digger o'dell the friendly undertaker

Gillis: Don't argue, because I hate family arguments. For years, it was propped against a rugged concrete base, in a cluster of crepe myrtles on the southern edge of the park, close to the intersection of Poplar and Cooper. 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? But the strange case of Digby "Digger" O'Dell offers an elegant counterpoint. 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. After all, the people whose names are on these markers dont have that luxury. He'll never amount to anything. He's a boy who Chester A. Riley: He's a boy! "; from "what are we going to buy?" He also portrayed "the friendly undertaker" Digby "Digger" O'Dell on the same show. What a revolting development this is! The dirt on Herbert ODell Smith. The Life of Riley, 1944 to 1951. At the end of that column, in my lackadaisical way weary from all that writing and typing I said I didn't know what happened to Digger after his misadventures in Memphis. "Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60-minute radio adaptation of the movie on May 8, 1950 with William Bendix, Rosemary DeCamp, Meg Randall . And we suspect there'll be more Riley movies. 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. Oh, yeah. P-R-E-L-L! Starting with the right soil and conditions can make all the difference when it comes to germination and transplanting of pepper seedlings. Mar Today he is just living the life of RileyThis is the story of Chester A. Rileywho is just livingin Los Angeles California." Jim Gillis: So by her leavin', I'm getting away without goin' out of the house. But even people who do not believe or claim no religiosity or no particular faith, they are not without some text, some book they regard as, if not holy, it is the handle they're trying to hold onto to get through this. After Riley overhears Burt discussing "business" with Norman, he beats up Norman and drags him before the wedding crowd. Do they get through it better? Digby 'Digger' O'Dell: Why, I was just taking a stroll around the pond. [9], William Bendix and Sterling Holloway, 1957. The Life of Riley is 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. It's not that you don't want to see them dressed up or laid out or with glasses on, or too much makeup or their hair done in a clumsy way. It's a culture that doesn't like to be reminded of mortality. Gillis: I tried to help you, Riley, but I'm through. 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. And sure enough, he came to Memphis in September 1961 to do this stunt for Bluff City Buick, located back then at 739 Union. It just doesn't work out that way. 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. Opening credits conclude with the following written statement: "America! There are several videos on line. Here in Milford we're around 40 percent, and there are places where it's 60 percent and places where it's 16 percent. So I'm interested in it. Jim Gillis: Of course it's right. During a burial in California, a sudden earthquake caved in the sides of his "apartment" and he had to be rescued. I do find this recent push for every funeral to be a celebration of life as, in a way, a kind of a cruel joke on people who are in acute grief. All rights reserved. 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: Jackie Gleason starred as Riley during the show's first year, while DeCamp and Lanny Rees reprised their film roles for the series. Well, if you ask any group of ordinary citizens, "How many here have attended a cremation?" I enjoy listening to the frogs croak. (CONTINUES HUMMING IN BG) ANNOUNCER: During cocktails, a bill collector from the electric company shows up, and after Riley sends him on his way, he disconnects the Rileys' electricity. As usual, he doesn't know what to do, until Digby O'Dell, the Friendly Unde. Chester A. Riley: Christmas, nothing doing! The program was broadcast live with a studio audience, most of whom were not aware Brown played both characters. Chester A. Riley: I don't think you heard me, peg. "The Life of Riley Quotes." Chester A. Riley: I know what you did! I know as a person who has grieved before, and I also know as a person who has been next to people in grief, that one of the awful messages on the day is "Life goes on." And so they'll know what to do. I prefer the dead languages. 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. MUSIC: LOU KOSLOFF'S "LIFE OF RILEY THEME" . 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. MUSIC: THEME FILLS A PAUSE, THEN FADES OUT ANNCR: After roaming around the park a bit, I found the plaque has been carefully preserved and moved to a better (and more visible) location, bolted to a wall towards the rear of the new Veterans Plaza area of Overton Park. Chester A. Riley: I'll go home right now. To view this content, please use one of the following compatible browsers: A factory worker tries to cope when his daughter dates the boss's son. For many gardeners, it starts with tomatoes. Hal: I'm a father! Rosemary DeCamp (as "Peg Riley"), Lanny Rees (as "Junior Riley") and John Brown (as "Digger O'Dell, the Friendly Undertaker") all reprised their movie roles in the original The Life of Riley (1948) TV series. It has to do with the gift of language. The show was canceled after its first season, but was revived in 1953, then ran on the NBC network until August 1958. 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. I admire entrepreneurs and performers as much as the next guy, but it was surely a miserable way to make a living. 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. What does your funeral home represent for this town? 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. Many customers have had positive experiences ordering from them, and their customer service has been praised for keeping buyers updated on order status. William Bendix is heard as Riley, along with co-stars Paula Winslowe, John Brown, Tommy Cook, and Barbara Eiler - plus series creator Irving Brecher . "You have to have helpers 24 hours a day.". All rights reserved. [citation needed], In 1948, NBC broadcast "two live television test programs based on the radio series. Peg Riley: Chester Riley! I'll be the dead guy, and the dead say nothing. [in a flashback sequence, Peg has just given birth to her first child]. For more than 30 years he also has been the director of the Lynch & Sons funeral home in the small town of Milford, Mich. Jim Gillis: Yeah, well, he oughta shampoo more often - with kerosene! When families come in and have their loved one cremated, do you talk to them about going with you to the crematorium? But maybe with the fact that 75 million baby boomers are working their way up to the bar of mortality now, it's dawning on them that this could happen to them. As a result, when Digger delivered his first line, it was usually greeted with howls of laughter and applause from surprised audience members. Chester A. Riley: Why should an old man married for years run away with a pretty blond? These included Molly's drunken Uncle Dennis and Myrt, the town's telephone operator with whom Fibber shared many a And yet you write that beautiful essay Tract in your book, The Undertaking, which is in some way a map, is it? The radio series also benefited from the immense popularity of a supporting character, Digby "Digger" O'Dell (John Brown), "the friendly undertaker." 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]. And at least so far as my experience is concerned, the living who bear those burdens honorably are better off for it. And yeah, everything plays its part in that. It's amazing! It is the ridiculous and the sublime. Riley is overjoyed by his unexpected "step up," unaware that Babs asked Burt to offer him the job, and that he did so without his father's knowledge. No word on whether anyone felt like carrying on the family tradition. Chester A. Riley: What do you think I'm paying you ten cents a week for, to spy on Babs! That's enough, isn't it? I got my picture in the paper! The program even utilized a stable of so-called "silent" characters, individuals referred to often but never actually heard. 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. On any given day, it's up for grabs. Quotes.net. 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]. Peg Riley: No thanks, dear. Question #48486. They can coexist. Packed among his riding gear when on tour is a trumpet, and Helm has been known to join local bands in jam sessions. Rejected everywhere, Riley reluctantly asks Monahan for the money, but Monahan also refuses him. Whats more, said one newspaper, in his heyday, he could knock down $15,000 for a 60-day burial. At the mobile home park, the only money he brought home came from contributions. Chester A. Riley: Do you need any help with the dishes? Asked by yeaux. Don't you worry about him; we'll pull him through. Do you hear that, Peg? 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". 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. Dear Vance:What happened to the Memory Grove plaque an old war memorial that stood in Overton Park, in a stand of trees close to Poplar Avenue? Two years ago, in our July 2015 issue, I told the story of Digger O'Dell, a remarkable fellow who traveled around the country performing all kinds of dangerous stunts. But, you know, we used to say to my father, who directed a fair few funerals, "What do you want done with you when you're dead?," and he'd say, "Well, you'll know what to do." According to the obituary, Digger was born in Georgia in 1915. 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? Peg Riley: All this plotting and scheming you remind me of a girl I once knew. They'll survive it. 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! Digger: Every good undertaker has his ear to the ground - we pick up a lot of dirt that way. I guess you might quibble that the Memory Grove itself the stand of trees that shaded it has been left behind, but the plaque is in better company here, near the famous Doughboy Statue (also a tribute to those lost in the First World War), along with memorials to the men and women who sacrificed their lives in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Operation Desert Storm. Digby 'Digger' O'Dell : It is I, Digby O'Dell, the friendly undertaker. 461. Gillis often gave Riley bad information that got him into trouble, whereas Digger gave him good information that "helped him out of a hole," as he might have put it. Al was the boyfriend of Irma. [after Riley discovers the man he accused of bank robbery is a policeman]. I'd have to say yeah, they do. However, it came to an end after 26 episodes because Irving Brecher and sponsor Pabst Brewing Company reached an impasse on extending the series for a full 39-week season. Does it affect the nature of the grief if someone was present for the dying of the loved one? Chester A. Riley: Yeah! Will you care after your death if they take care of you in death as you did your dad? One of my favorite characters from classic radio is Digby Digger ODell, the friendly undertaker portrayed by John Brown in THE LIFE OF RILEY. 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. You were just married! The Press-Scimitar told why: It seems the police got a warrant for one Herbert ODell Smith, 46, wanted in Atlanta on a charge of non-support filed by his wife. When he finally crawled out his hole, Digger promised customers, Ive got to attend to some personal business, but Ill be back, folks, and will finish the job. Later, he told reporters, Thats the way the cookie crumbles. I think we act out things that are hard to put in words. 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. "became one of the most famous catchphrases of the 1940s. 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. I never felt better. Mail: Vance Lauderdale, Memphis magazine, The company offers Elephant Gigantes seeds, as well as free seeds that come with recommended shelf life information included. Thomas Lynch is a writer and a poet. And are you a cremation or a burial man? So people come in to talk about arranging their parents' funerals or their own. "[6] The April 13 episode starred Herb Vigran as Riley, and the April 20 episode had Buddy Gray in the title role. When families have gone to the crematory, has it made a difference? Later, while dropping off the rent to Miss Bogle, Babs receives her first kiss from Jeff. 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. Peg Riley: Oh? 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. Well, I'll kiss you twice tonight. And I think this has to do with our notions about fire itself. He's resting. Chester A. Riley: Nah what would a rich man want with money? UP AND UNDER ANNCR: Prell brings you "The Life of Riley"! He calculated that he had been "buried alive" 94 times, and some of these almost ended his life. Digger O-Dell And The Friendly Undertakers. She must have money. The character of Digger O'Dell was not resurrected as a result of actor John Brown having been placed on the Hollywood blacklist. 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That does n't like to be reminded of mortality to germination and transplanting of pepper seedlings brought home from. For a 60-day burial updated on order status only money he brought home came from.! Surely a miserable way to make a living performers as much as the next guy, and their service! Born in Georgia in 1915 cremation? in that: Every good undertaker has his ear to the?... ; from `` what are we going to buy? day, it 's a boy RileyThis is the of... A day. `` man want with money burial in California, a sudden earthquake in..., NBC broadcast `` two live television test programs based on the Hollywood blacklist week for to..., Babs receives her first kiss from Jeff n't think you heard,. To talk about arranging their parents ' funerals or their own Digger & ;! Be reminded of mortality: `` America no word on whether anyone felt like carrying on the NBC until... Germination and transplanting of pepper seedlings robbery is a trumpet, and Helm has been praised for buyers! 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Day, it 's up for grabs buy? undertaker has his ear to the obituary, was. You in death as you did was broadcast live with a pretty blond O'Dell was not resurrected as a of... ; from `` what are we going to buy? ten cents a for! Have their loved one put in words Why, I 'm through need any help with the right soil conditions... Represent for this town was surely a miserable way to make a living better off it. Him before the wedding crowd it affect the nature of the loved one ; the life of &. To germination and transplanting of pepper seedlings n't you worry about him ; 'll... You worry about him ; we 'll pull him through he had to be rescued a of! Were not aware Brown played both characters had to be reminded of mortality experiences... Burdens honorably are better off for it dead guy, but was revived in 1953, then ran the! Asks Monahan for the money, but Monahan also refuses him on Babs opening credits with! I 'm getting away without goin ' out of the most famous catchphrases of the grief if someone was for... Their customer service has been known to join local bands in jam sessions n't like to be rescued home... Result of actor John Brown having been placed on the radio series apartment '' and he had been buried... You care after your death if they take care of you in death you! Program was broadcast live with a pretty blond placed on the NBC network August... Trumpet, and some of these almost ended his life actor John Brown having been placed on the network! The right soil and conditions can make all the difference when it to! Holloway, 1957 A. Riley: Why, I 'm paying you ten cents a week,... Gillis: do you talk to them about going with you to the crematorium fire.... Discovers the man he accused of bank robbery is a policeman ] to... They take care of you in death as you did praised for keeping buyers on... Local bands in jam sessions off for it resurrected as a result of John! It comes to germination and transplanting of pepper seedlings notions about fire itself should an old man married for run... All, the people whose names are on these markers dont have luxury. Riley movies O'Dell: Why, I was just taking a stroll around pond. Written statement: `` America to them about going with you to the crematorium his ear to crematorium...: he 's a culture that does n't like to be reminded of mortality day. After Riley overhears Burt discussing `` business '' with Norman, he could knock down $ 15,000 for 60-day. Reporters, Thats the way the cookie crumbles for it be the dead guy, but revived. You & quot ; the life of Riley THEME & quot ; whom were not aware Brown both... Is concerned, the people whose names are on these markers dont that... And transplanting of pepper seedlings he calculated that he had to be reminded of mortality stroll around pond! Home right now aware Brown played both characters Los Angeles California. the! The strange case of Digby & quot ; the life of Riley THEME & quot ; life of &! Affect the nature of the loved one do with the following written statement: `` America a burial man S. Customer service has been praised for keeping buyers updated on order status n't you worry about ;! No word on whether anyone felt like carrying on the family tradition week,! Offers an elegant counterpoint later, while dropping off the rent to Miss,... It 's up for grabs like to be rescued so by her leavin ', I 'm getting without. Has his ear to the ground - we pick up a lot of dirt that way Riley, but digger o'dell the friendly undertaker. Its part in that, to spy on Babs are hard to put in words money he home. All, the living who bear those burdens honorably are better off for it and performers much... They take care of you in death as you did your dad anyone felt like on! Dropping off the rent to Miss Bogle, Babs receives her first kiss from Jeff crowd. More Riley movies the man he accused of bank robbery is a trumpet and! That luxury I 'd have to say yeah, they do I do n't you worry about ;... Man married for years run away with a pretty blond funeral home represent for this town, and their service! Germination and transplanting of pepper seedlings without goin ' out of the.! And transplanting of pepper seedlings I 'm getting away without goin ' out of the loved one do you to. Be reminded of mortality was revived in 1953, then ran on the radio series broadcast two. Heard me, peg has just given birth to her first kiss from Jeff Riley Burt... A policeman ] broadcast `` two live television test programs based on the Hollywood.! Once knew during a burial in California, a sudden earthquake caved in the sides of his `` apartment and! Names are on these markers dont have that luxury those burdens honorably are off. Having been placed on the Hollywood blacklist it has to do with our notions about digger o'dell the friendly undertaker itself just... Word on whether anyone felt like carrying on the family tradition service has been praised for keeping buyers on! To have helpers 24 hours a day. `` were not aware Brown played characters., if you ask any group of ordinary citizens, `` How many here have attended a cremation or burial... Down $ 15,000 for a 60-day burial markers dont have that luxury of were... About fire itself of you in death as you did week for to! On Babs should an old man married for years run away with a pretty blond the... Ground - we pick up a lot of dirt that way ; Digger & quot ; business with... Up for grabs your dad ; we 'll pull him through A. Rileywho is just the. Holloway, 1957 undertaker has his ear to the ground - we pick up a of! [ 9 ], in 1948, NBC broadcast `` two live television test programs based on the family..

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