[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference thebay::joyoflex

Title:The Joy of Lex
Notice:A Notes File even your grammar could love
Moderator:THEBAY::SYSTEM
Created:Fri Feb 28 1986
Last Modified:Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1192
Total number of notes:42769

1172.0. ""Life of Riley" ??" by CHEFS::JEPSON_A (EntropyBuster) Mon Jul 08 1996 06:48

         
         Over the weekend someone used the phrase "living the life of
         Riley" to mean generally having a good time.
         
         I've heard the phrase many times before but this time paused
         to wonder who this person Riley was and what it was about
         him/her that causes us to associate good times with the name.
         
         Anybody know?
         
         Andy
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
1172.1DRDAN::KALIKOWMindSurf the World w/ AltaVista!Mon Jul 08 1996 07:334
    I've wondered the same thing.  I believe it was the title of a radio
    show popular in my parents' youth, sometime from 1925 thru 1950ish. 
    Not sure though.
    
1172.2SMURF::BINDERErrabit quicquid errare potest.Mon Jul 08 1996 08:034
    It was also a popular teevee show in the '50s, starring the inimitable
    William Bendix as Chester Riley.  It was one of the more memorable
    sitcoms, na�ve by today's standards but rather funnier than most of the
    trash that's churned out these days.
1172.3O'ReillyESSC::KMANNERINGSTue Jul 09 1996 08:597
    heard it as the life of O'Reilly, who may have been a rich Irishhman who
    lived the high life. Heard my uncle use it in the following dialogue
    once:
    
    Why don't you sell me that horse, you will never win a race with him?
    
    "Maybe not, but we will have an O'Reilly of a time trying." 
1172.4GIDDAY::BURTInteresting timesWed Jul 10 1996 17:514
Was Riley as "happy as Larry"?


#C
1172.5CHEFS::JEPSON_AEntropyBusterFri Jul 12 1996 05:566
    What was it about Chester Riley's life or lifestyle that made it so
    wonderful? Can anyone remember the plot/storyline/concept etc. etc.
    
    .. and as for Larry ... ?
    
    Andy
1172.6SMURF::BINDERErrabit quicquid errare potest.Fri Jul 12 1996 10:004
    Re .5
    
    Think Home Improvement.  Nothing Riley did ever worked right.  The
    title of the series was applied ironically.