Women and Children First

by Sally Benson

Fictional character studies originally published in The New Yorker.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1943

About the author

Sally Benson was an American author of short stories and screenplays. She was born Sara Smith in St. Louis, Missouri, but moved to New York City late in her childhood. After graduating from Horace Mann School, she married Reynolds "Babe" Benson and began publishing short stories. She is best known for her semi-autobiographical collections Meet Me in St. Louis and Junior Miss, each first published as a series of 12 short stories in The New Yorker. She died in Woodland Hills, California, in 1972.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benson wrote for the New Yorker (as well as writing the book that became Meet Me in St Louis) and I can just imagine how fun it was to come upon these delicious little slices of life stories while thumbing through the magazine in 1942. All the women wear hats.

[Nathanael Greene Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Women and Children First (1943, Random House) poignant New Yorker slice of life writing.

Junior Miss was published 1941. This collection of her stories from The New Yorker was adapted by Jerome Chodorov and Joseph Fields into a successful play that same year.[3] Directed by Moss Hart, Junior Miss ran on Broadway from 1941 to 1943. In 1945, the play was adapted as the film Junior Miss with George Seaton directing Peggy Ann Garner in the lead role.

Her screen work includes Shadow of a Doubt (1943) for Alfred Hitchcock, Come to the Stable (1949), Summer Magic (1963), Viva Las Vegas (1964) and The Singing Nun (1966). Her screenplay for Anna and the King of Siam (1946) was nominated for an Academy Award.

Other writing includes Stories of the Gods and Heroes (1940, Dial)

Born
September 3, 1897
St. Louis, Missouri
Died
July 19, 1972 (aged 74)
Woodland Hills, California