While the session did not yield significant results, Benchley did get writing credit for producing the title cards on the Raymond Griffith silent film You'd Be Surprised (released September 1926), and was invited to do some titling for two other films. He was a very poor one, unable to get statements from people quoted in other papers, and eventually had greater success covering lectures around the city. How to Sleep was named Best Short Subject at the 1935 Academy Awards, while the latter two shorts were not as well received. Benchley's contribution to the program, "The Treasurer's Report," featured Benchley as a nervous, disorganized man attempting to summarize an organization's yearly expenses. Occasionally he is referred to, in passing, as the grandfather of Peter Benchley, the author of ''Jaws.'' [42] His reviews were known for their flair, and he often used them as a soapbox for issues of concern to him, whether petty (people who cough during plays) or more important (such as racial intolerance). (According to legend, he submitted a magazine piece titled "I Like to Loaf" two weeks after deadline. His humor and style began to reveal themselves during this time: Benchley was often called upon to entertain his fraternity brothers, and his impressions of classmates and professors became very popular. The two were given a good deal of freedom, but Benchley's coverage of the war and focus on African-American regiments as well as provocative pictorials about lynching in the southern United States earned him and Gruening scrutiny from management. The Paris Review: "The Art of Fiction No. an art of which this department is justly proud. "[64], Benchley's characters were typically exaggerated representations of the common man. 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. He identifies no new sources for his biography and asks no new questions of the old ones. The situation was not positive for Benchley, as the studio "mishandled" him and kept Benchley too busy to complete his own work. [1][2] They were of Northern Irish (Protestant) and Welsh descent, respectively, both from colonial stock. The two were given a good deal of freedom, but Benchley's coverage of the war and focus on African-American regiments as well as provocative pictorials about lynching in the southern United States earned him and Gruening scrutiny from management. 10: James Thurber. [48], During the time that Benchley was filming various short films, he also began working at The New Yorker, which had started in February 1925 under the control of Benchley's friend Harold Ross. The revue was applauded by both spectators and fellow actors, with Benchley's performance receiving the biggest laughs. Amazon.com: The Best of Robert Benchley product listing. Mrs. Benchley apologized profoundly and tried hard to atone for the remark. [4], His father served in the Union army for two years during the Civil War and had a four-year hitch in the Navy before settling again in Worcester, marrying and working as a town clerk. [35] Sherwood, Parker, and Benchley became close, often having long lunches at the Algonquin Hotel. 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. [29], This freelancing attempt did not start out well, with Benchley selling just one piece to Vanity Fair and accumulating countless rejections in two months. Dave Barry, author, onetime humor writer for the Miami Herald, and judge of the 2006 and 2007 Robert Benchley Society Award for Humor,[80] has called Benchley his "idol"[81] and he "always wanted to write like [Benchley]. [37] He accepted and began work there in 1919.[38]. The New Yorker published an average of forty-eight Benchley columns per year during the early 1930s. Those were priceless memories. $(1901$) 18,301.' The only group not pleased was the Mellon Institute, who did not approve of the studio mocking their study. Benchley tackled issues ranging from careless reporting to European fascism,[54] and the publication flourished. URL accessed May 6, 2007. According to Mr. Altman, when the urn that was supposed to contain his ashes was delivered to the family burial plot in Nantucket, the undertaker discovered it was empty. PLEASE NOTE that the "Benchley home" on Nantucket pictured at the link above is not one Robert ever knew: it was purchased by Nathaniel in 1954 (and sold by Peter in 1999, or so); the only piece of property Robert ever owned on Nantucket is the plot at the Prospect Hill cemetery 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. At the age of 31, Benchley took his first alcoholic drink -- an orange blossom -- and was, Mr. Altman tells us, instantly transformed from a sober, faithful husband and provider into a hopeless alcoholic and serial adulterer. He still completed two shoots in one day (one of which was The Courtship of the Newt), but rested for a while following the 1937 schedule. [60] The early success of How to Sleep prompted MGM to rush two more short films featuring Benchley, How to Train a Dog, a spoof of dog-training techniques, and How to Behave, which lampooned etiquette norms. So are the two Benchley biographies, the first published by his son Nathaniel in 1955, the second by Babette Rosmond in 1970. The filming went by quickly, and though he was convinced he was not good, The Treasurer's Report was a financial and critical success upon its release in 1928. Bv, attended Fryeburg torey Chapel, Mount Auburn William P. Jackson, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. In unthinking, stunned reaction, Maria ("Jenny") Benchley cried out "Why couldn't it have been Robert?! They became engaged during his senior year at Harvard University, and they married in June 1914. We have The house is gone; the Benchleys [32] Benchley accepted, and began work there in 1919.[33]. founded it. In 1960 Benchley was posthumously inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Benchley was cast in minor roles for various romantic comedies, some shoots going better than others. From his beginnings at the Harvard Lampoon while attending Harvard University, through his many years writing essays and articles for Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, and his acclaimed short films, Benchley's style of humor brought him respect and success during his life, from New York City and his peers at the Algonquin Round Table to contemporaries in the burgeoning film industry. WebRobert Benchley was an actor who had a successful Hollywood career. The Benchley legend grew fast, fueled by stories constructed by him and his equally witty friends. with Deanna Durbin, noteworthy for a rare dramatic performance by Benchley. [15], Robert grew up and attended South High School in Worcester and was involved in academic and traveling theatrical productions during high school. People say the darnedest things on that boat, Rob responded, when I told him in an e-mail about the comment. He was Benchley dealt with diverse locales and topics such as Bright Candles, which recounts the experiences of a 16-year-old Danish boy during the German occupation of his country in World War II; and Small Wolf, a story about a Native American boy who meets white men on the island of Manhattan and learns that their ideas about land are different from those of his own people. The Art of Fiction No. I met an older fellow on the ferry going back to the mainland who is another real islander, and asked him if he knew the Benchleys. 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 Oh, yeah. 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. Robert Benchley was born on September 15, 1889, in Worcester, Massachusetts, the second son of Maria Jane (Moran) and Charles Henry Benchley. The resulting film, How to Sleep, was filmed in two days, and it featured Benchley as both the narrator and sleeperthe latter a role Benchley claimed was "not much of a strain, as [he] was in bed most of the time. (According to legend, he submitted a magazine piece titled I Like to Loaf two weeks after deadline. My partner, Nancy, and I didnt visit there this past weekend, in our time on Nantucket. Did he and Charles MacArthur really set Theodore Roosevelt's son's pants on fire while engaging him ''in a lengthy conversation concerning military protocol''? [35], At the Tribune, Benchley, along with new editor Ernest Gruening, was in charge of a twelve-page pictorial supplement titled the Tribune Graphic. [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. "[42], Following word of Benchley's resignation, freelance offers began piling up. They can get positively irate at the prospect that their summer homes and mansions on the bluffs will not last forever, that the Atlantic is reclaiming Nantucket fast enough to make everyone jittery. 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. "[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. Dolores Gregory, "'Benchley': Seeing a Famous Forebear Whole." While Benchley's pieces were bought by Vanity Fair from time to time, his consistent work dried up, and Benchley took a position with the New York Tribune. [88], Posthumously, Benchley's works continue to be released in books such as the 1983 Random House compilation The Best of Robert Benchley,[89] and the 2005 collection of short films Robert Benchley and the Knights of the Algonquin, which compiled many of Benchley's popular short films from his years at Paramount with other works from fellow humorists and writers Alexander Woollcott and Donald Ogden Stewart.[90]. WebRobert Benchley and Dorothy Parker were close friends and shared an office. Did Benchley, for example, really set sail for Europe ''with a suitcase filled entirely with assorted New York metropolitan area telephone directories''? [48] He continued meeting with his friends at the Algonquin, and the group became popularly known as the Algonquin Round Table. He served 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 ice hockey on United States fashion. On one of these, Benchley wrote out, in very small handwriting, an elaborate excuse involving a herd of elephants on 44th Street. [8] Nathaniel had talented sons as well: Peter Benchley was best known for the book Jaws (which inspired the film of the same name),[9] and Nat Benchley wrote and performed in an acclaimed one-man production based on Robert's life.[10]. [61], Benchley returned to the cinema in 1937, cast in the revue Broadway Melody of 1938 and in his largest role to that point, the critically panned Live, Love and Learn. Benchleys novel Welcome to Xanadu was made into the 1975 motion picture Sweet Hostage. [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. Proposed the following epitaph for his tombstone although it was not [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. [20], Along with his duties at the Lampoon, Benchley acted in a number of theatrical productions, including Hasty Pudding productions of The Crystal Gazer and Below Zero. The Benchley family was attending a public Fourth of July picnic when a bicycle messenger brought the notification telegram. with Deanna Durbin, noteworthy for a rare dramatic performance by Benchley. They had a marvelous friendship. Died: Luke Lea, 66, former U. S. s Wilmington, New Hanover, North Carolina, USA, Private Family Plot, Nantucket, Nantucket, MA, United States, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, 1791-1963, The MacLeay Chronicle (Kempsey, Nsw) - Nov 21 1945, The Wilmington Morning Star - Nov 25 1945. [70] 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. On this day in 1889 the American writer and humourist Robert Benchley was born. [6] Nathaniel became a writer himself, and penned a biography of his father in 1955[7] as well as becoming a well-respected children's book author. In 1917, the Tribune shut down the magazine, and Benchley was out of work again. As Life would say following his eventual resignation in 1929, "Mr. Benchley has left Dramatic Criticism for the Talking Movies". Tell us your phobias, and we'll tell you what you are afraid of. Benchley's humor was molded during his time at Harvard. The name Robert Benchley seldom appears by itself anymore. 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. [73], Topical, current-event style pieces written for Vanity Fair during the war did not lose their levity, either. Every boy should have a dog, for a dog teaches a boy three valuable A second son, Robert Benchley, Jr., was born in 1919. We should all be so lucky. 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. Nathaniel Benchley died in 1981 in Boston, Massachusetts and was interred in the family plot at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Nantucket. This experience was a poor one, as Brady was extremely difficult to work for, and Benchley resigned to became a publicity director for the federal government's Aircraft Board at the beginning of 1918. He worked constantly while claiming he was intensely lazy. Worn down, Benchley moved to his next commitment, an attempt at a talkie version of "The Treasurer's Report". One theory holds that Edmund's death in battle seeded pacifist leanings in his writings. May 2003. 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.). New York Times, January 25, 2004. 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. He was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor who is best remembered for his contributions to The New Yorker, where his essays, whether topical or absurdist, influenced many modern humorists. This worried Sherwood, as he felt it could jeopardize his forthcoming raise. He did especially well in his English and government classes. Father of Nathaniel Benchley and Robert Benchley, Jr. 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 Coming, The Russians Are Coming) and many young-adult books. Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile, Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile. Benchley kept these achievements in mind as he began to contemplate a career for himself after college. Benchley enrolled at Harvard University in 1908, again with Duryea's financial help. Visual Arts Center 24 Amelia Drive Telephone: 508 228 0722 Fax: 508 228 9700 Cecelia Joyce & Seward Johnson Gallery 19 Washington Street Telephone: 508 228 0294 Fax: 508 228 9700 Big Gallery "[24] While his public profile rose, Benchley continued with freelance work, which included his first paid piece for Vanity Fair in 1914, titled "Hints on Writing a Book,"[25][26] a parody of the non-fiction pieces then popular. third class in Bulgaria. A short that Benchley completed for MGM, A Night at the Movies, was Benchley's greatest success since How to Sleep: it was Oscar-nominated, and secured him a contract for more short films that would be produced in New York. In Milwaukee last month a man died laughing over one of his own jokes. As a post-graduate journalist, between frequent firings and Benchley was the protagonist in everything he wrote. In what the local press dubbed "the Chinese professor caper," Soong was played by a Chinese-American who had lived in the United States for over thirty years, and pretended to answer questions in Chinese while Benchley "translated. While he completed his years work, his condition continued to deteriorate, and Benchley died in a New York hospital on November 21, 1945. 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. The work on The Sport Parade caused Benchley to miss the fall theatre openings, which embarrassed him (even if the relative success of The Sport Parade was often credited to Benchley's role), but the lure of filmmaking did not disappear, since RKO offered him a writing and acting contract for the following year for more money than he was making writing for The New Yorker.[56]. Part of it was Benchleys. Gallery as well as at AAN. 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. WebAlthough by his own account Benchley was not quite a writer and not quite an actor, he managed to become one of the best-known humorists and comedians of his time. [46] Unfortunately for Benchley, however, his writing a syndicated column for David Lawrence drew the ire of his World bosses, and "Books and Other Things" was dropped. Son of Charles Henry Benchley and Maria Jane Benchley While some of his pieces would not have been out of place in a crackerbarrel-style presentation, Benchley's reliance on puns and wordplay resonated more with the literary humorists, as shown by his success with The New Yorker, known for the highbrow tastes of its readers. Benchley began at Vanity Fair with fellow Harvard Lampoon alumnus Robert Emmet Sherwood and future friend and collaborator Dorothy Parker, who had taken over theatre criticism from P. G. Wodehouse years earlier. [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. In what the local press dubbed "the Chinese professor caper", Soong was played by a Chinese-American who had lived in the United States for over thirty years, and pretended to answer questions in Chinese while Benchley "translated. WebRobert Benchley met Gertrude Darling in high school in Worcester. [8] References [ edit] Benchley's earliest roles were in film, including the romantic comedy "Rafter Romance" (1933) with Ginger (New York City: Athena Books, 1989. Although by his own account Benchley was not quite a writer and not His contract concluded with only four short films completed and no chance of signing another contract. He is mentioned, with Dorothy Parker and Alexander Woollcott, in lists of Algonquin Round Table members; and, with S. J. Perelman and James Thurber, as a New Yorker humorist. Some of Benchley's columns, featuring a character he created, were attributed to his pseudonym Brighton Perry, but he took credit for most of them himself. Benchley's humor inspired a number of later humorists and filmmakers. [2] Benchley reveled in the atmosphere at the Academy, and he remained active in creative extracurricular activities, thereby damaging his academic credentials toward the end of his term. He was invited to be theatre critic for The New Yorker in 1929, leaving Life, and contributions from Woollcott and Parker became regular features in the magazine. The format of Vanity Fair fit Benchley's style very well, allowing his columns to have a humorous tone, often as straight parodies. He was a close friend of actor Humphrey Bogart and wrote his biography in 1975. He took a position with Curtis shortly after he received his diploma. [68], Benchley's definition of humor was simple: "Anything that makes people laugh. "[78] Outsider filmmaker Sidney N. Laverents lists Benchley as an influence as well,[79] 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. [3] His brother Edmund was thirteen years older. "[77] Horace Digby claimed that, "[M]ore than anyone else, Robert Benchley influenced [his] early writing style. Artists Association of Nantucket [30], At the Tribune, Benchley, along with new editor Ernest Gruening, was in charge of a twelve-page pictorial supplement titled the Tribune Graphic. But now he has been an islander for a long In 1933, Benchley returned to Hollywood, completing the short films Your Technocracy and Mine for Universal Pictures, How to Break 90 at Croquet for RKO, and the lavish feature-length production China Seas for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, starring Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery, and Rosalind Russell; Benchley's character was slurring drunk throughout the movie. This character was apparent in Benchley's Ivy Oration during his Harvard graduation ceremonies,[66] and would appear throughout his career, such as during "The Treasurer's Report" in the 1920s[67] and his work in feature films in the 1930s. WebBorn Robert Charles Benchley in Worcester, Massachusetts. And that was the point of the trip, which made it a happy one in every way that it could be. career.) Word of it was published in Time by Alexander Woollcott, who was at a lunch with Benchley, Parker, and others. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Benchley re-entered Hollywood at the height of the Great Depression and the large-scale introduction of the talkie films he had begun working with years before. Humor style "[29] While his public profile rose, Benchley continued with freelance work, which included his first paid piece for Vanity Fair in 1914, titled "Hints on Writing a Book,"[30][31] a parody of the non-fiction pieces then popular. [18] In September 1913 he was hired by Curtis as a full-time staff member, preparing copy for its new house publication, Obiter Dicta. I hadnt really had any idea about the Benchley family tree. Edmund's death had a considerable effect upon Robert's life. [72] Even the longer, plot-driven shorts, such as Lesson Number One, Furnace Trouble, and Stewed, Fried and Boiled, show a Benchley character overmatched by seemingly mundane tasks. 2. Where was I? ISBN 080570048X). 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. Besides the cancellation of his radio show, Benchley learned that MGM did not plan to renew his contract, and The New Yorker, frustrated with Benchley's film career taking precedence over his theatre column, hired a new critic. [24] The first issue was roundly criticized by management, who felt it was "too technical, too scattering, and wholly lacking in punch. [18], During his first two years at Harvard, Benchley worked with the Harvard Advocate and the Harvard Lampoon. Perhaps it is just the fantasy of starving artists. This experience was a poor one, as Brady was extremely difficult to work for. 3 reviews Get A Copy Amazon Stores Published 1956 More Details Edit Details Reader Q&A To ask other readers questions about Robert Benchley , please sign up . Amazon.com: Robert Benchley, a biography product listing. . ISBN 0151975213). [3][7], Edmund's fiance Lillian Duryea, a wealthy heiress, doted on Robert for many years, and Edmund's death may have seeded the pacifist leanings seen in Robert's writing. [53], During the time that Benchley was filming various short films, he also began working at The New Yorker, which had started in February 1925 under the control of Benchley's friend Harold Ross. Brother of Lt. Edmund Benchley. Paris Review: `` the Treasurer 's Report '' applauded by both spectators and fellow,... University in 1908, again with Duryea 's financial help, Massachusetts and was interred the. 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