We are more mobile, more portable, more scattered. What are you doin' here in the park? And I'm, along with the next guy, as interested in those cartoons as everyone else is. But the strange case of Digby "Digger" O'Dell offers an elegant counterpoint. An unrelated radio show with the name Life of Riley was a summer replacement sh, Many,many, many years ago when I was in grade five I had as a teacher an American Christian Brother named Bro. 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. 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's where he's buried for good. I want reports! [1] (Marx would get his own series Blue Ribbon Town instead.) US. I've come to admire the earth, the wind and the fire. The till doesn't ring as precisely, and what works and where the values are require more discernment. There must be some reason for it! He would have probably had a difficult way of managing some of the changes that we see nowadays. And they won't forget, and that's the thing. Chester A. Riley: Yeah, but that ain't right. Dear t.r. Plunged into darkness, Riley takes the advice of friend and neighbor, undertaker "Digger" O'Dell, and invites his guests to a restaurant. 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. Babs Riley: But Mother, this is the opportunity of my entire life! I think the national rate now is right around 38 percent. It's a culture that doesn't like to be reminded of mortality. Whether someone comes into the funeral home insisting on the least expensive or the most expensive, I see in both cases an effort to assign value to cost, and I just think in my own experience it's never had much to do with it. Simon Vanderhopper: Mr. Riley, you're not angry? Riley could easily be described as the Archie Bunker of the 1940s. 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. So it's interesting times we live in that way. Alan Lipscott and Reuben Ship wrote many of the radio series' early episodes, and Don Bernard was the show's initial director. And most good customs allow for some wiggle room, you know. 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 And particularly when you see the transaction which involves this rather impressive life-or-death event with the rather mundane mercantility of it all. Chester A. Riley: Why should an old man married for years run away with a pretty blond? They prefer warmer temperatures and drier, Organic Fertilizers: A Natural Alternative for Feeding your Garden | Texas Tomato Food, GreenLeaf Nutrients & More, Fertilizers have become increasingly expensive in recent years, leading many gardeners to look for alternatives. Packed among his riding gear when on tour is a trumpet, and Helm has been known to join local bands in jam sessions. And I find that latter conversation much more compelling and much more difficult, because it's not as easy as dollars and cents. I've never lost a father yet! I always knew I'd bring up my daughter to be somebody someday. Do they get through it better? 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: Irving Brecher's onscreen credit reads: "Written and directed by Irving Brecher." in Literary Quotes in Movie Quotes in TV Shows And there's somebody else doing this, that. William Bendix is heard as Riley, along with co-stars Paula Winslowe, John Brown, Tommy Cook, and Barbara Eiler - plus series creator Irving Brecher . During a burial in California, a sudden earthquake caved in the sides of his "apartment" and he had to be rescued. It's not always the same thing, and for everyone it's different. 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. Jim Gillis: Yeah, well, he oughta shampoo more often - with kerosene! In the 19551956 season, the Riley family moved and were given new neighbors portrayed by Florence Sundstrom and George O'Hanlon.[8]. [6][7], The NBC adaptation, also created by Irving Brecher, was a single-season [in a flashback sequence, Peg has just given birth to her first child]. Peg Riley: Oh? Barbara 'Babs' Riley: It's just not fair! And I do think that while the dead don't care, the dead matter. It seemed like an appropriate time for this sainted woman. SOURCES: Radio historian Gerald Nachman quotes Brecher as stating, "He was a Brooklyn guy and there was something about him. But we are much more willing to go stand next to the hole in the ground than we are willing to stand next to the fire. I never felt better. Not a day went by that I wasn't kept in after school. The lead character was changed to Chester A. Riley, the title was changed to The Life of Riley and a show and star were born. WGBH educational foundation, How we've become estranged from death and the dead, The meaning and power of rituals and customs, The often-mocked tradition of an open casket, How the baby boomers will change the conversation about funerals. We are less grounded than our grandparents were. 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. web site copyright 1995-2014 And it was over, oftentimes, the most mundane of circumstances. [citation needed] Mel Blanc provided some voices as well, including that of Junior's dog Tiger as well as that of a dog catcher who claimed to have a special bond with dogs. 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. 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. For many gardeners, it starts with tomatoes. Well, we wear black for funerals -- people have to know who the directors are, who to ask -- and white shirts and gray ties. The program even utilized a stable of so-called "silent" characters, individuals referred to often but never actually heard. When Burt finally tells Babs about his financial predicament and suggests that they marry quickly so that Riley can keep his job and he can save his life, Babs reluctantly agrees. I like the connection, the sound of the word "process"; it suggests movement, a pilgrimage. 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 She must have money. Thomas Lynch is a writer and a poet. But don't go there searching for a tombstone marked Digger O'Dell. He is best-known in Memphis for agreeing to be "buried alive" as a promotion that took place in September 1959 for Bluff City Buick. 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." And sure enough, he came to Memphis in September 1961 to do this stunt for Bluff City Buick, located back then at 739 Union. He'd made a few films, like Lifeboat, but he was not a name. Digger O-Dell And The Friendly Undertakers. 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. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. [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. Digby 'Digger' O'Dell: It is I, Digby O'Dell, the friendly undertaker.Chester A. Riley: Hello, Digger. Made for Universal Pictures and directed by Brecher, who also wrote and produced the simple plot of The Life of Riley , revolves around Babs (Randall) learning that Riley is about to get laid off. The stock market is open. In some ways it is a culture that's based on convenience and cost efficiency. And I have found that, whether I'm walking in the door with a stretcher and one of my own to help carry their dead out, or if I'm going to the hospital to visit a sick relative or friend, or if I show up for a funeral at another place, you know, at a distance, they thank you for that. Digby 'Digger' O'Dell: No, only Latin and Greek. People will know that. Dear Vance:My parents remember a Memphian named Digger ODell who had himself buried alive here sometime in the 1960s as a promotional stunt. 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. It is that everything changes and nothing changes. "became one of the most famous catchphrases of the 1940s. All rights reserved. He would have thought much of it ridiculous and much of it sublime. Did you hear me? Slap, slap, slap Rip, Rip, Rip it's over! I enjoy listening to the frogs croak. Jeff, who had just proposed to Babs himself, is devastated by her announcement, as is Peg, who knows that her daughter does not love Burt. During cocktails, a bill collector from the electric company shows up, and after Riley sends him on his way, he disconnects the Rileys' electricity. 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. Help came from Digger O'Dell, the "friendly undertaker," who offered gruesome theories laced with repetitive puns, brilliantly delivered by John Brown. As a result, when Digger delivered his first line, it was usually greeted with howls of laughter and applause from surprised audience members. In doing this, in accompanying the dead, getting them where they need to go, we get where we need to be. "Life goes on!" Digby 'Digger' O'Dell : It is I, Digby O'Dell, the friendly undertaker. Chester A. Riley: Yeah! 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? Digby 'Digger' O'Dell: It is I, Digby O'Dell, the friendly undertaker. Sign Up now to stay up to date with all of the latest news from TCM. Babs, however, has her heart set on Jeff and rejects Burt's advances. Oh, yeah. 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. Singles & EPs. One of my favorite old time radio characters (other than Jack Benny) was Digger O'Dell "The Friendly Undertaker". DIGGER, Digby O'Dell, the Friendly Undertaker MOTHER, Irish and obnoxious ANNOUNCER SINGERS MUSIC: THEME . So yeah, I enjoyed writing that piece. Many customers have had positive experiences ordering from them, and their customer service has been praised for keeping buyers updated on order status. What a revolting development this is! What does your funeral home represent for this town? Sometime in the mid-60s, probably having a lot to do with Jessica Mitford's book [The American Way of Death] and a lot to do with other social factors, there was sort of the triumphalist American sense that we didn't have to deal with any discomforts. There's this wonderful essay that was written -- I have it framed in the hallway there; the woman's name, I think, is Sullivan who wrote it. "It is I, Digger O'Dell, your friendly undertaker. 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 wife, Peg, and daughter, Babs respectively. That is a wheel we can only invent at the time it happens. Chester A. 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