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Robert Benchley
extremely rare,very good condition
- GenresBiographyNonfiction
First published January 1, 1956
24 people want to read
About the author
Nathaniel Benchley
80 books25 followersBorn in Newton, Massachusetts to a literary family, he was the son of Gertrude Darling and Robert Benchley (1889-1945), the noted American writer, humorist, critic, actor, and one of the founders of the Algonquin Round Table in New York City.
Nathaniel Benchley was the highly-respected author of many children's/juvenile books that provided learning for the youthful readers with stories of various animals or through the book's historical settings. 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 peoples'.
Film director/producer, Norman Jewison made Benchley's 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. He was a close friend of actor Humphrey Bogart and wrote his biography in 1975.
Benchley's novel Welcome to Xanadu was made into the 1975 motion picture Sweet Hostage.
His elder son, Peter Benchley (1940-2006), was a writer best known for writing the novel Jaws and the screenplay of the 1975 Steven Spielberg film made from it. 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". The show was a compilation of Robert Benchley's 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."
Nathaniel Benchley died in 1981 in Boston, Massachusetts and was interred in the family plot at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Nantucket.
Nathaniel Benchley was the highly-respected author of many children's/juvenile books that provided learning for the youthful readers with stories of various animals or through the book's historical settings. 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 peoples'.
Film director/producer, Norman Jewison made Benchley's 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. He was a close friend of actor Humphrey Bogart and wrote his biography in 1975.
Benchley's novel Welcome to Xanadu was made into the 1975 motion picture Sweet Hostage.
His elder son, Peter Benchley (1940-2006), was a writer best known for writing the novel Jaws and the screenplay of the 1975 Steven Spielberg film made from it. 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". The show was a compilation of Robert Benchley's 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."
Nathaniel Benchley died in 1981 in Boston, Massachusetts and was interred in the family plot at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Nantucket.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 21, 2013
Reading Robert Benchley is a joy. Reading a biography of his life written by his eldest son is an exquisite look into the person behind the humour. He was a very nice, kind and fun person by all accounts, someone with whom everyone else wanted to be good friends. That says much, doesn't it?
January 23, 2015
Son Nathaniel's book of his father is a well written account of his father's life. As he mentions at the start, this is more anecdotal than a chronological history. As can be the case in a situation like this, it does seems Nathaniel was weaving around spot's in Robert's life he'd rather not have published. One moment the book is tripping along the chronological trail. Suddenly there are leaps here and there in time. then back to chronological order.
If I had not other wise known and read so much of Benchley over the past 40 plus years, I wouldn't have thought much of it. In this case, Nathaniel's skipping is at spots where Robert's life took some turns that would be tagged uncomfortable. Certainly understandable for a son to do. The last people you ask to learn about a person is the family.
I was hoping for more first hand knowledge of the gopings on in Robert's life. Unfortunately, it seems so much I've learned of Robert being away from his family is reflected in the lack of personal stories in the book.
This has me pulling 'Laughter's Gentle Soul' by Billy Altman off the shelf for another viewpoint. Seems Altman had no contact with the Benchley family in assembling his book. Wonder what I will find there?
Despite all this I do feel Nathaniel's book is an otherwise very good overview of Robert's life. There are a ton of promised anecdotes. That's what the book is basically based upon. Lots and lots of hilarious stories that are pure Benchley. Thus this book is not to be missed by fans of the era and the humor.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 7 of 10
If I had not other wise known and read so much of Benchley over the past 40 plus years, I wouldn't have thought much of it. In this case, Nathaniel's skipping is at spots where Robert's life took some turns that would be tagged uncomfortable. Certainly understandable for a son to do. The last people you ask to learn about a person is the family.
I was hoping for more first hand knowledge of the gopings on in Robert's life. Unfortunately, it seems so much I've learned of Robert being away from his family is reflected in the lack of personal stories in the book.
This has me pulling 'Laughter's Gentle Soul' by Billy Altman off the shelf for another viewpoint. Seems Altman had no contact with the Benchley family in assembling his book. Wonder what I will find there?
Despite all this I do feel Nathaniel's book is an otherwise very good overview of Robert's life. There are a ton of promised anecdotes. That's what the book is basically based upon. Lots and lots of hilarious stories that are pure Benchley. Thus this book is not to be missed by fans of the era and the humor.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 7 of 10
May 23, 2013
I must have read some favorable reviews on Amazon books or somewhere else, which put this book on my list to have the library try to get it in. There were some half way amusing little anecdotes in the book. Other then that is was boring. Any "humor" either was over my head or just wasn't funny. Sorry!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews