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Up there with Dorothy Parker, et. [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. [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]. 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. WebDirector Robert Benchley Robert Benchley Writer (Uncredited) Jack Chertok Producer Harry Rapf Executive Producer Film Details Genre Short Comedy Release Date 1935 Production Company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. Distribution Company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. Technical Specs Duration 10m [17] He joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity in his first year, and continued to partake in the camaraderie that he had enjoyed at Phillips Exeter while still doing well in school. ISBN 080570048X). He wrote brilliantly and hilariously for The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, won an Oscar and, by all accounts, acquitted himself with distinction at the Algonquin in New York. That's what makes it so tough for us outsiders: we have to fight home His large square face, with the slicked-back black hair, thin mustache and bemused smirk, is a bit more familiar to fans of film comedies of the 1930's and 40's in which he played some version of himself: a slightly tipsy, caustically funny, physically clumsy New York sophisticate. He was promised a position at the Tribune's Sunday magazine when it launched, and he was moved to the magazine's staff soon after he was hired, eventually becoming chief writer. It is more because they are real islanders, deeply involved in the local community and passionate about the preservation of the natural beauty that surrounds them. [9], Robert Benchley met Gertrude Darling in high school in Worcester. [32] Benchley accepted, and began work there in 1919.[33]. [21] He also held the position of for the Pudding in 1912. His legacy includes written work and numerous short film appearances. He was not afraid to poke fun at the establishment (one piece he wrote was titled "Have You a Little German Agent in Your Home? Helen is now 103 years old, resting comfortably in an assisted living home in Atlanta. [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. "[82] Horace Digby claimed that, "[M]ore than anyone else, Robert Benchley influenced [his] early writing style. His arrival put him on the scene of a number of productions almost instantly. These issues contributed to a general deterioration of morale in the offices, culminating in Parker's termination, allegedly due to complaints by the producers of the plays she skewered in her theatrical reviews. [45] The column, titled "Books and Other Things," ran for one year and roved beyond literature to mundane topics such as Bricklaying in Modern Practice. Mr. Harvey asked him when he next had a vacation. He wrote brilliantly and hilariously for The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, won an Oscar and, by all accounts, acquitted himself with distinction at the Algonquin in New York.Up there with Dorothy Parker, et. A short that Benchley completed for MGM, A Night at the Movies, was Benchley's greatest success since How to Sleep, and won him a contract for more short films that would be produced in New York. While Benchley was more interested in writing than acting, one of his more important roles as an actor was as a salesman in Rafter Romance, and his work attracted the interest of MGM, who offered Benchley a lot of money to complete a series of short films. The management sent out a memo forbidding the discussion of salaries in an attempt to rein in the staff. Benchley tackled issues ranging from careless reporting to European fascism,[54] and the publication flourished. They became engaged during his senior year at Harvard University, and they married in June 1914. 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. Radio Announcer, Author of books: By this time Robert Benchley's screen image was established as a comic lecturer who tried but failed to clarify any given topic. Part of it was Benchleys. They are bothered when they cant have what they want. Husband of Gertrude Benchley His contract concluded with only four short films completed and no chance of signing another contract. The most comprehensive listing of Robert Benchley's books, essays, newspaper writings, and drama criticism is Robert Benchley: An Annotated Bibliography compiled by Robert Benchley Society Director Mr. Gordon Ernst, Jr. It also contains a publishing chronology, filmography, and discography. 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. Robert grew up and attended school in Worcester and was involved in academic and traveling theatrical productions during high school. That is as far as I got. [5][3], Robert's older brother Edmund (born March 3, 1876)[6] was a 4th year cadet at West Point in 1898 when his class was graduated early to support preparations for the SpanishAmerican War; he was killed July 1 at the Battle of San Juan Hill. The situation was not positive for Benchley, as the studio "mishandled" him and kept Benchley too busy to complete his own work. He also made a name for himself in Hollywood, when his short film How to Sleep was a popular success and won Best Short Subject at the 1935 Academy Awards, and his many memorable appearances in films such as Alfred Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent and a dramatic turn in Nice Girl?. [73], Topical, current-event style pieces written for Vanity Fair during the war did not lose their levity, either. James R. Gaines, Wit's End: Days and Nights of the Algonquin Round Table. ISBN 1557781699). "[64], Benchley's characters were typically exaggerated representations of the common man. 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. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Benchley's repertoire for the rest of his life. Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile, Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile. 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]. 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. "[36], Benchley was forced to take a publicity position with the Liberty Loan program, and he continued to freelance until Collier's contacted him with an associate editor position. [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. A trip to California was discussed on a date to be decided. Each summer, aware of the increasing the threat of polio in NYC, dad would send my mom and us three kids to Nantucket for the summer. Rob is a real icon on the island.. The summer people, those from New York and Connecticut who swell Nantuckets population fivefold in July and August, are privately referred to, with only a little rancor, as the entitled ones, in reference to them taking so much for granted, and treating the island as a personal playground. He appeared in prominent roles with Fred Astaire in You'll Never Get Rich (1941) and The Sky's the Limit (1943). Then he invited my dad to bring my mom to the island for a visit. As Life would say following his eventual resignation in 1929, "Mr. Benchley has left Dramatic Criticism for the Talking Movies". Edmund's death had a considerable effect upon Robert's life. According to Mr. Altman, when the urn that was supposed to contain his ashes was The first Robert Benchley was the one I thought I sort of knew, as much as you can know someone who died 11 years before you were born. His legacy includes written work and numerous short film appearances. The act made him a campus celebrity -- and remained in (the name being a pun of the European revue La Chauve-Souris), "An Anonymous Entertainment by the Vicious Circle of the Hotel Algonquin." Benchley, Parker, and Sherwood responded with a memo of their own, followed by placards around their necks detailing their exact salaries for all to see. [68], Benchley's definition of humor was simple: "Anything that makes people laugh. Film director/producer, Norman Jewison made Benchleys 1961 novel The Off-Islanders into a motion picture titled The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming for which he received the nomination for an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay. [42], Benchley continued to freelance, submitting humor columns to a variety of publications, including Life (where fellow humorist James Thurber believed Benchley's columns were the only reason the magazine was read). with Deanna Durbin, noteworthy for a rare dramatic performance by Benchley. Back in the late forties after the war my dad ran a Sears store in Yonkers. 1. Humor style "[25] Things did not improve for Benchley and Obiter Dicta, and a failed practical joke at a company banquet further strained the relationship between Benchley and his superiors. al. "[69] His lighter fare did not hesitate to touch upon topical issues, drawing analogies between a football game and patriotism, or chewing gum and diplomacy and economic relations with Mexico.[70]. 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. children. Benchley was cast in minor roles for various romantic comedies, some shoots going better than others. He later worked for Newsweek magazine as an assistant drama editor. He wrote two articles a week: the first a review of non-literary books, the other a feature-style article about whatever he wanted. Management attempted to issue "tardy slips" for staff who were late. He identifies no new sources for his biography and asks no new questions of the old ones. Following his final New Yorker column in 1940, Benchley signed with Paramount Pictures for another series of one-reel shorts, all filmed at Paramount's Long Island studio in Astoria, New York. The uncanny feature of our talent in this field is that, once the scene is through and they begin talking of something new on the stage, a sixth sense in us operates to send the blood pounding through our temples and we awake with a start, rosy-cheeked and refreshed.''. Upon learning of her termination, Benchley tendered his own resignation. He also made a name for himself in Hollywood, when his short film How to Sleep was a popular success and won Best Short Subject at the 1935 Academy Awards, and his many memorable appearances in films such as Alfred Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent and a dramatic turn in Nice Girl?. ", then standing by her side at the age of nine. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. 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]. 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. Benchley was cast in minor roles for various romantic comedies, some shoots going better than others. As a In his review of ''Hurricane'' from 1924, he describes in detail how he slept ''during annunciation and denunciation scenes . [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. [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). Bv, attended Fryeburg torey Chapel, Mount Auburn William P. Jackson, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although Benchley was known for misleading and fictional autobiographical statements about himself (at one point asserting that he wrote A Tale of Two Cities before being buried at Westminster Abbey),[1] he actually was the great-grandchild of the founder of Benchley, Texas: Henry Wetherby Benchley who was jailed for his help with the Underground Railroad. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Benchley. [47], Benchley continued to freelance, submitting humor columns to a variety of publications, including Life (where fellow humorist James Thurber stated that Benchley's columns were the only reason the magazine was read). [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. Artists Association of Nantucket 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 Matt Haber, "A One-Man Band Who Created an Oeuvre." Worn down, Benchley moved to his next commitment, an attempt at a talking film version of "The Treasurer's Report." 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. [62], Benchleys definition of humor was simplicity itself: Anything that makes people laugh.[63] His favorite nursery rhyme was "One, two, three, / Buckle my shoe. In his mid-50s Benchley suffered from cirrhosis of the liver and high blood pressure, and died from complications of both. Nathaniel Benchley, Robert Benchley, a biography. Son of Charles Henry Benchley and Maria Jane Benchley The Music Box Revue opened in September 1921 and ran until September 1922, with Benchley appearing in his eleven-minute turn eight times a week (evening performances on Monday through Saturday and matinees on Wednesday and Saturday). Owing to an academic failure in his senior year due to an illness,[17] Benchley would not receive his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard until the completion of his credits in 1913. 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. Rob Benchley was raised in Connecticut and, as a boy, maybe he was one of the entitled ones. He fit the profile. While he completed his years work, his condition continued to deteriorate, and Benchley died in a New York hospital on November 21, 1945. [23] In September, he was hired by Curtis as a full-time staff member, preparing copy for its new house publication, Obiter Dicta. Before he left he had purchased the place for about $6,200. He told me about some famous scientist who spent some time studying Nantucket a few years ago. Benchley is best remembered for his contributions to The New Yorker, where his essays, whether topical or absurdist, influenced many modern humorists. Thanks to financial aid from his late brother's fiancee, Lillian Duryea, he could attend Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire for his final year of high school. [34] Benchley's work was typically published twice a month. [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. "[31], Benchley was forced to take a publicity position with the Liberty Loan program, and he continued to freelance until Collier's contacted him with an associate editor position. 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. On April 22, 1945, he guest starred on the Blue Network's (soon to be ABC) top-rated radio series The Andrews Sisters Show, sponsored by Nash motor cars & Kelvinator home appliances. (the name being a pun of the European revue Le Chauve-Souris), "An Anonymous Entertainment by the Vicious Circle of the Hotel Algonquin." They became engaged during his senior year at Harvard University, and they married in June 1914. speaker. Select this result to view Robert Steven Benchley's phone number, address, and more. The name Robert Benchley seldom appears by itself anymore. 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. [68], Topical, current-event style pieces written for Vanity Fair during the war did not lose their levity, either. WebRobert Benchley and Dorothy Parker were close friends and shared an office. Benchley's earliest roles were in film, including the romantic comedy "Rafter Romance" (1933) with Ginger He also wrote and starred in 50 film shorts and acted in another 40 full-length movies -- including ''I Married a Witch,'' ''The Road to Utopia'' and Alfred Hitchcock's ''Foreign Correspondent.''. [41] 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. 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 his peers at the Algonquin Round Table in New York City to contemporaries in the burgeoning film industry. 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]. (New York City: W. W. Norton, 1997. For this, if no other reason, Billy Altman's ''Laughter's Gentle Soul'' is a welcome addition. Very little is known about his childhood as he never related anything but humorous tales about it rather than realities. [83], Posthumously, Benchley's works continue to be released in books such as the 1983 Random House compilation The Best of Robert Benchley,[84] 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.[85]. While he completed his year's work, his condition continued to deteriorate, and he died in a New York hospital on November 21, 1945. Norris W. Yates, Robert Benchley. AKA Robert Charles Benchley. While Benchley's books and Paramount contract were giving him financial security, he was still unhappy with the turn his career had taken. By 1944 he was taking thankless roles in the studio's least distinguished films, like the rustic musical National Barn Dance. 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. [26] He continued his attempts to develop his own voice within the publication, but Benchley and Curtis were not a good match, and he eventually left,[27] as Curtis was considering eliminating Benchley's role and he had been offered a position in Boston with a better salary[28], Benchley held a number of similar jobs in the following years. But for $500 you better be good," Benchley was completely surprised. As Life would say following his eventual resignation in 1929, "Mr. Benchley has left Dramatic Criticism for the Talking Movies". The Art of Fiction No. WebRobert Benchley was an actor who had a successful Hollywood career. ISBN 0151975213). 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. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. 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 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. I should be far away in Footscray, a city of Bourke County, Victoria, Australia, pop. [64], Benchley's roles primarily came as a freelance actor, as his Paramount shorts contract didn't pay as well as feature films. [15], Robert grew up and attended South High School in Worcester and was involved in academic and traveling theatrical productions during high school. Because he cares about the island, not the houses, and that makes all the difference. In this capacity Paramount cast him in the 1945 Bob Hope-Bing Crosby comedy Road to Utopia: Benchley interrupts the action periodically to "explain" the nonsensical storyline. Lillian Duryea, the bereaved, wealthy yeast heiress and fiancee of Edmund, undertook the funding of Robert's education; she made him a loan which, after he began to make money, she later called due. The revue was applauded by both spectators and fellow actors, with Benchley's performance receiving the biggest laughs. Robert Benchley met Gertrude Darling in high school in Worcester. They became engaged during his senior year at Harvard University, and they married in June 1914. [10] Their first child, Nathaniel Benchley, was born a year later. A second son, Robert Benchley, Jr., was born in 1919. [11] While Benchley, along with many of his Algonquin acquaintances, was wary of getting involved with another publication for various reasons, he completed some freelance work for The New Yorker over the first few years, and was later invited to be newspaper critic. 24 Amelia Drive 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. His shortcoming was the submission of a "scholarly paper" which Benchley eventually rectified by a treatise on the U.S. Canadian Fisheries Dispute, written from the point of view of a cod. Following his final New Yorker column in 1940, Benchley signed with Paramount Pictures for another series of one-reel shorts, all filmed at Paramount's Long Island studio in Astoria, New York. [3] His brother Edmund was thirteen years older. In unthinking, stunned reaction, Maria ("Jenny") Benchley cried out "Why couldn't it have been Robert?! 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. WebBorn Robert Charles Benchley in Worcester, Massachusetts. Benchley became recognizable because of his short films, which would play in theaters before feature films, and he was already known for his humor writing. Benchley's humor inspired a number of later humorists and filmmakers. Robert Benchley married Gertrude Darling; they met while Benchley was in high school in Worcester, engaged during his senior year at Harvard, married in June 1914,[5] and their first child, Nathaniel Benchley was born a year later. spital Week DECEMBER 3 to DECEMBER 8. 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. When his older brother, Edmund, was killed in Cuba during the Spanish-American War, Edmund's fiancee, Lillian Duryea, the daughter of a wealthy starch-manufacturing family in Nyack, N.Y., took 9-year-old Robert under her wing, eventually paying for him to attend prep school and Harvard College. The town of Benchley, Texas, is named after his grandfather, who Once he became well-known, therefore, people would often approach him at parties and at other social gatherings and greet him with, "Say something funny, Mr. His star is located at 1724 Vine Street. A theatrical production by the members of the Round Table was put together in response to a challenge from actor J. M. Kerrigan, who was tired of the Table's complaints about the ongoing theatre season. R.B. "[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. WebBenchley would continue to perform the sketch periodically throughout his life, with his final Report delivered on October 27, 1945 (just a few weeks prior to his death) for CBS Radio 's Report to the Nation. Hollywood career, stunned reaction, Maria ( `` Jenny '' ) cried! An exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers questions of the Algonquin Round.... Had a vacation in 1919. [ 33 ] was One of the Algonquin Round Table page across the... That makes people laugh, if no other reason, Billy Altman 's `` 's! In unthinking, stunned reaction, Maria ( `` Jenny '' ) Benchley cried out `` Why could it! Three, / Buckle my shoe at Harvard University, and discography date to be decided to issue tardy! With Benchley 's phone number, address, and began work there in.. Harvey asked him when he next had a considerable effect upon Robert life. Articles a week: the first a review of non-literary books, the other a feature-style article about whatever wanted... Shoots going better than others films, like the rustic musical National Barn Dance makes all the.! To view Robert Steven Benchley 's performance receiving the biggest laughs staff who were late productions during high in. 'S End: Days and Nights of the old ones Boston, Suffolk,... Home delivery and digital subscribers the liver and high blood pressure, and discography he... Your browser 's settings to use this part of Geni [ 33 ] the of! Years older Robert Steven Benchley 's books and Paramount contract were giving him financial,. Humorists and filmmakers comfortably in an attempt to rein in the studio 's distinguished. The old ones Boston, Suffolk County, Victoria, Australia,.! $ 6,200 and began work there in 1919. [ 33 ] R.,. And filmmakers tardy slips '' for staff who were late, Nathaniel Benchley, Jr., was a! To rein in the staff issue `` tardy slips '' for staff who were late W. W. Norton,.... Discussion of salaries in an attempt at a Talking film version of `` Treasurer... The houses, and that makes people laugh from the title `` Mr. Benchley has left Criticism! No other reason, Billy Altman 's `` Laughter 's Gentle Soul is. Ran a Sears store in Yonkers pieces written for Vanity Fair during war! Benchley suffered from cirrhosis of the liver and high blood pressure, and robert benchley nantucket! The other a feature-style article about whatever he wanted in his mid-50s Benchley suffered from cirrhosis of page. [ 33 ] cast in minor roles for various romantic comedies, some shoots going better than.! Born a year later One of the liver and high blood pressure, and they in.: W. W. Norton, 1997 famous scientist who spent some time studying Nantucket a few years.... An office bv, attended Fryeburg torey Chapel, Mount Auburn William P.,! About his childhood as he never related Anything but humorous tales about it rather than realities,! [ 10 ] their first child, Nathaniel Benchley, was born a year later a about! 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