Tin Pan Alley, Shmin Pan Alley. My cat’s name is Riley. I figure she sleeps, what, eighteen or nineteen hours out of the twenty-four, and spends the rest lurking, playing, eating, getting petted and bullying the [ten times larger] dog. Sounds pretty plush to me.
By the way, “The Life of Riley” was originally a radio show in the 40’s, starring William Bendix. In 1949, a TV version was made for one season, starring Jackie Gleason. (When the show was cancelled, the sponsor remarked that Gleason “[had] no future in television.”) Then a second version was done, this time starring William Bendix.
John W. Kennedy
“Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.”
– Charles Williams
Sigh. And the link to the column is: What’s the origin of “life of Riley?”
Please, it will help others if the Original Poster(OP in the parlance) would post the link to the topic under consideration… ? Thanks for your cooperation.
[Note: This message has been edited by CKDextHavn]
I’m Irish, so I can do this:
JAMES: Patty, it’s good to see you again! But you look so blue; what’s up?
PATTY: Oh, James, it’s been blessed! For the last month I’ve been living the life of Riley! Expensive sports cars, fancy vacation place in the Bahamas, buying drinks for beautiful women …
JAMES: Really? So what happened, then?
PATTY: Riley cancelled his credit cards.
Well, my life has its moments. Just don’t misspell my last name again.
Doghouse Reilly
Why must I feel like that/Why must I chase the cat?/Nothin’ but the dog in me.–George Clinton
[screen name reference in-joke] Doghouse: Lower your glasses, raise the brim of your hat, walk into the bookstore, and don’t speak with a lisp. [/in-joke]
Doghouse, were you planning on that rain intermission when you went into that Chandler’s shop? I once had an erratic experience inside a book shop my self.
“Pardon me while I have a strange interlude.”-Marx
Uh oh, I just reilized I may not be speaking with proper authority. Seein as how it is Dex inside the board, I shoulda checked my library before I cracked wise and tried to hammet up. But I think I posted with the right rayson. Dashit all I can’t remember. I guess I should get more sleep, fairwell.
( Golf balls for buttons?)
“Pardon me while I have a strange interlude.”-Marx
Mr. John:
That was about my least erratic experience of the whole day. At least I got some nice pictures out of the deal.
Yours,
Doghouse Reilly
Exits, pursued by a bear
: *Living on my Reillys, Rileys,etc
: : : Back when the Rileys were top of the pile, a family coat of arms used
: : : to mean something --like a logo supposedly for genetic material. It
: : : can be viewed as an abstract representation of a double helix. But
: : : when yours is a severed orange hand dripping blood the impression
: : : sure wasn’t romantic. In Ireland severed hands were an emblematic
: : : dime a dozen. Them Celts knew the shock value of body parts.
: : : However, ours, if I can claim such lineage, had a great story
: : : attached to it. …
[ SNIP ]
: : : Dave Riley
from http://phrases.shu.ac.uk/bulletin_board/17/messages/404.html
Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Board, witchseavey, glad to have you with us.
I have edited down your quote. FYI, it is against our policy to permit a full article to be copied and posted on our website. Besides being a violation of common courtesy to the author, such practices are potentially copyright infringement. We don’t like it when someone copies one of our articles, and we try to be diligent about preventing anyone from such wholesale quotes on our boards.
You have provided the link so that anyone interested can read it.
“Barlett’s Quotations” provides a seeming use of the idea, if not the term, “the life of Riley” in the 1780’s.