also has been the director of the Lynch & Sons funeral home in the small town of Milford, Mich. We do have a charge for our caskets. The till doesn't ring as precisely, and what works and where the values are require more discernment. Quotes.net. Gene Krupa performed his famous drum solo ("Sing, Sing, Sing") on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1960. We already ordered the baby announcements. 1949. 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. 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. Whether we consign our dead to scavenger birds, as they do in Tibet, or to the sea, as they do when the sea is around them, or the tree, as our Native Americans did, it doesn't make any difference. 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. Digby 'Digger' O'Dell: It is I, Digby O'Dell, the friendly undertaker. Radio historian Gerald Nachman quotes Brecher as stating, "He was a Brooklyn guy and there was something about him. With William Bendix the protagonist, as Riley and among others John Brown, who portrayed the friendly undertaker "Digger" O'Dell. And I suppose this is the message at every graveside: They stay, we go, until we come to that point in which we are brought there, and we stay and they go. to "how come? I'm not the type of friends who buts in. With your own mother and father and their funerals, what were the moments that had meaning for you? [1] (Marx would get his own series Blue Ribbon Town instead.) Some do. So people come in to talk about arranging their parents' funerals or their own. And they won't forget, and that's the thing. Did you hear me? 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. And there's somebody else doing this, that. By using this site, you agree to our updated. 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: Jim Gillis: Of course it's right. When he his first line, it was usually greeted with howls of laughter and applause from the audience. CONTINUES IN BG SINGERS: Riley, Riley, what a pal! Even though we can plan it and pay for it and all that, we can't really get that wheel to turn for us until it turns itself. The bearing of it is so very, very important. 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. Well, to find the answer to that question, you need to read the full story here. . 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! Ferguson: That's the type of citizen we're sworn to protect. I cant even blame my wife too much. 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. To Riley's amazement, Stevenson reveals that he had already planned to promote him to foreman, beginning in January. Peg Riley: My father let me decide who I wanted to go around with. Chester A. Riley: Well, that'll be it, Miss Millie. Digger O-Dell And The Friendly Undertakers. Are social changes the reasons that we are more fearful and reluctant to deal with death in our everyday lives? You were just married! A daughter is no longer the daughter only or the son no longer the son only. I've seen it happen to Sean [his son], where you're swinging the door at night, helping people with their coats, directing them one place or another, carrying flowers, doing all the innocuous little things that add up to taking care of a family during visitation. Dwarf Mr Snow, Fred's Tie Dye, Saucy Mary, Sweet Scarlet, Kangaroo Paw Green, Idaho Gem and Banana Toes are just a few of the varieties one gardener is growing in a 4x8 bed of "bulletproof" tomatoes. She has her picture on the front page. I got my picture in the paper! Another time, firefighters rescued him after he apparently suffered a heart attack underground. On any given day, it's up for grabs. He played "Al" on the radio series "My Friend Irma". So what you've seen is what I've seen: that people who deal with their dead deal with death better. I've always been touched by the fact that there seems to be as much laughter as weeping at the big life events. "[2], The reworked script cast Bendix as blundering Chester A. Riley, a wing riveter at the fictional Cunningham Aircraft plant in California. 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. Vance Lauderdale is the history columnist for Memphis magazine and Inside Memphis Business. Peppers take longer than tomatoes to get going, so start them first. : Commissioned in 1932 by Memphis Chapter 1 of the American War Mothers, this large bronze plaque carried the names of 27 Memphians who had lost their lives in World War I. We'd be wise, as a culture, to examine some of these things. Simon Vanderhopper: Yes sir, I don't let the grass grow under my feet! The crematory we use is impeccably run by ethical people, people we inspect, unannounced, a couple times every year. Thomas Lynch reads to camera his essay Tract (part II). What can you tell me about this interesting fellow? Don't forget the gallon I gave to the Red Cross. Thanks to Chester's interference, Junior now has two dates for the school dance. . It's Prell! One example of this type of comedy is the line "Business is a little dead tonight" . Chester A. Riley: Yeah, but that ain't right. MUSIC: LOU KOSLOFF'S "LIFE OF RILEY THEME" . 461. Chester A. Riley: You mean I'm going to live? I think cremation very much is like us. Chester A. Riley: Oh, you're gonna count my blood? Anyway, I presume the Digger ODell weve been discussing here was eventually buried one final time, and I hope his gravestone wherever it is pays tribute to one of this countrys unique stuntmen. I'm certain the same thing holds for people who put their dead in the sea or the fire or a tomb -- that we need time to disengage. Though other friends may fail you, I shall be the last to let you down.". After 13 days in his coffin, Memphis police showed up with shovels to unearth Digger. He made the news by being buried alive. 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: I know what you did! (CONTINUES HUMMING IN BG) ANNOUNCER: 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. His dramatic life story is so well-known that schoolchildren are taught to recite it for extra credit. And does the rise in cremation in America parallel changes in demographics? And are you a cremation or a burial man? Chester A. Riley: Well, according to this picture here in the paper of the blond in the bathing suit he Oh That's why he did it! Scars On My Heart / Her (7", Single) Ranger. And we laugh sometimes at all those good memories and all those silly things the person said and all those wise things that that person said and all their foibles. 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. Babs Riley: But Mother, this is the opportunity of my entire life! In October 1949, the NBC network began broadcasting a television series inspired by the radio program, also titled The Life of Riley. 2 Mar. I cant find any record that Digger ever returned to Bluff City Buick, or to the Bluff City for that matter, to finish the job. Back in Atlanta, a judge allowed him to conduct his stunt for an Atlanta shopping center, but he had to turn the money he would be paid only $2,250 over to his family. When the film opened in New York at the Loew's Criterion theater in April 1949, Bosley Crowther, film critic for The New York Times turned his nose up at it writing, "As one whom domestic expediency occasionally compels to bear with the Friday night bull-bellowing of one Chester A. Riley on the radio, this reviewer can state with fair authority that no artistic advantage has been gained by making this same Mr. Riley and his family apparent on the screen." In the 19551956 season, the Riley family moved and were given new neighbors portrayed by Florence Sundstrom and George O'Hanlon.[8]. 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. Dear j.b.: Well, for starters I can tell you that this interesting fellow (and Im certainly not disputing that) was not a Memphian, and his name wasnt really Digger ODell. in Literary Quotes in Movie Quotes in TV Shows 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. Chester A. Riley: I got troubles, Digger. But he said, "When a death occurs, people feel so helpless, it's good to have some of these things already invented." So yes, the hurt is there, but the hurt does not overwhelm. This is standard practice when ordering from Ukraine, according to customers wh. And something is. I figure once a year, every married man should get away from his wife for a few days. But then I can read the work of Barbara Brown Taylor or St. Paul or C.S. I've never lost a father yet! I always knew I'd bring up my daughter to be somebody someday. Once he had to be pulled from his apartment after the dirt sides turned to mud and caved in after a thunderstorm. Peg Riley: You know what they say - ignorance is bliss. For the second run, Bendix returned as Riley, while Marjorie Reynolds appeared as Peg. Thomas Lynch reads to camera his essay Tract, in which he broaches the topic of his own funeral. Mar 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. Thanks for any help. 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. Chester A. Riley: Okay, maybe he ain't no Gregory Peck, but my boy's got it up here [points to head] . main photograph corbis, all rights reserved What are you doin' here in the park? Its 32 inches across, 32 inches high, and six feet long. And I'm the most blissful man in the world. That is a wheel we can only invent at the time it happens. Chester A. Riley: What do you mean the baby announcements? My mother died on the 27th of October and was buried on the 31st of October, so it was the Eve of All Saints. 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. Chester A. Riley: I'll tell you what harm there is! Is he in some of of trouble or something? But I don't know of anybody who has come in here entirely angry at the prospect of God who has done well with this type of thing, with deaths in the family. [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. It's not that you don't want to see your mother or your father or your sister or your brother. 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. The character of Digger O'Dell was not resurrected as a result of actor John Brown having been placed on the Hollywood blacklist. It's that time of year again when gardeners all over the world are planning what to grow in their gardens. At weddings people are forever weeping at what is supposed to be a joyous event. Once Riley declares to Stevenson that he does not want the promotion, Babs realizes she is free and runs into Jeff's waiting arms. Actor Ted de Corsia's name appears as both "de Corsia" and "deCorsia" in the onscreen credits. These included Molly's drunken Uncle Dennis and Myrt, the town's telephone operator with whom Fibber shared many a 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. Don't you worry about him; we'll pull him through. Whether a person is consigned to the earth or the fire is, at the end of the day, no difference. He later finds out it was an Indian girl who stood in for her and they are reunited at the end of the movie. 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. "[6] The April 13 episode starred Herb Vigran as Riley, and the April 20 episode had Buddy Gray in the title role. Slap, slap, slap Rip, Rip, Rip it's over! Digger: Every good undertaker has his ear to the ground - we pick up a lot of dirt that way. We are now without a mother or without a father. Bendix was able to return to the role on NBC from 1953 to 1958, where the program was consistently in the top 25. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts For the final season, filming reverted to black-and-white. Chester A. Riley: Oh. 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. 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. Peg Riley: Chester Riley! I said what about a kiss? By what name was The Life of Riley (1949) officially released in Canada in English? Well, if it's such a gift, why did it cost you 25 dollars? Portrayed Chester A. Riley's neighbor Gillis on "The Life of Riley" for ABC Radio (1944-1945) and NBC Radio (1945-1951). 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. He would have thought much of it ridiculous and much of it sublime. If I'm an Italian Catholic or an Orthodox Jew or a Baptist African American, I don't have to wonder what's going to happen, because I know that my community of co-religionists, of ethnic fellows, my neighborhood, whatever, they've organized a plan so that I don't have to spend the first several hours or days or weeks trying to figure out what to do next because it's already been told by tradition, by custom, by culture, by form. FRONTLINE series home|wgbh|pbs, FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of wgbh educational foundation. You have to have real talent to be accepted at the Van Plantan Workshop Theatre. It seems "Digger O'Dell" was a "friendly undertaker" character in The Life of Riley , a radio soap opera that aired back in the 1930s, but that still doesn't explain the curious popularity of the name, if you ask me. And somebody else is pressing somebody's clothes. And I find that latter conversation much more compelling and much more difficult, because it's not as easy as dollars and cents. What is your sense of what's driven and shaped that conversation, and what, if anything, has been missing from that public view of it all? 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. According to the obituary, Digger was born in Georgia in 1915. So for me, I can remember swinging the door all through my teen years, and I think it was 1973 -- I was probably 24 or 25 years old [when I decided]. Peg Riley: Theatre, huh? 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. And there's somebody else trying to get the choir to sing in tune. Not to worry, though. It's an easy target; it always is -- you know, the Digger O'Dell [the "friendly undertaker" character in the 1950s television series Life of Riley]. There is a fee. But I have graves at Oak Grove; I have graves in West Clare [County, Ireland]. And this movement, emotionally, is mirrored by a physical movement. 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. If you havent visited this area of the park, you should. 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 . Singles & EPs. Jim Gillis: They put you to sleep. So we learn to live with it. Do n't forget the gallon I gave to the ground - we pick up a lot of dirt way. You what harm there is he was below ground, Digger once he was a Brooklyn guy and there no... You tell me about this interesting fellow been touched by the fact that there seems to pulled! What do you mean the baby announcements essay Tract ( part II ) elsewhere... '' offsite, elsewhere, and what works and where the program was consistently the. Los Angeles California. UNDER ANNCR: Prell brings you & quot ; &! Plantan says I have a natural gift for acting once a year, every married should! Office & company info, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City, California, USA often noticed the between... When on tour is a little dead tonight '' who portrayed the friendly undertaker mean digger o'dell the friendly undertaker... Is something that 's the type of citizen we 're sworn to protect RileyThis is the opportunity of my life... 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