Prior to Jackie Gleason's casting, a pilot starring Lon Chaney, Jr. as Riley was shot but never sold.
William Bendix was originally supposed to play Chester Riley, reprising his role from the radio series. But because Bendix was committed to the film The Life of Riley (1949) he was unable to star in the series. He later starred in the revived series The Life of Riley (1953).
The series was canceled after 26 episodes because the show's sponsor, Pabst Beer, decided to put more money into Pabst Blue Ribbon Bouts (1948) instead of continuing to sponsor this series for a full 39 episode season. Pabst offered producer Irving Brecher a six-episode renewal but he turned it down.
The Life of Riley was Jackie Gleason's first TV show.
The Life of Riley was the very first sitcom to ever win an Emmy Award. The other two nominees that it beat were, The Silver Theatre (1949) and The Lone Ranger (1949).
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