(the name being a pun of the European revue La Chauve-Souris), "An Anonymous Entertainment by the Vicious Circle of the Hotel Algonquin." 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] Literary 'Sconset, the Benchleys, and John Steinbeck, Robert C. Benchley Biography, Photos and Works, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_Benchley&oldid=1148971771, Male actors from Worcester, Massachusetts, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 9 April 2023, at 10:45. "[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. (New York City: Athena Books, 1989. (1941). Born in Newton, Massachusetts to a literary family, he was the son of Gertrude Darling and Robert Benchley (18891945), the noted American writer, humorist, critic, actor, and one of the founders of the Algonquin Round Table in New York City. career.) He was Some of Benchley's columns, featuring a character he created, were attributed to his pseudonym Brighton Perry, but most were attributed to Benchley himself. [54], This was followed in 1936 by How to be a Detective. [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. AKA Robert Charles Benchley. "[20] 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. 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. It was not hard to imagine, standing on the bluffs, seeing how far the ocean had already come. As a Harvard undergraduate, Benchley gave 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 This inspired staff at the Tribune magazine to creativity for articles (such as arranging for the producers of The Thirteenth Chair to cast Benchley as a corpse), but the situation at the magazine deteriorated as the pacifist Benchley became unhappy with the Tribune's position on World War I, and the Tribune editors were unhappy with the evolving tone and irreverence of the magazine. 2004. But now he has been an islander for a long time. "; accounts conflict as to whether Robert (who was nine at the time) heard this. Also, Benchley appeared as himself in Walt Disney's behind the scenes film, The Reluctant Dragon (1941). His legacy includes written work and numerous short film appearances. 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. In his films, the common man exaggerations continued. On one of these, Benchley wrote out, in very small handwriting, an elaborate excuse involving a herd of elephants on 44th Street. URL accessed May 21, 2007. Part of it was boutiques. 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. 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 considerable sum to star in a series of short subjects. 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. Billy Altman, Laughter's Gentle Soul: The Life of Robert Benchley. His contract concluded with only four short films completed and no chance of signing another contract. Source notes would have helped here, at the very least by giving readers some guidance in figuring out where Mr. Altman got his stories -- and how reliable they might be. 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. Artists Association of Nantucket Up there with Dorothy Parker, et. [16] Benchley kept these achievements in mind as he began to contemplate a career for himself after college. Traveling with children corresponds roughly to traveling 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. He wrote a biography of his father Robert in 1955. 2. A second son, Robert Benchley, Jr., was born in 1919. Benchley was cast in minor roles for various romantic comedies, some shoots going better than others. Rob is a real icon on the island.. And as he said this his eyes filled with tears''). Because he cares about the island, not the houses, and that makes all the difference. List of Robert Benchley collections and film appearances, Robert Benchley and the Knights of the Algonquin. "[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. A painter (and writer) from a family of writers, Benchley lived on Baxter Avenue, Upon its 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. speaker. Jaws author Peter Benchley. How to Sleep was named Best Short Subject at the 1935 Academy Awards, while the latter two shorts were not as well received. Geni requires JavaScript! His arrival put him on the scene of a number of productions almost instantly. WebRobert Benchley and Dorothy Parker were close friends and shared an office. Matt Haber, "A One-Man Band Who Created an Oeuvre." 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. The films enjoyed similar success and were critically acclaimed, and Benchley was signed to a deal to produce more films before heading back to New York to continue writing. He appeared in prominent roles with Fred Astaire in You'll Never Get Rich (1941) and The Sky's the Limit (1943). His legacy includes written work and numerous short film appearances. 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. Babette Rosmond, Robert Benchley: His Life and Good Times. [47], Benchley was also hired to help with the book for a Broadway musical, Smarty, starring Fred Astaire. WebSo, how much is Robert Benchley worth at the age of 56 years old? [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. As a Back in the late forties after the war my dad ran a Sears store in Yonkers. [8] References [ edit] 24 Amelia Drive We should all be so lucky. 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. His family opted for a private funeral service, and his body was cremated and interred in a family plot on the island of Nantucket.Altman, 352362. . [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. [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. [32], Benchley started at the Tribune as a reporter. The experience at Vanity Fair inspired Benchley's fellow staff at the Tribune magazine with creative topics for articles (such as arranging for the producers of The Thirteenth Chair to cast Benchley as a corpse), but the situation at the magazine deteriorated as the pacifist Benchley became unhappy with the Tribune's position on World War I, and the Tribune editors were unhappy with the evolving tone and irreverence of the magazine. There was a lot of begatting in the Benchley family. WebBenchley showed at the Lobster Pot. Rob Benchley was raised in Connecticut and, as a boy, maybe he was one of the entitled ones. He fit the profile. On this day in 1889 the American writer and humourist Robert Benchley was born. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. (Ironically, when younger, he had been an adamant teetotaler.) In his review of ''Hurricane'' from 1924, he describes in detail how he slept ''during annunciation and denunciation scenes . Paramount did not renew his contract in 1943, and Benchley signed back with MGM with an exclusive contract. 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. 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). Be the first to ask a question about Robert Benchley Lists with This Book Upon learning of her termination, Benchley tendered his own resignation. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. In 1931, he was persuaded to do voice work for RKO Radio Pictures for a film that would eventually be titled Sky Devils, and he acted in his first feature film, The Sport Parade (1932) with Joel McCrea. 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. In 1917, the Tribune shut down the magazine, and Benchley was out of work again. Benchley is best remembered for his contributions to The New Yorker, where his essays, whether topical or absurdist, influenced many modern humorists. The films enjoyed similar success and were critically acclaimed, and Benchley was signed to a deal to produce more films before heading back to New York to continue writing. The name Robert Benchley seldom appears by itself anymore. The radio program, Melody and Madness, was more a showcase for Benchley's acting, as he did not participate in writing it. 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