The longest running and most popular Life of Riley starred William Bendix as Chester A. Riley, but the show has an intriguing history. It started as a popular 1940's radio sitcom with, would you believe, Groucho Marx as Reilly (from the Irish James Reilly lore). In 1949 it was was adapted into a 1949 big screener. That same year, it was brought to the small (10" in those days) screen with none other than Jackie Gleason playing Riley, Rosemary De Camp was wife Peg. The ratings naught, Gleason not happy, CBS dropped the series. In 1953, Abby Berlin produced the more successful version with Bendix at the helm, Marjorie Reynolds was a sterner (and better playoff to hubbie) Peg, Lugene Sanders the cute but kinda sexy daughter, leggy Babs, Wesley Morgan as the "gee dad" younger brother and Tom D'andrea (for most years) as the scheming buddy, coworker, next door neighbor Gillis. With the Andersons and the Cleavers headed by white collar patriots, Riley, before Archie, was the blue collar dad. Most endeared: Bendix, as Riley, would mug into the camera with either It's a losin' fight or What a revoltin' development this is. Gulf Oil footed the bill so long as Chester would help out at a Gulf station in Summit, New Jersey (TV ad filming locale).

WATCH WILLIAM BENDIX IN
THE LIFE OF RILEY





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