Irving Brecher’s THE LIFE OF RILEY
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Irving Brecher’s THE LIFE OF RILEY Program Guide by Ivan G. Shreve, Jr. “It’s a losin’ fight!” The origins of The Life of Riley, the popular radio sitcom than ran from 1944 to 1951, can be traced all the way back to Groucho Marx. At least, that’s the version from Riley’s creator—Irving Brecher—who relates the series of events as beginning sometime in the early 1940s. Brecher, an MGM screenwriter who had scripted the films At the Circus (1939) and Go West (1940) for Groucho and his brothers, was approached by the cigar- smoking comedian one day; Marx wanted his friend to create a radio show tailored specifically to his talents. Brecher recalled that Groucho’s “radio show had been cancelled recently, in an abrupt fashion that had humiliated him.” Irving confessed to Groucho that he had nothing for him at the present time, only an idea for a sitcom he called The Flotsam Family. The idea was that Groucho would play the head of a household in which the father “floated like flotsam” from job-to- job every week; often William Bendix
Transcript of Irving Brecher’s THE LIFE OF RILEY
Irving Brecher: Before and After Riley
Described by humorist S.J. Perelman as one of thequickest wits in America, The Life of Riley creatorIrving Brecher (born January 17, 1914) started hisentertainment career as an usher at the LittleCarnegie Playhouse in New York City and soonafter became a writer for comedian Milton Berle,first for vaudeville and later for his GilletteCommunity Sing radio series in the 1930’s.
Brecher followed Berle to Hollywood as a writer and soon after landed a host ofadditional work in the movies. It was then that he began regular work for producerMervin LeRoy at MGM, including uncredited script revisions for The Wizard ofOz (1939).
For MGM, he was assigned to write two screenplays for the Marx Brothers, At theCircus (1939) and Go West (1940). It was here that Brecher began the friendshipwith Groucho Marx that would later lead to the creation of The Life of Riley.
At MGM, Brecher further co-wrote the screenplay for Shadow of the Thin Man(1941) and was a contributor and co-writer on many famous musicals, includingamong others For Me and My Gal (1942), Best Foot Forward (1943), andZiegfeld Follies (1946). His most successful screenwriting effort came in 1944, asco-writer for the Judy Garland classic Meet Me in St. Louis, for which he wasnominated for an Academy Award. After his success with The Life of Riley onradio and television, Brecher continued his career as a screenwriter, notably onBye Bye Birdie (1963).
Mr. Brecher’s biography, The Wicked Wit of the West: The Last Great Golden AgeScreenwriter Shares the Hilarity and Heartaches of Working With Groucho,Garland, Gleason, Burns, Berle, Benny, and many more, as told to HankRosenfeld, is scheduled to soon be released by Ben Yehuda Press.
www.RadioSpirits.comPO Box 1315, Little Falls, NJ 07424
Audio programming © 2008 Irving Brecher, Trustee, under license from IrvingBrecher, Trustee.
All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.Program Guide © 2008 Ivan G. Shreve, Jr. and RSPT LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Irving Brecher’sTHE LIFE OF RILEYProgram Guide by Ivan G. Shreve, Jr.
“It’s a losin’ fight!”
The origins of The Life of Riley, the popular radio sitcom than ran from 1944to 1951, can be traced all the way back to Groucho Marx. At least, that’s theversion from Riley’s creator—Irving Brecher—who relates the series of eventsas beginning sometime in the early 1940s.
Brecher, an MGMscreenwriter who hadscripted the films At theCircus (1939) and GoWest (1940) for Grouchoand his brothers, wasapproached by the cigar-smoking comedian oneday; Marx wanted hisfriend to create a radioshow tailored specificallyto his talents. Brecherrecalled that Groucho’s“radio show had beencancelled recently, in anabrupt fashion that hadhumiliated him.” Irvingconfessed to Groucho thathe had nothing for him atthe present time, only anidea for a sitcom he calledThe Flotsam Family.The idea was thatGroucho would play thehead of a household inwhich the father “floatedlike flotsam” from job-to-job every week; often
William Bendix
P
Irving Brecher & Groucho Marx
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engaged in various hare-brained, get-rich-quick schemes. Groucho was sold onthe idea and arranged for an audition record to be produced…and the audienceloved the show, primarily because “they loved Groucho.” But the would-besponsor ultimately thumbed down the idea, feeling that Marx simply wouldn’tbe believable as a flesh-and-blood family patriarch.
A year later, Brecher was attending a sneak preview for a friend’s film when hehappened to spot actor William Bendix in a Hal Roach "streamliner": TheMcGuerins of Brooklyn (1942). The screenwriter believed that Bendix wouldbe perfect for the part of “Flotsam,” and in contacting the actor’s agent, learnedthat Bendix had expressed an interest in doing a radio show. Brecher made a fewchanges to the script, and another audition record (which is in circulation today)was cut on July 25, 1943. Again, it was much appreciated by the audience inattendance but Brecher heard no further word on the project…not until sixmonths later, when he was contacted by a representative of the American MeatInstitute—a consortium of agencies pitching the idea that Americans should eatmore meat, “the yardstick of protein foods.” The show debuted over the BlueNetwork (soon to become ABC) on January 16, 1944, renamed The Life ofRiley, (The expression “life of Riley,” taken from the Irish, means an individualwho has no financial worries and is living a life of ease. It had been used onradio before, notably for a short-lived CBS sitcom in 1941 starring LionelStander, which confused radio biographers for a time into thinking Stander hadplayed “Riley” before Bendix.)
Riley was a family sitcom that focused on Chester A. Riley (Bendix), aBrooklyn expatriate who had relocated to Los Angeles with his wife Peg andchildren Barbara (“Babs”) and Chester (usually referred to as “Junior”) and wasfortunate to secure work as a welder at an aircraft factory in the wartimeeconomy. He was a beefy, lovable lunkhead who blundered his way week afterweek into some minor catastrophe, and usually had to be extricated from suchpredicaments by his sensible, down-to-earth spouse (Paula Winslowe, awonderful actress who struck the pitch-perfect balance between exasperationand support). He wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, and once he was seton a course of action he would stubbornly refuse to deviate from his plan (“Myhead is made up!”). After the disaster had played out, he would often mutter“What a revoltin’ development this is!”—which became a national catchphrase.Still, he remained a good-hearted slob through it all.
The plots in the sitcom’s early days often revolved around the incongruency ofBrooklynite Riley’s having to function in the fish-out-of-water environs of LosAngeles, California. (Oddly enough, Riley always seemed to find a lot ofexpatriates in his neck of the woods that had had the same relocating idea thathe had. Later, the writers would ingeniously use Brooklyn as a backdrop for“flashback” episodes, outlining Chester and Peg’s early courting days, wedding
disaster. With William Bendix, PaulaWinslowe, Barbara Eiler, JohnBrown, Alan Reed, Eleanor Audley,Ken Harvey, Sid Tomack andannouncer Jimmy Wallington.
B: March 10, 1950 – NBC,sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon –Riley has difficulty getting hislandlord to fix the leaky roof in hisapartment and the landlord retaliatesby raising the family’s rent. WhenJunior takes the rap for the landlord’sdaughter cheating in school, Rileyplans to use it to his advantage. WithWilliam Bendix, Paula Winslowe,Bobby Ellis, John Brown, Alan Reedand announcer Jimmy Wallington.
CD 7A: March 17, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – In flashback, Pegrelates the history of Riley’s “popcorn empire” and how it was brought to itsknees by one small allergy. With William Bendix, Paula Winslowe, BarbaraEiler, John Brown, Alan Reed and announcer Jimmy Wallington.
B: March 24, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – Riley is tryingto fix his sister Cissie up with his pal Otto…but she’s determined to land agambler named Hugo instead. With William Bendix, Paula Winslowe, BobbyEllis, Mary Jane Croft, John Brown, Alan Reed, Jim Backus and announcerJimmy Wallington.
CD 8A: March 31, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – Peg fumes whenRiley demonstrates a noticeable lack of common courtesy towards her. Afterwrestling with his conscience, he’s determined to be the most chivalrousindividual alive. With William Bendix, Paula Winslowe, Louise Erickson, JohnBrown, Alan Reed, Sid Tomack and announcer Jimmy Wallington.
B: November 3, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – Riley and Pegstop Babs from eloping with her boyfriend in the nick of time. Riley changeshis tune when he learns that Babs has plans to marry into a wealthy family. WithWilliam Bendix, Paula Winslowe, Barbara Eiler, John Brown and announcerHoward Petrie.
John Brown
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CD 3A: February 14, 1948 – NBC, sponsored by Prell and Ivory Snow – Rileyrefuses to defend Peg’s honor when the butcher makes an inappropriate remark.He then decides to get her a “comical” card for Valentine’s Day. With WilliamBendix, Paula Winslowe, Tommy Cook, Barbara Eiler, John Brown, Alan Reedand announcer Ken Niles.
B: January 20, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – Riley’s spinstersister Cecilia (“Cissie”) is visiting, upset that her fiancé Lionel jilted her at thealtar by joining the Navy. With William Bendix, Paula Winslowe, Bobby Ellis,Barbara Eiler, Bea Benaderet, John Brown, Herb Vigran, Marlo Dwyer andannouncer Jimmy Wallington.
CD 4A: January 27, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – When Juniorstarts to sneak out at night, Riley and Peg become convinced he’s involved witha juvenile gang. Not so—Chester A. Riley, Jr.’s just in love. With WilliamBendix, Paula Winslowe, Bobby Ellis, John Brown, Sid Tomack and announcerJimmy Wallington.
B: February 3, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – After getting alecture from Riley on the importance of getting good marks in school, Babslearns she’s flunked her midterm math exam and Junior brings home a badreport card. With William Bendix, Paula Winslowe, Bobby Ellis, Barbara Eiler,Gil Stratton, Jr., John Brown and announcer Jimmy Wallington.
CD 5A: February 10, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – Rebuffed byRiley when he tries to get money to get his girlfriend a special Valentine’s Daygift, Peg tells Junior (in flashback) a tale of how Riley bought her a box ofcandy in their Brooklyn courting days…and ended up in the hoosegow! WithWilliam Bendix, Paula Winslowe, Bobby Ellis, John Brown, Alan Reed, SidTomack, Norman Fields and announcer Jimmy Wallington.
B: February 17, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – Riley loses hisjob bluffing for a raise and Peg is forced to go to work as a waitress, much tohis chagrin. With William Bendix, Paula Winslowe, Bobby Ellis, Barbara Eiler,John Brown, Alan Reed, Sid Tomack, Stanley Waxman and announcer JimmyWallington.
CD 6A: February 24, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – Since theRileys rarely go out, Chester decides to rectify the situation by taking Peg outon the town…not once, but twice! As predicted, both “nights out” end in utter
day, first baby, etc.) Creator Brecher (who had to get permission from MGM—and later Universal-International—to work on the show) oversaw a top-notchwriting staff that consisted of scribes like Reuben Ship, Alan Lipscott, AshmeadScott, Robert Sloane and Dick Powell (not, it should be pointed out, the famousactor-crooner).
Many of radio’s prized character actors appeared on Riley; the most noteworthybeing Hans Conried, who played freeloading parasite Uncle Baxter (Baxternever let Riley forget that he once loaned him a pint of blood, securing his rent-free presence in Riley’s domicile) in the program’s early years (and wasreplaced from time to time by Charlie Cantor as the equally shiftless UncleBuckley). Francis “Dink” Trout, king of the radio milquetoasts, was Riley’sneighbor, Waldo Binney, who suffered under the thumb of his domineering wifeand aunt much in the same manner of Fibber McGee & Molly’s WallaceWimple. And future Flintstones icon Alan Reed was also a Riley fixture, oftenin the role of Mr. Stevenson, Riley’s long-suffering boss.
But it was the versatile John Brown who made the biggest impression on theseries, playing two of The Life of Riley’s best-known characters. One was JimGillis, Riley’s sarcastic co-worker/next-door neighbor who often took it uponhimself to give his “pal” advice whenever Riley was bollixed up in anothercalamity—the net result generally seeing Riley in further hot water. Gillis hada son with the bully-magnet moniker of “Egbert” and a nagging spouse namedHoneybee, played by actress Shirley Mitchell. (Mitchell also appeared on theshow as Louella Lounsberry, a flirtatious Southern belle not unlike her LeilaRansom character on The Great Gildersleeve.) Gillis was not too far removedfrom neighbor “Thorny” on The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet—a part alsoplayed by Brown.
Brown’s most famous contribution toThe Life of Riley came in the form ofa character that creator Brecher hadintended as a one-shot one week whenthe program was running short. Hewas undertaker Digby “Digger”O’Dell, who often greeted Riley in agloomy, sepulchral voice with “You’relooking fine, Riley—very natural!”The Meat Institute (and more than afew undertakers, who threatened toboycott by no longer purchasing themeat renderings used to make soap towash the bodies) balked at the gallowshumor than emanated from the funeral Paula Winslowe
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parlor director, but the audience took a shine to Digger—and from that momenton, each broadcast was good for at least one walk-on from the character, whosigned off with “Cheerio—I’d better be shoveling off.” (Brecher credits theundertaker with saving the comedy from an almost certain cancellation;ironically, the same representatives from the undertakers’ industry invited actorBrown to speak at their annual convention.)
The American Meat Institute stopped sponsoring The Life of Riley when theopportunity to pay the bills for a classical music program arose, and Proctor &Gamble picked up where the meat people left off (by this time, the show hadbeen moved from its 3:00pm Sunday afternoon slot to primetime), pluggingPrell shampoo, Teel dentifrice and Ivory Snow from 1945-49. (Pabst BlueRibbon—“What’ll you have?”—would later sponsor the show until itscancellation in 1951.) Castwise, the players remained fairly stable; Bendix andWinslowe went the distance as Riley and Peg, with only the Riley offspringundergoing any real changes. Conrad Binyon was the original Junior, but actorsScotty Beckett, Jack Grimes, Tommy Cook and Bobby Ellis all played the partat various times; ditto with Babs, originally essayed by Sharon Douglas butBarbara Eiler and Louise Erickson also took a whack at the role.
By the time Riley went off the air in 1951, the show had seen a successful big-screen movie adaptation in 1948 (one of the best radio-to-film transplants ofthat era), followed by a short-lived TV show in the fall of 1949 which starredJackie Gleason (back when he was merely The Good One) because Bendix wascontractually unable to appear on the series. (Brecher had been warned offGleason by several people as being unreliable, but after a disastrous pilotstarring Lon Chaney, Jr. he felt he had no other choice.) It is interesting to notethat Gleason once was afforded the opportunity to play Riley on radio on aNovember 11, 1949 broadcast when star Bendix developed a sore throat (he wasworking on the feature comedy Kill the Umpire at the time) and couldn’t go“on with the show.” With Bendix still playing Riley on radio, however,audiences never quite warmed up to Gleason in the role and the series wascancelled after one season—even after the program won one of the first EmmyAwards as Best Comedy Series. Bendix took another crack at it in the winter of1953 and made The Life of Riley a TV smash for five seasons.
Many years after Riley had run its course and was living “the life of retirement”in television reruns, series creator Irving Brecher encountered actor CarrollO’Connor at a party during the time O’Connor was enjoying his great successon All in the Family. According to Brecher, O’Connor paid him a complimentby remarking: “We’re doing your program with freedom. We’re doing The Lifeof Riley with the freedom you couldn’t have.” Nevertheless, the original Lifeof Riley still stands the test of time—an excellent example of great situationcomedy from the Golden Age of Radio.
Includes the following episodes:
CD1A: April 2, 1944 – Blue, sponsored by the American Meat Institute – UncleBaxter, Peg and Junior are planning a surprise party for Riley’s birthday…butthey have to get him out of the house first. With William Bendix, PaulaWinslowe, Francis “Dink” Trout, Conrad Binyon, Hans Conried, JosephKearns, Frank Nelson and announcer Ken Niles.
B: May 14, 1944 – Blue, sponsored by the American Meat Institute – Riley andthe kids decide that Peg needn’t lift a finger for Mother’s Day. Rileycomplicates matters when he takes charge of dinner preparations. With WilliamBendix, Paula Winslowe, Sharon Douglas, Conrad Binyon, Joseph Kearns,Charlie Cantor and announcer Ken Niles.
CD 2A: June 11, 1944 – Blue, sponsored by the American Meat Institute – Rileyaccidentally bids and wins a worthless antique jewel box at an auction…with avaluable stamp inside! Uncle Buckley then puts the kibosh on Riley’s dreamsof wealth by mailing a letter with the same stamp. With William Bendix, PaulaWinslowe, Conrad Binyon, John Brown, and announcer Ken Niles.
B: October 1, 1944 – Blue, sponsored by the American Meat Institute – As partof a home economics assignment, Babs has to throw an intimate dinner partyby inviting her professor and a snobbish girl from her class. Riley borrows amost unusual dining room table. With William Bendix, Paula Winslowe,Sharon Douglas, Conrad Binyon, Charlie Cantor, Joseph Kearns, John Brownand announcer Ken Niles.
William Bendix, Paula Winslowe, Barbara Eiler & Bobby Ellis
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parlor director, but the audience took a shine to Digger—and from that momenton, each broadcast was good for at least one walk-on from the character, whosigned off with “Cheerio—I’d better be shoveling off.” (Brecher credits theundertaker with saving the comedy from an almost certain cancellation;ironically, the same representatives from the undertakers’ industry invited actorBrown to speak at their annual convention.)
The American Meat Institute stopped sponsoring The Life of Riley when theopportunity to pay the bills for a classical music program arose, and Proctor &Gamble picked up where the meat people left off (by this time, the show hadbeen moved from its 3:00pm Sunday afternoon slot to primetime), pluggingPrell shampoo, Teel dentifrice and Ivory Snow from 1945-49. (Pabst BlueRibbon—“What’ll you have?”—would later sponsor the show until itscancellation in 1951.) Castwise, the players remained fairly stable; Bendix andWinslowe went the distance as Riley and Peg, with only the Riley offspringundergoing any real changes. Conrad Binyon was the original Junior, but actorsScotty Beckett, Jack Grimes, Tommy Cook and Bobby Ellis all played the partat various times; ditto with Babs, originally essayed by Sharon Douglas butBarbara Eiler and Louise Erickson also took a whack at the role.
By the time Riley went off the air in 1951, the show had seen a successful big-screen movie adaptation in 1948 (one of the best radio-to-film transplants ofthat era), followed by a short-lived TV show in the fall of 1949 which starredJackie Gleason (back when he was merely The Good One) because Bendix wascontractually unable to appear on the series. (Brecher had been warned offGleason by several people as being unreliable, but after a disastrous pilotstarring Lon Chaney, Jr. he felt he had no other choice.) It is interesting to notethat Gleason once was afforded the opportunity to play Riley on radio on aNovember 11, 1949 broadcast when star Bendix developed a sore throat (he wasworking on the feature comedy Kill the Umpire at the time) and couldn’t go“on with the show.” With Bendix still playing Riley on radio, however,audiences never quite warmed up to Gleason in the role and the series wascancelled after one season—even after the program won one of the first EmmyAwards as Best Comedy Series. Bendix took another crack at it in the winter of1953 and made The Life of Riley a TV smash for five seasons.
Many years after Riley had run its course and was living “the life of retirement”in television reruns, series creator Irving Brecher encountered actor CarrollO’Connor at a party during the time O’Connor was enjoying his great successon All in the Family. According to Brecher, O’Connor paid him a complimentby remarking: “We’re doing your program with freedom. We’re doing The Lifeof Riley with the freedom you couldn’t have.” Nevertheless, the original Lifeof Riley still stands the test of time—an excellent example of great situationcomedy from the Golden Age of Radio.
Includes the following episodes:
CD1A: April 2, 1944 – Blue, sponsored by the American Meat Institute – UncleBaxter, Peg and Junior are planning a surprise party for Riley’s birthday…butthey have to get him out of the house first. With William Bendix, PaulaWinslowe, Francis “Dink” Trout, Conrad Binyon, Hans Conried, JosephKearns, Frank Nelson and announcer Ken Niles.
B: May 14, 1944 – Blue, sponsored by the American Meat Institute – Riley andthe kids decide that Peg needn’t lift a finger for Mother’s Day. Rileycomplicates matters when he takes charge of dinner preparations. With WilliamBendix, Paula Winslowe, Sharon Douglas, Conrad Binyon, Joseph Kearns,Charlie Cantor and announcer Ken Niles.
CD 2A: June 11, 1944 – Blue, sponsored by the American Meat Institute – Rileyaccidentally bids and wins a worthless antique jewel box at an auction…with avaluable stamp inside! Uncle Buckley then puts the kibosh on Riley’s dreamsof wealth by mailing a letter with the same stamp. With William Bendix, PaulaWinslowe, Conrad Binyon, John Brown, and announcer Ken Niles.
B: October 1, 1944 – Blue, sponsored by the American Meat Institute – As partof a home economics assignment, Babs has to throw an intimate dinner partyby inviting her professor and a snobbish girl from her class. Riley borrows amost unusual dining room table. With William Bendix, Paula Winslowe,Sharon Douglas, Conrad Binyon, Charlie Cantor, Joseph Kearns, John Brownand announcer Ken Niles.
William Bendix, Paula Winslowe, Barbara Eiler & Bobby Ellis
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CD 3A: February 14, 1948 – NBC, sponsored by Prell and Ivory Snow – Rileyrefuses to defend Peg’s honor when the butcher makes an inappropriate remark.He then decides to get her a “comical” card for Valentine’s Day. With WilliamBendix, Paula Winslowe, Tommy Cook, Barbara Eiler, John Brown, Alan Reedand announcer Ken Niles.
B: January 20, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – Riley’s spinstersister Cecilia (“Cissie”) is visiting, upset that her fiancé Lionel jilted her at thealtar by joining the Navy. With William Bendix, Paula Winslowe, Bobby Ellis,Barbara Eiler, Bea Benaderet, John Brown, Herb Vigran, Marlo Dwyer andannouncer Jimmy Wallington.
CD 4A: January 27, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – When Juniorstarts to sneak out at night, Riley and Peg become convinced he’s involved witha juvenile gang. Not so—Chester A. Riley, Jr.’s just in love. With WilliamBendix, Paula Winslowe, Bobby Ellis, John Brown, Sid Tomack and announcerJimmy Wallington.
B: February 3, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – After getting alecture from Riley on the importance of getting good marks in school, Babslearns she’s flunked her midterm math exam and Junior brings home a badreport card. With William Bendix, Paula Winslowe, Bobby Ellis, Barbara Eiler,Gil Stratton, Jr., John Brown and announcer Jimmy Wallington.
CD 5A: February 10, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – Rebuffed byRiley when he tries to get money to get his girlfriend a special Valentine’s Daygift, Peg tells Junior (in flashback) a tale of how Riley bought her a box ofcandy in their Brooklyn courting days…and ended up in the hoosegow! WithWilliam Bendix, Paula Winslowe, Bobby Ellis, John Brown, Alan Reed, SidTomack, Norman Fields and announcer Jimmy Wallington.
B: February 17, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – Riley loses hisjob bluffing for a raise and Peg is forced to go to work as a waitress, much tohis chagrin. With William Bendix, Paula Winslowe, Bobby Ellis, Barbara Eiler,John Brown, Alan Reed, Sid Tomack, Stanley Waxman and announcer JimmyWallington.
CD 6A: February 24, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – Since theRileys rarely go out, Chester decides to rectify the situation by taking Peg outon the town…not once, but twice! As predicted, both “nights out” end in utter
day, first baby, etc.) Creator Brecher (who had to get permission from MGM—and later Universal-International—to work on the show) oversaw a top-notchwriting staff that consisted of scribes like Reuben Ship, Alan Lipscott, AshmeadScott, Robert Sloane and Dick Powell (not, it should be pointed out, the famousactor-crooner).
Many of radio’s prized character actors appeared on Riley; the most noteworthybeing Hans Conried, who played freeloading parasite Uncle Baxter (Baxternever let Riley forget that he once loaned him a pint of blood, securing his rent-free presence in Riley’s domicile) in the program’s early years (and wasreplaced from time to time by Charlie Cantor as the equally shiftless UncleBuckley). Francis “Dink” Trout, king of the radio milquetoasts, was Riley’sneighbor, Waldo Binney, who suffered under the thumb of his domineering wifeand aunt much in the same manner of Fibber McGee & Molly’s WallaceWimple. And future Flintstones icon Alan Reed was also a Riley fixture, oftenin the role of Mr. Stevenson, Riley’s long-suffering boss.
But it was the versatile John Brown who made the biggest impression on theseries, playing two of The Life of Riley’s best-known characters. One was JimGillis, Riley’s sarcastic co-worker/next-door neighbor who often took it uponhimself to give his “pal” advice whenever Riley was bollixed up in anothercalamity—the net result generally seeing Riley in further hot water. Gillis hada son with the bully-magnet moniker of “Egbert” and a nagging spouse namedHoneybee, played by actress Shirley Mitchell. (Mitchell also appeared on theshow as Louella Lounsberry, a flirtatious Southern belle not unlike her LeilaRansom character on The Great Gildersleeve.) Gillis was not too far removedfrom neighbor “Thorny” on The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet—a part alsoplayed by Brown.
Brown’s most famous contribution toThe Life of Riley came in the form ofa character that creator Brecher hadintended as a one-shot one week whenthe program was running short. Hewas undertaker Digby “Digger”O’Dell, who often greeted Riley in agloomy, sepulchral voice with “You’relooking fine, Riley—very natural!”The Meat Institute (and more than afew undertakers, who threatened toboycott by no longer purchasing themeat renderings used to make soap towash the bodies) balked at the gallowshumor than emanated from the funeral Paula Winslowe
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engaged in various hare-brained, get-rich-quick schemes. Groucho was sold onthe idea and arranged for an audition record to be produced…and the audienceloved the show, primarily because “they loved Groucho.” But the would-besponsor ultimately thumbed down the idea, feeling that Marx simply wouldn’tbe believable as a flesh-and-blood family patriarch.
A year later, Brecher was attending a sneak preview for a friend’s film when hehappened to spot actor William Bendix in a Hal Roach "streamliner": TheMcGuerins of Brooklyn (1942). The screenwriter believed that Bendix wouldbe perfect for the part of “Flotsam,” and in contacting the actor’s agent, learnedthat Bendix had expressed an interest in doing a radio show. Brecher made a fewchanges to the script, and another audition record (which is in circulation today)was cut on July 25, 1943. Again, it was much appreciated by the audience inattendance but Brecher heard no further word on the project…not until sixmonths later, when he was contacted by a representative of the American MeatInstitute—a consortium of agencies pitching the idea that Americans should eatmore meat, “the yardstick of protein foods.” The show debuted over the BlueNetwork (soon to become ABC) on January 16, 1944, renamed The Life ofRiley, (The expression “life of Riley,” taken from the Irish, means an individualwho has no financial worries and is living a life of ease. It had been used onradio before, notably for a short-lived CBS sitcom in 1941 starring LionelStander, which confused radio biographers for a time into thinking Stander hadplayed “Riley” before Bendix.)
Riley was a family sitcom that focused on Chester A. Riley (Bendix), aBrooklyn expatriate who had relocated to Los Angeles with his wife Peg andchildren Barbara (“Babs”) and Chester (usually referred to as “Junior”) and wasfortunate to secure work as a welder at an aircraft factory in the wartimeeconomy. He was a beefy, lovable lunkhead who blundered his way week afterweek into some minor catastrophe, and usually had to be extricated from suchpredicaments by his sensible, down-to-earth spouse (Paula Winslowe, awonderful actress who struck the pitch-perfect balance between exasperationand support). He wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, and once he was seton a course of action he would stubbornly refuse to deviate from his plan (“Myhead is made up!”). After the disaster had played out, he would often mutter“What a revoltin’ development this is!”—which became a national catchphrase.Still, he remained a good-hearted slob through it all.
The plots in the sitcom’s early days often revolved around the incongruency ofBrooklynite Riley’s having to function in the fish-out-of-water environs of LosAngeles, California. (Oddly enough, Riley always seemed to find a lot ofexpatriates in his neck of the woods that had had the same relocating idea thathe had. Later, the writers would ingeniously use Brooklyn as a backdrop for“flashback” episodes, outlining Chester and Peg’s early courting days, wedding
disaster. With William Bendix, PaulaWinslowe, Barbara Eiler, JohnBrown, Alan Reed, Eleanor Audley,Ken Harvey, Sid Tomack andannouncer Jimmy Wallington.
B: March 10, 1950 – NBC,sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon –Riley has difficulty getting hislandlord to fix the leaky roof in hisapartment and the landlord retaliatesby raising the family’s rent. WhenJunior takes the rap for the landlord’sdaughter cheating in school, Rileyplans to use it to his advantage. WithWilliam Bendix, Paula Winslowe,Bobby Ellis, John Brown, Alan Reedand announcer Jimmy Wallington.
CD 7A: March 17, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – In flashback, Pegrelates the history of Riley’s “popcorn empire” and how it was brought to itsknees by one small allergy. With William Bendix, Paula Winslowe, BarbaraEiler, John Brown, Alan Reed and announcer Jimmy Wallington.
B: March 24, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – Riley is tryingto fix his sister Cissie up with his pal Otto…but she’s determined to land agambler named Hugo instead. With William Bendix, Paula Winslowe, BobbyEllis, Mary Jane Croft, John Brown, Alan Reed, Jim Backus and announcerJimmy Wallington.
CD 8A: March 31, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – Peg fumes whenRiley demonstrates a noticeable lack of common courtesy towards her. Afterwrestling with his conscience, he’s determined to be the most chivalrousindividual alive. With William Bendix, Paula Winslowe, Louise Erickson, JohnBrown, Alan Reed, Sid Tomack and announcer Jimmy Wallington.
B: November 3, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon – Riley and Pegstop Babs from eloping with her boyfriend in the nick of time. Riley changeshis tune when he learns that Babs has plans to marry into a wealthy family. WithWilliam Bendix, Paula Winslowe, Barbara Eiler, John Brown and announcerHoward Petrie.
John Brown
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Irving Brecher: Before and After Riley
Described by humorist S.J. Perelman as one of thequickest wits in America, The Life of Riley creatorIrving Brecher (born January 17, 1914) started hisentertainment career as an usher at the LittleCarnegie Playhouse in New York City and soonafter became a writer for comedian Milton Berle,first for vaudeville and later for his GilletteCommunity Sing radio series in the 1930’s.
Brecher followed Berle to Hollywood as a writer and soon after landed a host ofadditional work in the movies. It was then that he began regular work for producerMervin LeRoy at MGM, including uncredited script revisions for The Wizard ofOz (1939).
For MGM, he was assigned to write two screenplays for the Marx Brothers, At theCircus (1939) and Go West (1940). It was here that Brecher began the friendshipwith Groucho Marx that would later lead to the creation of The Life of Riley.
At MGM, Brecher further co-wrote the screenplay for Shadow of the Thin Man(1941) and was a contributor and co-writer on many famous musicals, includingamong others For Me and My Gal (1942), Best Foot Forward (1943), andZiegfeld Follies (1946). His most successful screenwriting effort came in 1944, asco-writer for the Judy Garland classic Meet Me in St. Louis, for which he wasnominated for an Academy Award. After his success with The Life of Riley onradio and television, Brecher continued his career as a screenwriter, notably onBye Bye Birdie (1963).
Mr. Brecher’s biography, The Wicked Wit of the West: The Last Great Golden AgeScreenwriter Shares the Hilarity and Heartaches of Working With Groucho,Garland, Gleason, Burns, Berle, Benny, and many more, as told to HankRosenfeld, is scheduled to soon be released by Ben Yehuda Press.
www.RadioSpirits.comPO Box 1315, Little Falls, NJ 07424
Audio programming © 2008 Irving Brecher, Trustee, under license from IrvingBrecher, Trustee.
All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.Program Guide © 2008 Ivan G. Shreve, Jr. and RSPT LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Irving Brecher’sTHE LIFE OF RILEYProgram Guide by Ivan G. Shreve, Jr.
“It’s a losin’ fight!”
The origins of The Life of Riley, the popular radio sitcom than ran from 1944to 1951, can be traced all the way back to Groucho Marx. At least, that’s theversion from Riley’s creator—Irving Brecher—who relates the series of eventsas beginning sometime in the early 1940s.
Brecher, an MGMscreenwriter who hadscripted the films At theCircus (1939) and GoWest (1940) for Grouchoand his brothers, wasapproached by the cigar-smoking comedian oneday; Marx wanted hisfriend to create a radioshow tailored specificallyto his talents. Brecherrecalled that Groucho’s“radio show had beencancelled recently, in anabrupt fashion that hadhumiliated him.” Irvingconfessed to Groucho thathe had nothing for him atthe present time, only anidea for a sitcom he calledThe Flotsam Family.The idea was thatGroucho would play thehead of a household inwhich the father “floatedlike flotsam” from job-to-job every week; often
William Bendix
P
Irving Brecher & Groucho Marx
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