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The Life of Riley

  • TV Series
  • 1953–19581953–1958
  • 30m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
392
YOUR RATING
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
William Bendix, Wesley Morgan, Marjorie Reynolds, and Lugene Sanders in The Life of Riley (1953)
  • Comedy
Riley worked in an aircraft plant in California, but viewers usually saw him at home, cheerfully disrupting life with his malapropisms and ill timed intervention into minor problems. His sto... Read allRiley worked in an aircraft plant in California, but viewers usually saw him at home, cheerfully disrupting life with his malapropisms and ill timed intervention into minor problems. His stock answer to every turn of fate became a catch phrase: 'What a revoltin' development this ... Read allRiley worked in an aircraft plant in California, but viewers usually saw him at home, cheerfully disrupting life with his malapropisms and ill timed intervention into minor problems. His stock answer to every turn of fate became a catch phrase: 'What a revoltin' development this is!"
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
392
YOUR RATING
  • Stars
    • William Bendix
    • Marjorie Reynolds
    • Wesley Morgan
Top credits
  • Stars
    • William Bendix
    • Marjorie Reynolds
    • Wesley Morgan
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 6User reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Episodes219

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    William Bendix and Marjorie Reynolds in The Life of Riley (1953)
    William Bendix, Wesley Morgan, Marjorie Reynolds, and Lugene Sanders in The Life of Riley (1953)
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    Top cast

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    William Bendix
    William Bendix
    • Chester A. Rileyas Chester A. Riley…
    219 episodes219 eps • 1953–1958
    Marjorie Reynolds
    Marjorie Reynolds
    • Peg Rileyas Peg Riley…
    219 episodes219 eps • 1953–1958
    Wesley Morgan
    • Junior Rileyas Junior Riley…
    190 episodes190 eps • 1953–1958
    Tom D'Andrea
    Tom D'Andrea
    • Jim Gillisas Jim Gillis…
    166 episodes166 eps • 1953–1958
    Lugene Sanders
    Lugene Sanders
    • Babs Rileyas Babs Riley…
    140 episodes140 eps • 1953–1958
    Gloria Blondell
    Gloria Blondell
    • Honeybeeas Honeybee…
    78 episodes78 eps • 1953–1958
    Henry Kulky
    Henry Kulky
    • Otto Schmidlapas Otto Schmidlap…
    45 episodes45 eps • 1953–1958
    Emory Parnell
    Emory Parnell
    • Hawkinsas Hawkins…
    25 episodes25 eps • 1953–1958
    George O'Hanlon
    George O'Hanlon
    • Calvin Dudleyas Calvin Dudley…
    23 episodes23 eps • 1954–1958
    Sterling Holloway
    Sterling Holloway
    • Waldoas Waldo…
    21 episodes21 eps • 1953–1957
    Florence Sundstrom
    • Belleas Belle…
    16 episodes16 eps • 1954–1956
    Martin Milner
    Martin Milner
    • Donas Don…
    9 episodes9 eps • 1953–1957
    Gregory Marshall
    • Egbert Gillisas Egbert Gillis…
    9 episodes9 eps • 1953–1958
    Douglass Dumbrille
    Douglass Dumbrille
    • Cunninghamas Cunningham
    8 episodes8 eps • 1953–1957
    Herb Vigran
    Herb Vigran
    • Muleyas Muley…
    6 episodes6 eps • 1953–1956
    Joe Flynn
    Joe Flynn
    • Jenkinsas Jenkins…
    6 episodes6 eps • 1956–1958
    Lorraine Bendix
    • Annas Ann…
    5 episodes5 eps • 1957–1958
    Isabel Withers
    Isabel Withers
    • Lornaas Lorna…
    4 episodes4 eps • 1956–1958
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The Life of Riley started as a radio program starring William Bendix on the Blue Network (ABC) from January 16, 1944 to June 8, 1945 later moving to NBC from September 8, 1945 to June 29, 1951.
    • Connections
      Follows The Life of Riley (1948)

    User reviews6

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    "What a revoltin' development this is."
    Viewers of this classic comedy were guaranteed to hear that immortal line when any of Chester A. Riley's schemes had gone astray which they inevitably did.

    Bill Bendix created The Life of Riley on radio where Riley became the originator of all those father is an idiot family situation comedies. Riley's phenomenal success on radio gave Bendix stardom and placed him a cut above other fine character actors in films and right into the same money making area as some of the screen's leading men.

    I remember this show on television and television in its infancy took a lot of its original programming ideas from radio. As a kid I loved to see lovable, bumbling Riley with all these schemes constantly screwing up and yet his family was there for him no matter what.

    What I didn't appreciate then was this TV series had an incredible

    array of some of the finest character actors ever to grace the small screen. Any film that would have the likes of Tom D'Andrea, Sterling Holloway, Henry Kulky, Emory Parnell, and Douglass Dumbrille we would consider a classic. All these appeared semi-regularly on The Life of Riley.

    We would have to wait 40 years until Burt Reynolds' Evening Shade debuted to have such a company of talent under one roof.

    Chester A. Riley, native Brooklynite, transplanted Californian, chaser of the American dream, blue collar hero and family man extraordinaire, we salute you.
    helpful•32
    2
    • bkoganbing
    • May 16, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 2, 1953 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Viviendo con Riley
    • Filming locations
      • Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Hal Roach Studios
      • National Broadcasting Company (NBC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      30 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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