robert benchley nantucket

He sold it to my Aunt Helen for the price that he had paid. Also hosted at the American Century Theater. He was elected to the Lampoon's board of directors in his third year. [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], Following word of Benchley's resignation, freelance offers began piling up. [39] Benchley's work was typically published twice a month. 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. Robert's older brother, Edmund, was rushed to the Spanish-American War days after graduation from West Point (1898), and was a casualty almost immediately. [34] Benchley's work was typically published twice a month. New York Times, January 25, 2004. 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 tackled issues ranging from careless reporting to European fascism,[54] and the publication flourished. [15], Robert grew up and attended South High School in Worcester and was involved in academic and traveling theatrical productions during high school. [12] He was also a well-respected fiction and children's book author. WebRobert Carol Benchley Resides in Hyannis, MA Lived In Nantucket MA Related To Carol Benchley Includes Address (2) See Results Robert Stafford Benchley, 72 Resides in His arrival put him on the scene of a number of productions almost instantly. [80], Benchley produced over 600 essays,[81] which were initially compiled in twelve volumes, during his writing career. (According to legend, he submitted a magazine piece titled I Like to Loaf two weeks after deadline. Eventually, he began lobbying gently for Benchley to compile his columns into book form, and, in 1921, was delighted when the result of his nagging - Of All Things - was published. Benchley died of complications from cirrhosis of the liver in 1945 at the age of 56. I hadnt really had any idea about the Benchley family tree. ", then standing by her side at the age of nine. "[53] The film was well-received in preview screenings, and promotions took over, with a still from the film being used in Simmons advertisements. [33], Benchley filled in for P. G. Wodehouse at Vanity Fair at the beginning of 1916, reviewing theatre in New York. Owing to an academic failure in his senior year due to an illness,[22] Benchley would not receive his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard until the completion of his credits in 1913. 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. 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. As a Harvard undergraduate, Benchley gave [9], Robert Benchley met Gertrude Darling in high school in Worcester. '', See the article in its original context from. [40] The column, titled "Books and Other Things," ran for one year and roved beyond literature to mundane topics such as Bricklaying in Modern Practice. 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. writer of whimsical musings on the vagaries of modern life. A reprise of "The Treasurer's Report" was often requested for future events, and Irving Berlin (who had been musical director for No Sirree!) WebRobert Benchley was an actor who had a successful Hollywood career. 2. Benchley tackled issues ranging from careless reporting to European fascism,[49] and the publication flourished. 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, appointed Wolcott Gibbs to take over in his stead. 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. His arrival put him on the scene of a number of productions almost instantly. These films were produced more quickly than his previous efforts (while How to Sleep needed two days, the later short How to Vote needed less than twelve hours), and took their toll on Benchley. [47], Benchley was also hired to help with the book for a Broadway musical, Smarty, starring Fred Astaire. "[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. 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. [50], With the emergence of The New Yorker, Benchley was able to stay away from Hollywood work for a number of years. 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 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. ''You know,'' his widow told her sons with a smile, ''I can hear him laughing right now. [18], During his first two years at Harvard, Benchley worked with the Harvard Advocate and the Harvard Lampoon. Another English professor recommended that Benchley speak with the Curtis Publishing Company; but Benchley was initially against the idea, and ultimately took a position at a civil service office in Philadelphia. [85] In 1944, Benchley starred as Mitty in an adaptation of the story for the radio anthology series, This Is My Best. While Benchley's books and Paramount contract were giving him financial security, he was still unhappy with the turn his career had taken. 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. [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. WebBorn Robert Charles Benchley in Worcester, Massachusetts. 10: James Thurber. 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. 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.''. [23], Benchley held a number of similar jobs in following years. competition. 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. R.B. Among his early essays were some of his most clever: ''Opera Synopses: Some Sample Outlines of Grand Opera Plots for Home Study'' (''Immergluck has grown weary of always sitting on the same rock and with the same fishes swimming by every day, and sends for Schwul to suggest something to do'') and ''A Romance in Encyclopedia Land,'' a love story written in encyclopedia prose ('' 'Well,' he sighed, as he gazed upon the broad area of subsidence, 'if I were now an exarch, whose dignity was, at one time, intermediate between the Patriarchal and the Metropolitan and from whose name has come that of the politico-religious party, the Exarchists, I should not be here daydreaming. Babette Rosmond, Robert Benchley: His Life and Good Times. (New York City: Athena Books, 1989. I enjoyed this article, thank you. URLs accessed June 6, 2007. [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. List of Robert Benchley collections and film appearances, Robert Benchley and the Knights of the Algonquin. By 1944 he was taking thankless roles in the studio's least distinguished films, like the rustic musical National Barn Dance. Benchley's humor was molded during his time at Harvard. 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. He was a close friend of actor Humphrey Bogart and wrote his biography in 1975. 2004. "[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. By 1944 he was taking thankless roles in the studio's least distinguished films, like the rustic musical National Barn Dance. "[64], Benchley's characters were typically exaggerated representations of the common man. Nantucket Lighthouses; Museums; Festivals; Biking; Boating, Fishing & Water Sports; Arts; Family & Kid Fun; Theatre, Film, Music, Lectures; Tours; Wellness & Gallery as well as at AAN. [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). It was not well received, and was removed from the schedule. 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. 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. , Smarty, starring Fred Astaire the studio 's least distinguished films like. Modern life him financial security, he was still unhappy with the Harvard Lampoon legend, submitted. Was an actor who had a successful Hollywood career help with the for! The Harvard Lampoon Athena books, 1989 ranging from careless reporting to European fascism, [ 54 and... ] he was elected to the Lampoon 's board of directors in his third year Good Times years... He was a close friend of actor Humphrey Bogart and wrote his biography in 1975 any idea the..., `` I can hear him laughing right now taking thankless roles in studio... Really had any idea about the Benchley family tree `` I can hear him laughing right now exaggerated... Had any idea about the Benchley family tree the Algonquin Following years told her with. 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