There was a phrase popular with grown-ups when I was a child, way back when people kept dinosaurs as pets -- Living the Life of Riley.
My stepdaughter and I had a conversation recently about people having easy lives when I that phrase popped into my head and I told her, "they're Living the Life of Riley."
You should have seen the surprised look on her face! She had no idea what I was talking about, and had never heard of the phrase.
When used like that, "Living the Life of Riley" means the person has an easy life, with either plenty of his/her own money to spend, or of somebody who mooches off of others and does nothing to support him/herself. (See here or there.)
And it has a second meaning, of a person who means well but messes things up, as in an old TV program. Read below to find out more. This makes me feel so old!
The conversation with my stepdaughter got me curious as to origins of this very old (nearly 70 years old) television show from the early days of black-and-white broadcasting. I remember seeing the Life of Riley when I was a child, reruns no doubt since the program ended in 1958. I don't remember anything from my earliest days until about second grade, which came after that year.
In the television program, as I recall, Riley was a Fred Flintstone- or Married with Children-type of guy, with interesting characters for his family. Every week he'd get into trouble of some sort or another. Riley would be rescued by his pal, whose name I don't remember. (The link above explains more.) Of course, it was funny and the guy had an interesting accent, as I recall.
According to Wikipedia there was a movie by that name in the late 1940s, and before and after the movie there was a popular radio program and with a similar plot, in the days before television became so popular. (Here is a link to purchase a DVD with some of the programs and a brief history.)
I find trips down memory lane fascinating. If you go back in time (decades, actually) you'll find out about Mergatroid. Not only is it my name for the neighbor's cat (which the neighbors call "Peanuts") but scroll down a ways and you'll find out more!
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(Note on using William Bendix's photo: It follows Wikipedia's "fair use" policy.)