[78] Even the more stereotypical characters held these qualities, such as the incapable sportscaster Benchley played in The Sport Parade.[79]. It is Rob III and Carol, though, who have made their mark on Nantucket island as much or more so than any of the clan, and not really because Rob is an extraordinary photographer for the local papers and sometimes for the Boston Globe. "[83] Outsider filmmaker Sidney N. Laverents lists Benchley as an influence as well,[84] and James Thurber used Benchley as a reference point, citing Benchley's penchant for presenting "the commonplace as remarkable" in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. [65] This character, labeled the "Little Man" and in some ways similar to many of Mark Twain's protagonists, was based on Benchley himself; the character did not persist in Benchley's writing past the early 1930s, but survived in his speaking and acting roles. third class in Bulgaria. Eventually, he began lobbying gently for Robert Benchley to compile his columns into book form, and in 1922 was delighted with the result of his nagging. Husband of Gertrude Benchley Owing to an academic failure in his senior year due to an illness,[22] Benchley would not receive his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard until the completion of his credits in 1913. [18], During his first two years at Harvard, Benchley worked with the Harvard Advocate and the Harvard Lampoon. That's what makes it so tough for us outsiders: we have to fight home Rob is a real icon on the island.. The Lampoon position opened a number of other doors for Benchley, and he was quickly nominated to the Signet Society meeting club as well as becoming the only undergraduate member of the Boston Papyrus Club at the time. His arrival put him on the scene of a number of productions almost instantly. [7] The film was included in the compilation Robert Benchley and the Knights of the Algonquin. [77] The longer, plot-driven shorts, such as Lesson Number One, Furnace Trouble, and Stewed, Fried and Boiled, likewise show a Benchley character overmatched by seemingly mundane tasks. Charles Townsend Copeland, an English professor, recommended that Benchley go into writing, and Benchley and future Benchley illustrator Gluyas Williams from the Lampoon considered going into freelance work writing and illustrating theatrical reviews. We should all be so lucky. Part of it was boutiques. In 1917, the Tribune shut down the magazine, and Benchley was out of work again. About Robert Charles Benchley He was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor who is best remembered for his [49] In April 1920, Benchley landed a position with Life writing theatre reviews, which he would continue doing regularly through 1929, eventually taking complete control of the drama section. The Algonquin Round Table was a group of New York City writers and actors who met regularly between 1919 and 1929 at the Algonquin Hotel. [33], Benchley filled in for P. G. Wodehouse at Vanity Fair at the beginning of 1916, reviewing theatre in New York. The British edition of the book carried a Leacock introduction, and Benchley, for his part in a tribute to Leacock later said he read everything Leacock ever wrote. As Life would say following his eventual resignation in 1929, "Mr. Benchley has left Dramatic Criticism for the Talking Movies". After brief stints at The New York Tribune and Vanity Fair, where he began taking long lunches at the Algonquin with his colleagues Dorothy Parker and Robert Sherwood, Benchley became a full-time theater critic for Life magazine and, in 1929, for The New Yorker. While his skills as an orator were already known by classmates and friends, it was not until his work at the Lampoon that his style formed. [23] In September, he was hired by Curtis as a full-time staff member, preparing copy for its new house publication, Obiter Dicta. His younger son, Nat Benchley, is a writer and actor who has portrayed his grandfather, Robert Benchley, in a one-man, semi-biographical stage show, Benchley Despite Himself. "), and his common man observations often veered into angry rants, such as his piece "The Average Voter," where the namesake of the piece "[F]orgets what the paper saidso votes straight Republicrat ticket. People say the darnedest things on that boat, Rob responded, when I told him in an e-mail about the comment. Did Benchley, for example, really set sail for Europe ''with a suitcase filled entirely with assorted New York metropolitan area telephone directories''? The house is gone; the Benchleys In Milwaukee last month a man died laughing over one of his own jokes. Also, Benchley appeared as himself in Walt Disney's behind the scenes film, The Reluctant Dragon (1941). "[82] Horace Digby claimed that, "[M]ore than anyone else, Robert Benchley influenced [his] early writing style. 1. Robert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 November 21, 1945) was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor. That is as far as I got. Gallery as well as at AAN. URL accessed May 19, 2007. Among his more self-deprecating bons mots: It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldnt give it up because by that time I was too famous.. [21], Benchley did copy work for the Curtis Company during the summer following graduation, while doing other odd service jobs, such as translating French catalogs for the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. The New Yorker published an average of forty-eight Benchley columns per year during the early 1930s. Much of his time in the films was spent spoofing himself,[76] whether it was the affected nervousness of the treasurer in The Treasurer's Report or the discomfort in explaining The Sex Life of the Polyp to a women's club. is buried in the family plot on Nantucket. Benchley was the highly-respected author of many childrens/juvenile books that provided learning for the youthful readers with stories of various animals or through the books historical settings. [1][2] They were of Northern Irish (Protestant) and Welsh descent, respectively, both from colonial stock. But now he has been an islander for a long [21] He also held the position of for the Pudding in 1912. Select this result to view Robert Steven Benchley's phone number, address, and more. Babette Rosmond, Robert Benchley: His Life and Good Times. [9], Robert Benchley met Gertrude Darling in high school in Worcester. An often overlooked influence upon Benchley's early professional career was the admiration and friendship of the Canadian economist, academic, and humorist Dr. Stephen Leacock. [40] The column, titled "Books and Other Things," ran for one year and roved beyond literature to mundane topics such as Bricklaying in Modern Practice. WebRobert Benchley AKA Robert Charles Benchley Born: 15-Sep - 1889 Birthplace: Worcester, MA Died: 21-Nov - 1945 Location of death: New York City Cause of death: Cerebral Hemorrhage Remains: Buried, Prospect Hill Cemetery, Nantucket, MA Gender: Male Race or Ethnicity: White Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Author, Screenwriter But now he has been an islander for a long time. Benchley's repertoire for the rest of his life. As a post-graduate journalist, between frequent firings and al. 'Benchley': Seeing a Famous Forebear Whole. Nancy and I talked all the way home about how we, too, might live on the island perhaps wintering there, housesitting for the entitled while plying our crafts. "[43]) He was offered $200 per basic subject article for The Home Sector,[44] and a weekly freelance salary from New York World to write a book review column three times per week for the same salary he received at Vanity Fair. [50], With the emergence of The New Yorker, Benchley was able to stay away from Hollywood work for a number of years. Unfortunately, the story he tells, though not much different from the one Nathaniel Benchley gave us 40 years ago, is blander and less witty. Benjis Boutique, a new place on Easy Street, took all of her scarves and wants more, besides. A second son, Robert Benchley, Jr., was born in 1919. While he lived, Benchley was close to omnipresent -- in print, on film and on radio. Robert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 November 21, 1945) was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor. His experience there was not much better, and when an opportunity was offered to return to the Tribune under new editorial management, Benchley took it. He worked constantly while claiming he was intensely lazy. WebRobert Benchley. Where was I? (New York City, Twayne Publishers, 1968. The character is often befuddled by many of the actions of society and is often neurotic in a "different" way the character in How to Watch Football, for instance, finds it sensible for a normal fan to forgo the live experience and read the recap in the local papers. Worn down, Benchley moved to his next commitment, an attempt at a talkie version of "The Treasurer's Report". The Writer: Dave Barry. [52], Benchley was also hired to help with the book for a George Gershwin musical, Smarty, starring Fred Astaire Benchley's name and Fred Thompsons were listed as the book writers on the sheet music issued during the tryout period. WebRobert Benchley's son Nathaniel Benchley wrote the novel and screenplay for Jaws, and also contributed essays to American Heritage about Nantucket and the purchase of Manhattan for $24. . $(1901$) 18,301.' [2] Robert Benchley was born on September 15, 1889 in Worcester, Massachusetts, to Charles and Maria Benchley.[3]. His explanatory note: "I was loafing. While on that first visit dad scouted around, found a dilapidated duplex not far from the ocean at Surfside and tracked down the local realtor. [35], At the Tribune, Benchley, along with new editor Ernest Gruening, was in charge of a twelve-page pictorial supplement titled the Tribune Graphic. How to Sleep was named Best Short Subject at the 1935 Academy Awards, while the latter two shorts were not as well received. This experience was not as positive, and most of Benchley's contributions were excised and the final product, Funny Face, did not have Benchley's name attached. (Ironically, when younger, he had been an adamant teetotaler.) Oh, yeah. Benchley participated in two more films that year: a second talking film he wrote, The Sex Life of the Polyp, and a third starring but not written by him, The Spellbinder, all made in the Fox Movietone sound-on-film system and released by Fox Films. List of Robert Benchley collections and film appearances, Robert Benchley and the Knights of the Algonquin. Norris W. Yates, Robert Benchley. From Toronto Leacock closely followed the increasing body of Benchley's published humor and wit, and opened correspondence between them. [32], Benchley started at the Tribune as a reporter. Following the printing of two books of his old New Yorker columns, Benchley gave up writing for good in 1943, signing one more contract with Paramount in December of that year.[65]. The liberty gave his work new life, and the success of his pieces in the magazine convinced his editors to give him a signed byline column in the Tribune proper. Connect to the World Family Tree to find out, "Then, after dinner or supper or the Hv, "WHAT I DON'T KNOW ABOUT WILSON AND HUGHES Bv, that my voice changed about twelve years ago, MEGG AND ILK, By, "HOW MANY MILES DO YOU WALK AT LUNCH? Brother of Lt. Edmund Benchley. It was not well received, and it was removed from the schedule. speaker. Benchley was cast in minor roles for various romantic comedies, some shoots going better than others. [54], This was followed in 1936 by How to be a Detective. Traveling with children corresponds roughly to traveling According to Mr. Altman, when the urn that was supposed to contain his ashes was Benchley is best remembered for his contributions to The New Yorker, where his essays, whether topical or absurdist, influenced many modern humorists. '', See the article in its original context from. The liberty gave his work new life, and the success of his pieces in the magazine convinced his editors to give him a signed byline column in the Tribune proper. (New York City: Harcourt Brace, 1977. with Deanna Durbin, noteworthy for a rare dramatic performance by Benchley. I enjoyed this article, thank you. [19] The first issue was roundly criticized by management, who felt it was "too technical, too scattering, and wholly lacking in punch. Following the printing of two books of his old New Yorker columns, Benchley gave up writing for good in 1943, signing one more contract with Paramount in December of that year.[60]. When the editorial managers went on a European trip, the three took advantage of the situation, writing articles mocking the local theatre establishment and offering parodic commentary on a variety of topics, such as the effect of Canadian hockey on United States fashion. An often overlooked influence upon Benchley's early professional career was the admiration and friendship of the Canadian economist, academic, and humorist Dr. Stephen Leacock. [46], Benchley had continued to receive positive responses from his performing, and in 1925 he accepted a standing invitation from film producer Jesse L. Lasky for a six-week term writing screenplays at $500. Most of them were adapted from his old essays ("Take the Witness!," with Benchley fantasizing about conquering a tough cross-examination, was filmed as The Witness; "The Real Public Enemies," showing the criminal tendencies of sinister household objects, was filmed as Crime Control, etc.). [62], Benchley's return yielded two more short films, and his high-profile prompted negotiations for sponsorship of a Benchley radio program and numerous appearances on television shows, including the first television entertainment program ever broadcast, an untitled test program using an experimental antenna on the Empire State Building. Matt Haber, "A One-Man Band Who Created an Oeuvre." He sold it to my Aunt Helen for the price that he had paid. Anyone can read what you share. May 2003. [13] Nathaniel married and also had talented sons who became writers: Peter Benchley was best known for the book Jaws (which was adapted as the film of the same name),[14] and Nat Benchley wrote and performed in an acclaimed one-man production based on their grandfather Robert's life. Some of Benchley's columns, featuring a character he created, were attributed to his pseudonym Brighton Perry, but most were attributed to Benchley himself. His re-entry into public speaking followed the annual HarvardYale football game in 1914, where he presented a practical joke involving "Professor Soong" giving a question-and-answer session on football in Chinese. The Washington Post, February 18, 2003. They became engaged during his senior year at Harvard University, and they married in June 1914. Initially consisting of Benchley, Dorothy Parker, and Alexander Woollcott during their time at Vanity Fair, the group eventually expanded to over a dozen regular members of the New York media and entertainment, such as playwrights George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly, actor Harpo Marx, and journalist/critic Heywood Broun, who gained prominence due to his positions during the Sacco and Vanzetti trial. They were designed to create a contrast between himself and the masses; the character is often befuddled by society and is often neurotic in a "different" waythe character in How to Watch Football, for instance, finds it sensible for a normal fan to forgo the live experience and read the recap in the local papers. WebRobert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 November 21, 1945) was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor. In his review of ''Hurricane'' from 1924, he describes in detail how he slept ''during annunciation and denunciation scenes . Initially consisting of Benchley, Dorothy Parker, and Alexander Woollcott during their time at Vanity Fair, the group eventually expanded to over a dozen regular members of the New York media and entertainment, such as playwrights George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly and journalist/critic Heywood Broun, who gained prominence due to his positions during the Sacco and Vanzetti trial. 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