The Life of Reilly

Well, it is the end of May 2007 and Mr. Charles Nelson Reilly has recently died. I just learned of it today and, while I know it's silly, I've been sitting here at work getting teary-eyed. Sure, as a kid I knew him only from The Match Game, but when I saw "Life of Reilly (Save It for the Stage)" last fall I understood at last what a fascinating person and enormous heart lay behind the outrageous public persona. And, finally, it seems that even the game-show Charles Nelson Reilly was not really ever a mere persona, that he was never anyone but who he was, histrionic and unapologetic and, if you took the trouble to look, enormously dignified. The movie shows both the man and the artist, a veteran stage actor whose craft at storytelling never ebbed, even as his final years slowed him down physically.

As it happens, I ran across the "Jose Chung" episode of the X-Files, with Mr. Reilly in the title role, last week, just before he passed. That long, serialized interview scene with Gillian Anderson's Dana Scully is just a delight; I think you can see the fun Ms. Anderson is having playing off him. And it surely contains some of the series' best comic writing.

*Sigh.* Mr. Reilly, I shall miss you greatly.

This film consists of the actor, Charles Nelson Reilly, doing a stand-up act where he talks about his life, his family and his experiences. I had assumed based on the Reilly I'd seen on TV that it would be funny. And, while there are definitely funny parts, there are as many, if not more, painful parts. Apparently, he grew up in a strange and emotionally abusive home--and although he doesn't say it, you wonder if he chose acting as a way of dissociating from this. At first, he talks slow and shows his age. But, through the course of this talk to a college audience, he becomes more animated and at ease. And, at times, he seemed amazingly young and spry--bouncing about the stage with a lot more vigor than you'd expect from a man in his mid-70s. Throughout all this, he's amazingly engaging and you can't help but sit spellbound. In many ways, it reminds me of a similar film with John Waters called "This Filthy World"--and both are nice opportunities to see these men and gaze into who they really are--or at least who they want you to see. Well worth seeing even if you aren't a fan of Reilly. After seeing it, you may well be.

Also, for kicks, go to YouTube and type in "Weird Al CNR" and watch the video. It's all about the massively manly exploits of Charles Nelson Reilly and it's hilarious.

Just watched the unedited three hour version of The Life of Reilly filmed in San Francisco in 2001. This is a two DVD set that is superb quality and crystal clear. It appears that the filming is authorized as CNR sees everything from the stage, throwing barbs at the audience now and again and would unquestionably have commented on the filming had it been done without his permission. Not having seen the version shown in theaters I have to assume that this is the complete show as opposed to the mini-documentary which most of the posters on this site are referring to. This is a brilliantly funny one-man show, witty and dramatic, funny and tragic in the telling of stories from Nelson Reilly's life and career. His performance covers a huge range of subjects and his delivery is masterful. Strange to believe that his talents will essentially be remembered only for his contribution to Match Game.

A one-man show that is both touching and very, very funny. For anyone who knows anything about show business from way back when - and I'm talking about the great Vaudeville stars of the 20's and 30's, this is a nostalgic mind-blower. When Nelson Reilly talks about his family, describing them as "portrayed by" Burt Lancaster or Shirley Booth or any one of a multitude of movie stars from the 40's and 50's, the result is hysterical. What a wonderful memorial to a talented and loving personality.

I knew who Charles Nelson Reilly was from the old game shows on TV when I was a kid. This movie is pretty much a film of his stage act (I didn't know he had one). The guy lived an incredible life and if he were to read this he would stress that he "STILL IS LIVING an incredible life." This is a great stage act brought to the screen and it has a real neat feel to it. The camera angles and editing add to this man's story telling. It is a very unique movie and I can't recommend it enough. I saw it down at the SWX film festival and everybody was raving about it. I think you walk into the movie with low expectations (who really wants to see an older man from cheesy game shows in a one-man stage show talk about his life?!) but the movie grabs you.

This is a unique movie as it is the last performance Charles Nelson Reilly ever did of his one man show. To watch him tell his stories is to see a master weave his craft into words that keep you consistently engrossed by what he has to tell.

CNR's life is fascinating. There is much more to him than most people will ever know. For years you just knew him as the guy on match game, and that funny guy on the Lucy episode, or wasn't he on ghost and Mrs Muir? Something about him in all of those things stuck out enough for people to remember him. The man is an amazing performer, and his words are rich in with the history of Broadway, Hollywood and his personal life.

This film needs to be released on DVD or somehow the gameshow network needs to make a deal with the film maker and show it on the gameshow network, or release it with one of the DVD sets! People need to see it!