The late Charles Nelson Reilly stars as himself in "Life of Reilly."

Don't laugh. Charles Nelson Reilly, best known as the go-to guy for campy zingers on 1970s game shows, was much more than that. Reilly, who died in May, was also a serious actor, a revered acting teacher and a respected director, as well as a classic American success story.

You can learn all about him from "The Life of Reilly," Frank L. Anderson and Barry Poltermann's engaging documentary of Reilly's fabulous one-man show. Recounting growing up in the Bronx with a family that was one part "You Can't Take It With You" and one part Eugene O'Neill, Reilly takes his audience on a hilarious and poignant tour of the life of an artist, from mentors who believed in him to executives who said they didn't cast "queers."

In this filming of the stage performance, he doesn't give in to bitterness, but allows himself a few catty asides. The most memorable moments find Reilly at his most expansive, such as when he remembers his bigoted Lutheran mother ordering him to squelch his adolescent curiosity and "save it for the stage." Thank goodness he did; "The Life of Reilly" pays fitting homage to a man who deserves to be remembered for much more than just trading double-!entendres with Brett Somers on "The Match Game."

Ann Hornaday / The Washington Post