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 [16], Benchley did copy work for the Curtis Publishing Company during the summer following graduation (1913) while doing other odd service jobs, such as translating French catalogs for the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Norris W. Yates, Robert Benchley. 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. 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. The situation was not positive for Benchley, as the studio "mishandled" him and kept Benchley too busy to complete his own work. 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. My partner, Nancy, and I didnt visit there this past weekend, in our time on Nantucket. Benchley initially wrote the column under the pseudonym Guy Fawkes (the lead conspirator in the English Gunpowder Plot), and the column was very well received. 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 revue was applauded by both spectators and fellow actors, with Benchley's performance receiving the biggest laughs. Benchley began at Vanity Fair with fellow Harvard Lampoon and Hasty Pudding Theatricals alumnus Robert Emmet Sherwood and future friend and collaborator Dorothy Parker, who had taken over theatre criticism from P. G. Wodehouse years earlier. 'Benchley': Seeing a Famous Forebear Whole. 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. 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]. "[42], Following word of Benchley's resignation, freelance offers began piling up. (New York City: Harcourt Brace, 1977. 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. He admitted to occasional borrowing of a Benchley topic for his own reflection and writings. This piqued dads curiosity, so he asked the man about the place. 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. Worn down, Benchley moved to his next commitment, an attempt at a talking film version of "The Treasurer's Report." We were with a living Benchley, Rob (the third) and his lovely wife Carol, and we didnt talk about literature or the family tree much at all. The Paris Review: "The Art of Fiction No. (New York City: W. W. Norton, 1997. 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. Matt Haber, "A One-Man Band Who Created an Oeuvre." Of All Things (1921)Love Conquers All (1922)From Bed to Worse (1934)My Ten Years in a Quandary and How They Grew (1936)Inside Benchley (1941)Benchley Beside Himself (1943), Do you know something we don't? A reprise of "The Treasurer's Report" was often requested for future events, and Irving Berlin (who had been musical director for No Sirree!) lieutenants were, Hangdog face offset by a thin, elegant mustache. His legacy includes written work and numerous short film appearances. Benchley, who had also been offered a syndicated column by Hearst, was able to film the shorts in New York and keep up with his new column. The situation was not positive for Benchley, as the studio "mishandled" him and kept Benchley too busy to complete his own work. 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. WebBenchley showed at the Lobster Pot. 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. 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 WebRobert Benchley. Benchley was cast in minor roles for various romantic comedies, some shoots going better than others. [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. Part of it was boutiques. But now he has been an islander for a long When a position as press agent for Broadway producer William A. Brady was offered, Benchley accepted it, against the advice of many of his peers. 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. Father of Nathaniel Benchley and Robert Benchley, Jr. Few could be arguably as skilled. Rob is a real icon on the island.. As a post-graduate journalist, between frequent firings and A painter (and writer) from a family of writers, Benchley lived on Baxter Avenue, of editor of the Harvard Lampoon was the other highlight of his college WebRobert Benchley. founded it. While Benchley's books and Paramount contract were giving him financial security, he was still unhappy with the turn his career had taken. 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. Be the first to ask a question about Robert Benchley Lists with This Book [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. 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. Nantucket MA 02554. "[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. Before heading back to New York, Benchley took a role in the feature film Dancing Lady,[52] which also featured Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Fred Astaire, Nelson Eddy, and the Three Stooges. URL accessed May 19, 2007. Given that Benchley had two children at the time of his resignation, Parker referred to it as "the greatest act of friendship I'd ever seen. Oh, yeah. This character was apparent in Benchley's Ivy Oration during his Harvard graduation ceremonies,[71] and would appear throughout his career, such as during "The Treasurer's Report" in the 1920s[72] and his work in feature films in the 1930s. Though Mr. Altman recounts all the stories, he hardly ever tries to sort out fact from fiction. URL accessed May 6, 2007. Nantucket Lighthouses; Museums; Festivals; Biking; Boating, Fishing & Water Sports; Arts; Family & Kid Fun; Theatre, Film, Music, Lectures; Tours; Wellness & Below is sunset over Nantucket as seen from Rob and Carols front yard Im sure Rob has better sunset photos than this, but this ones mine. with Deanna Durbin, noteworthy for a rare dramatic performance by Benchley. "[74] 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. And as he said this his eyes filled with tears''). He took a position with Curtis shortly after he received his diploma. 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, and was invited to do some titling for two other films. 10: James Thurber. Benchley produced over 600 essays,[86] which were initially compiled in twelve volumes, during his writing career. traits: fidelity, perseverance and to turn around three times before WebBorn Robert Charles Benchley in Worcester, Massachusetts. [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. And probably, part of it was the ocean coming in, a sense of urgency, that there are important things to do. 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. It was not hard to imagine, standing on the bluffs, seeing how far the ocean had already come. Benchley's humor was molded during his time at Harvard. In the summer of 61, I worked worked for bob Clark cutting grass. [73] Even the more stereotypical characters held these qualities, such as the incapable sportscaster Benchley played in The Sport Parade. AKA Robert Charles Benchley. Writing career 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. In 1917, the Tribune shut down the magazine, and Benchley was out of work again. The Lampoon primarily used the latter style, which suited Benchley. [8] Additionally, because the news about Edmund had arrived during a July 4th celebration, Robert for the rest of his life associated fireworks with Edmund's death. He was a close friend of actor Humphrey Bogart and wrote his biography in 1975. 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. The Lampoon primarily used the latter style, which suited Benchley. Up there with Dorothy Parker, et. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. They are bothered when they cant have what they want. He wrote two articles a week; the first a review of non-literary books, the other a feature-style article about whatever he wanted. Does the garage still exist? briefly as managing editor of the magazine Vanity Fair, where his Jaws author Peter Benchley. 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 a slurring drunk throughout the movie. WebNathaniel Benchley died in 1981 in Boston, Massachusetts and was interred in the family plot at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Nantucket. I should be far away in Footscray, a city of Bourke County, Victoria, Australia, pop. The show was a compilation of Robert Benchleys best monologues, short films, radio rantings and pithy pieces as recalled, edited, and acted by his grandson Nat, and combined with family reminiscences and friends perspectives.. Bv, attended Fryeburg torey Chapel, Mount Auburn William P. Jackson, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. [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. "; accounts conflict as to whether Robert (who was nine at the time) heard this. [34], This freelancing attempt did not start out well, with Benchley selling just one piece to Vanity Fair and accumulating countless rejections in two months. Rob Benchley was raised in Connecticut and, as a boy, maybe he was one of the entitled ones. He fit the profile. [15], Robert grew up and attended South High School in Worcester and was involved in academic and traveling theatrical productions during high school. [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]. The Writer: Dave Barry. 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. (New York City, McGraw-Hill, 1955). A founding member of the famous Algonquin Round Table in New York New York Times, January 25, 2004. 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. By 1944 he was taking thankless roles in the studio's least distinguished films, like the rustic musical National Barn Dance. [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. [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]. May 2003. While Benchley's books and Paramount contract were giving him financial security, he was still unhappy with the turn his career had taken. 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. Benchley.". (1941). List of Robert Benchley collections and film appearances, Robert Benchley and the Knights of the Algonquin. The New Yorker published an average of forty-eight Benchley columns per year during the early 1930s. [59], This was followed in 1936 by How to be a Detective. [3] His brother Edmund was thirteen years older. [5] 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. Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile, Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile. The format of Vanity Fair fit Benchley's style very well, allowing his columns to have a humorous tone, often as straight parodies. There are probably more famous Benchleys. Anyone can read what you share. Mr. Altman, a magazine journalist, builds on the work of his predecessors, filling in some gaps, providing us with some new information. I remember a garage loft just across the street where the Benchley did his writing. Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle is a 1994 American film that depicts the Round Table from the perspective of Dorothy Parker. Robert Charles Benchley (Worcester, Massachusetts, 15 de setembre del 1889 - Nova York, 21 de novembre del 1945) fou un actor, crtic teatral i humorista estatunidenc.. Es gradu a la Universitat Harvard i rpidament pass a formar part del personal laboral de la publicaci "Life" el 1920.Fou membre de l'"Algonquin Round They had a marvelous friendship. Traveling with children corresponds roughly to traveling "[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. The Washington Post, February 18, 2003. 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. By this time Robert Benchley's screen image was established as a comic lecturer who tried but failed to clarify any given topic. [35], At the Tribune, Benchley, along with new editor Ernest Gruening, was in charge of a twelve-page pictorial supplement titled the Tribune Graphic. We never quite learn what it was about Benchley's style or subjects that made him the most admired humorist of his generation and prompted James Thurber to remark, years after Benchley's death, that ''one of the greatest fears of the humorous writer is that he has spent three weeks writing something done faster and better by Benchley in 1919.''. [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. During his first two years at Harvard, Benchley worked with the Harvard Advocate and the Harvard Lampoon. Benchley's earliest roles were in film, including the romantic comedy "Rafter Romance" (1933) with Ginger 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. [45], Things changed again for Benchley a number of years into the arrangement. They are more bothered when local government fusses about their wishes to gut or tear down older (or really old) homes. [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. [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. [19] The first issue was roundly criticized by management, who felt it was "too technical, too scattering, and wholly lacking in punch. Their first [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. 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. I hadnt really had any idea about the Benchley family tree. Born in Newton, Massachusetts to a literary family, he was the son of Gertrude Darling and Robert But there was a vibe there we really liked. [58], 1939 was a bad year for Benchley's career. In unthinking, stunned reaction, Maria ("Jenny") Benchley cried out "Why couldn't it have been Robert?! Benchley's repertoire for the rest of his life. [41], The situation at Vanity Fair deteriorated upon management's return. The result, which played for one night April 30, 1922 at the 49th Street Theatre, was No Sirree! 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. The format of Vanity Fair fit Benchley's style very well, allowing his columns to have a humorous tone, often as straight parodies. Upon completion, MGM invited Benchley to write and perform in a short production inspired by a Mellon Institute study on sleep commissioned by the Simmons Mattress Company. "[58] The film was well received in preview screenings, and promotions took over, with a still from the film being used in Simmons advertisements. The Robert Benchley Society. [44] 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. 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. Benchley is best remembered for his contributions to The New Yorker, where his essays, whether topical or absurdist, influenced many modern humorists. 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. URLs accessed June 6, 2007. [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. He took a position with Curtis shortly after he received his diploma. His funeral was private, and his body was cremated and interred in a family plot in Prospect Hill Cemetery on the island of Nantucket. 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. When a job as a press agent for Broadway producer William A. Brady was offered, Benchley took the position against the advice of many of his peers. 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 . [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). 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 It was not well received, and it was removed from the schedule. They were designed to create a contrast between himself and the masses, who had less common sense. There was a lot of begatting in the Benchley family. Amid accusations that both were pro-German (the United States was fighting Germany at the time), Benchley tendered his resignation in a terse letter, citing the lack of "rational proof that Dr. Gruening was guilty ofcharges made against him" and management's attempts to "smirch the character and the newspaper career of the first man in three years who has been able to make the Tribune look like a newspaper. ''You know,'' his widow told her sons with a smile, ''I can hear him laughing right now. Every boy should have a dog, for a dog teaches a boy three valuable New and Upcoming Science Fiction and Fantasy, (June 6, 1914 - November 21, 1945) (his death), The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966), View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. [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. As a Geni requires JavaScript! Benchley was cast in minor roles for various romantic comedies, some shoots going better than others. Billy Altman, Laughter's Gentle Soul: The Life of Robert Benchley. The Benchley family was attending a public Fourth of July picnic when a bicycle messenger brought the notification telegram. 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. While the two styles were, at first glance, diametrically opposed, they coexisted in magazines such as Vanity Fair and Life. 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. It was not well received, and was removed from the schedule. How to Sleep was named Best Short Subject at the 1935 Academy Awards, while the latter two shorts were not as well received. [7] The film was included in the compilation Robert Benchley and the Knights of the Algonquin. [3] Benchley's grandfather Henry Wetherby Benchley, a member of the Massachusetts Senate and Lieutenant Governor in the mid-1850s, went to Houston, Texas and became an activist for the Underground Railroad for which he was arrested and jailed. I cut the Benchley house each week. Husband of Gertrude Benchley Benchley is best remembered for his contributions to The New Yorker, where his essays, whether topical or absurdist, influenced many modern humorists. "[64], Benchley's characters were typically exaggerated representations of the common man. When dad moved back upstate to Cortland he decided the upkeep on the cottage was too big a hassle. Amazon.com: Robert Benchley, a biography product listing. The Blue Pencil: Interview with Horace J. Digby, January 19, 2007. While he lived, Benchley was close to omnipresent -- in print, on film and on radio. ultimately used: "This is all above my head.". 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. His elder son, Peter Benchley (19402006), was a writer best known for writing the novel Jaws and the screenplay of the 1975 Steven Spielberg film made from it. 2. 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Receiving the biggest laughs Fourth of July picnic when a bicycle messenger brought the notification telegram and Robert Benchley the! Of years into the arrangement of Fiction No such as Vanity Fair deteriorated upon 's... Widow told her sons with a smile, `` a One-Man Band who Created Oeuvre! The time ) heard this 1917, the Tribune shut down the magazine, was! Past weekend, in our time on Nantucket, I worked worked bob...
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