The Life of Reilly

I just had the opportunity to catch this at the 2007 Madison Film Festival and thought it was such a wonderful film; equally entertaining, touching, and funny. The content of this film, which is Mr. Reilly's stage show that recaps his life and work, is absolutely fantastic. Equally important was the editing and capturing of his performance, where I felt the impact and intimacy of a live show.

Thanks for sharing your wonderful life, Mr. Reilly! And for all the lifetime of laughs, even if you want to forget about the TV material. Thanks to the film makers that brought this performance to a wider audience.

I can't recommend this enough and look forward to its release on DVD, so I can share it with my friends.

While watching his performance, I realized that performers of his caliber just don't grace the screen anymore. A thought that is quite depressing.

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 saw this at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan.

As the film opens, some people on the street are asked if they know who Charles Nelson Reilly is. Several of them say they've heard his name but don't really know him. Well, before seeing this film, I feel into that category. I didn't even realize until right before seeing the film that he has recently passed away.

The movie was very entertaining. I hadn't heard of the stage production, so I didn't know that the movie was a filming of his one man show. But I really enjoyed it. Charles Nelson Reilly was quite the character. He was funny and witty and never worried about making fun of himself. In the film, Charles mostly talked about his childhood and how he started out in the entertainment business. There were a lot of great stories and some inside jokes. I liked whenever he talked about a new person from his family or someone close to him that he would cast a famous person to play the part.

This film was a lot of fun and I really got to know who the real Charles Nelson Reilly was. It's sad that he's gone, but he lived a long life and the film seems to show that he enjoyed every bit of it. And he gave an excellent finale.

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 could, by far, be the best stage show I have seen! I am surprised that I did not discover this film earlier and I wish I had seen it live. It makes one laugh and cry. I didn't know Charles Nelson Reilly's humor and talent was so grand until I saw this film. He was a superb storyteller. Everyone should see this film. Reilly and his family had more than a few eyeopening and extraordinary experiences. I've watched it several times and purchased the DVD so I can watch it again with friends and family. It's one of those films you want to share. This film makes me wish I had kept a diary of my own so I could share my own family history. Everyone should see this film!