His son Nathaniel Benchley wrote the novel and screenplay for Jaws , and also contributed humorous essays to American Heritage about Nantucket and the purchase of Manhattan for $24 . When dad moved back upstate to Cortland he decided the upkeep on the cottage was too big a hassle. As had happened the previous summer, Lillian Duryea whisked Robert away for much of July and August. He appeared in films and wrote many screenplays. Up there with Dorothy Parker, et. “A lot of cousins,” the present day Rob said, laconically. Part of it was Benchleys. And probably, part of it … was the ocean coming in, a sense of urgency, that there are important things to do. Where was I? In 1898, however, his idolized older brother, Edmund, was killed in the Spanish-American War. A former “summer visitor,” he has been a staff photographer for the Inquirer & Mirror, the Nantucket Beacon and The Nantucket Independent. They include the writer and actor Nat and also Peter, most famous for writing Jaws … Peter and Nat’s dad, Nathaniel Benchley wrote children’s literature, was a biographer of Humphrey Bogart’s and wrote the novel on which the 1961 movie The Russians are Coming was based. And that was the point of the trip, which made it a happy one in every way that it could be. BENCHLEY HOME ON NANTUCKET. Then he invited my dad to bring my mom to the island for a visit. We should all be so lucky. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com: accessed ), memorial page for Robert Charles Benchley Jr. (26 Aug 1919–25 Jun 1988), Find a Grave Memorial no. We were with a living Benchley, Rob (the third) and his lovely wife Carol, and we didn’t talk about literature or the family tree much at all. Among his practice jokes, he left a note for the milkman at Grant's Tomb, and left two Beacon Hill Boston families in confusion as to the origin and ownership of a sofa (which is why "We've Come for the Davenport" is the name of the Boston Chapter of the Robert Benchley … He doesn’t feel the same way about the erosion as do the New Yorkers and the Connecticut folk. Robert Benchley war der jüngste Sohn des Ehepaars Charles und Maria Benchley. He also appeared in 46 movie shorts between 1928 and 1945. Benchley, once the country’s premier humorist, had stayed active until the end. He told me about some famous scientist who spent some time studying Nantucket a few years ago. His photography has also been featured in the New York Times and the Boston Globe. While dining at an inn in Nantucket, Benchley met Winifred "Wendy" Wesson, whom he dated and then married the following year, 1964. Prolific writer Peter Benchley, whose 1974 novel Jaws scared people out of the water, died Saturday night at his Princeton, N.J. home, according to Wendy Benchley, his wife of 41 years. al. Robert Benchley was going to be a Harvard man. Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith. (English Edition) eBook: Benchley, Robert: Amazon.de: Kindle-Shop Roberts älterer Bruder, Edmund Benchley, war dreizehn Jahre älter und starb 1898 im Spanisch-Amerikanischen Krieg, als Robert neun Jahre alt war. We use cookies on this site to enhance the experience. It is Rob III and Carol, though, who have made their mark on Nantucket island as much or more so than any of the clan, and not really because Rob is an extraordinary photographer for the local papers and sometimes for the Boston Globe. He is also credited with creating the first ever television entertainment show and one of his iconic short films, How to Sleep won an Academy Award in 1936. Humor, Arts &, Arts The Attic May 2, 2018 Humor, American Originals, Lit 1 Comment. I remember a garage loft just across the street where the Benchley did his writing. 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. By then Benchley was in New York, working as television editor for Newsweek. Robert Benchley, a woebegone chronicler of his own inadequacies, was the humorist’s humorist, a man beloved by practically everyone but himself. Born (but not raised) in New York City in 1950, Rob Benchley has many credits in his years of living on Nantucket. Nancy and I talked all the way home about how we, too, might live on the island … perhaps wintering there, housesitting for the “entitled” while plying our crafts. There are probably more famous Benchleys. My partner, Nancy, and I didn’t visit there this past weekend, in our time on Nantucket. Previous. September 1889 in Worcester, Massachusetts; † 21. R.B. Robert Benchley was a well-known humorist and newspaper columnist, radio and television presenter, actor, scriptwriter and broadcaster. Nathaniel Goddard Benchley (November 13, 1915 – December 14, 1981) was an American writer from Massachusetts. Robert Benchley, um 1935 Robert Charles Benchley (* 15. Got it Menu. But there was a vibe there we really liked. The summer people, those from New York and Connecticut who swell Nantucket’s population fivefold in July and August, are privately referred to, with only a little rancor, as “the entitled ones,” in reference to them taking so much for granted, and treating the island as a personal playground. Because he cares about the island, not the houses, and that makes all the difference. In 1967 he became a speechwriter in the White House for President Lyndon B. Johnson, and saw the birth of his daughter Tracy. 10 years ago By admin. Part of it was boutiques. Background Checks. In the summer of 61, I worked worked for bob Clark cutting grass. A guy would come in and pick out white appliances and then ask that they be shipped to Nantucket and held for pickup at the pier. Helen is now 103 years old, resting comfortably in an assisted living home in Atlanta. 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. As a Harvard undergraduate, Benchley gave his first comic performance, impersonating a befuddled after-dinner speaker. Robert Benchley Seventy-five years ago today, hard-working Robert Charles Benchley died in his hospital room. Each summer, aware of the increasing the threat of polio in NYC, dad would send my mom and us three kids to Nantucket for the summer. That production launched Benchley's Hollywood career. Few could be arguably as skilled. But now — he has been an islander for a long time. November 1945 in New York City, New York) war ein US-amerikanischer Humorist, Theaterkritiker und Schauspieler. A former “summer visitor,” he has been a staff photographer for the Inquirer & Mirror, the Nantucket Beacon and The Nantucket Independent. He is also a regular contributor to the Nantucket Property News/Journal. His photography has also been featured in the New York Times and the Boston Globe. Rob Benchley was raised in Connecticut and, as a boy, maybe he was one of the “entitled ones.” He fit the profile. Robert Benchley is an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor. Find Robert Benchley online. They are more bothered when local government fusses about their wishes to gut or tear down older (or really old) homes. Menu. Robert Benchley, Actor: Foreign Correspondent. In his inaugural essay, he profiles humorist Robert Benchley (1889-1945), a frequent writer for The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, and founding member of the Algonquin Round Table. 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. He is also credited with creating the first ever television entertainment show and one of his iconic short films, How to Sleep won an Academy Award in 1936. Robert Benchley. people phone reverse address business Log In Sign Up. Born (but not raised) in New York City in 1950, Rob Benchley has many credits in his years of living on Nantucket. We were too busy enjoying the present tense … good food, long walks along the sand bluffs in Sconset, the bustle of an island household, Rose the tennis-ball fixated dog, skinnydipping in the Atlantic and stops in town to visit boutiques where Nancy would like to sell her fiber artist clothing creations … mostly scarves and ponchos, but she’ll make about anything if someone gets her going and wants something specific. April/May 1986. “Of course,” he said. We were with a living Benchley, Rob (the third) and his lovely wife Carol, and we didn’t talk about literature or the family tree much at all. Below is sunset over Nantucket as seen from Rob and Carol’s front yard … I’m sure Rob has better sunset photos than this, but this one’s mine. Although 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. 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