Life of Riley

The Life of Riley, an early U.S. television sitcom filmed in Hollywood, was broadcast on NBC from 1949-50 and from 1953-58. Although the program had a loyal audience from its years on network radio (1943-1951), its first season on television, in which Jackie Gleason was cast in the title role, failed to generate high ratings. William Bendix portrayed Riley in the second version and the series was much more successful, among the top twenty-five most watched programs from 1953-55. Syndicated in 1977, the series was telecast on many cable systems.

October 4, 1949 - March 28, 1950

Cast:

Jackie Gleason ............... Chester A. Riley
Rosemary DeCamp .............. Peg Riley
Lanny Rees ................... Junior Riley
Gloria Winters ............... Babs Riley
Sid Tomack ................... Jim Gillis
Maxine Semon ................. Honeybee Gillis
John Brown ................... Digby "Digger" O'Dell
Bill Green ................... Carl Stephenson
Bob Jellison ................. Waldo Binny
George McDonald .............. Egbert Gillis

(DISC 1)

1. Tonsils (10/4/1949)
2. Babs and Simon Step Out (10/11/1949)
3. Egbert's Chemistry Set (10/18/1949)
4. The French Professor (10/25/1949)

(DISC 2)

5. Nervous Breakdown (11/1/1949)
6. Assistant Manager (11/8/1949)
7. Riley's Birthday Gift (11/15/1949)
8. Riley, Gillis, And Vanderhopper, Inc. (11/22/1949)

(DISC 3)

9. Junior Falls For Teacher (11/29/1949)
10. Night School (12/6/1949)
11. Prom Dress (12/13/1949)
12. Junior's Birthday Party (12/20/1949)

(DISC 4)

13. The Boarder (12/27/1949)
14. Peg's Birthday (1/3/1949)
15. Junior Drops Out (1/10/1950)
16. Riley's Firstborn (1/17/1950)

(DISC 5)

17. Insurance (1/24/1950)
18. The Gambler (1/31/1950)
19. Acting Lessons (2/7/1950)
20. Valentine's Day (2/14/1950)

(DISC 6)

21. Home Sweet Home (2/21/1950)
22. South American Job (2/28/1950)
23. Riley's Quarrel (3/7/1950)
24. Junior and the Bully (3/14/1950)

(DISC 7)

25. The Banned Book (3/21/1950)
26. Five Dollar Bill (3/28/1950)

Chester A. Riley (William Bendix) was sort of an American everyman who worked at the Cunningham aircraft plant in California. He got into some really funny situations usually based on some crazy misunderstandings.When he would discover the mess he was in, he would utter the words that became the trademark of the show. "What a revoltin' development this is!" His attractive loving wife, Peg (Marjorie Reynolds), was the voice of reason in the family, and kept Riley from totally getting out of control. His son, Junior (Wesley Morgan), sometimes counteracted what his father said, which added to the comedy. Babs (Lugene Sanders), his daughter, tolerated but always loved her bumbling father, who always had the best intentions.
Jim Gillis (Tom D'Andrea), was Riley's best friend, his neighbor, and co-worker at the aircraft plant. His wife was Honeybee (Gloria Blondell), who at times could be outspoken. Their son was Egbert (Gregory Marshall). In the fall of 1955, Jim and Honeybee left the "Life of Riley". Tom D'Andrea was moving on to a new series with Hal March called "The Soldiers". So, the Rileys had new neighbors during 1955-56, Calvin and Belle Dudley (George O'Hanlon* and Florence Sundstrom). Then, Jim and Honeybee returned to the "Life of Riley" in 1956.
William Bendix created Riley for radio in 1943. He came back again as Riley in a television version (January 2, 1953-August 22, 1958)

January 2, 1953 - August 22, 1958

Cast Members:

William Bendix ................. Chester A. Riley
Marjorie Reynolds .............. Peg Riley
Wesley Morgan .................. Junior
Bob Sweeney .................... Dangle
Lugene Sanders ................. Babs Riley / Marshall
Douglas Dumbrille .............. Cunningham
Emory Parnell .................. Riley's boss
Sterling Holloway .............. Waldo Binney
Henry Kulky .................... Otto Schmidlap
Gloria Blondell ................ Honeybee Gillis
Tom D'Andrea ................... Jim Gillis
Gregory Marshall ............... Egbert Gillis

(DISC 8)

Riley Camps Out
Riley Steps Out
Riley's Operation
Riley,The Animal Lover

(DISC 9)

A Young Man's Fancy
The Hamburger Stand
Love Comes To Waldo
Babs Dream House

(DISC 10)

Riley's Burning Ambition
The Boss's Niece
Bab's School Election
Riley The Worrier

(DISC 11)

Junior's Secret
The dog Watch
Riley Teaches Junior Boxing
Junior's Double Date

(DISC 12)

Aloha Riley Goodbye
Two Timing Riley
Vacation Plans
Live Modern
Riley Camps Out
Candid Camera
Riley Buys Wrestler
Happy Birthday Little Chester
Bowling Beauties
Down For The Count

(DISC 13)

A House Divided
Return To Blue View
Bab's Dream House
A Watch For Gillis
Riley The Scout Master
Love Comes To Waldo Binney
Gruesome Twosome
Riley Balances The Budget

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