Nathaniel Benchley
Encyclopedia
Nathaniel Benchley was an American author.
Born 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
. He enlisted in the US Navy prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor
and served as a Public Relations Officer and on convoy duty in the Atlantic on destroyers and patrol craft. He was transferred to the Pacific in 1945. He worked for Newsweek magazine as an assistant drama editor.
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 people.
He wrote a biography of his father Robert in 1955. His first novel Sail a Crooked Ship (1960) was filmed by Columbia Pictures in 1961. 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
.
Partial bibliography, children/juvenile books:
Partial bibliography, novels (unless otherwise noted):
Partial bibliography, short stories:
Born in Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
to a literary family, he was the son of Gertrude Darling and Robert Benchley
Robert Benchley
Robert Charles Benchley was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor...
(1889–1945), the noted American writer, humorist, critic, actor, and one of the founders of the Algonquin Round Table
Algonquin Round Table
The Algonquin Round Table was a celebrated group of New York City writers, critics, actors and wits. Gathering initially as part of a practical joke, members of "The Vicious Circle", as they dubbed themselves, met for lunch each day at the Algonquin Hotel from 1919 until roughly 1929...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He enlisted in the US Navy prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
and served as a Public Relations Officer and on convoy duty in the Atlantic on destroyers and patrol craft. He was transferred to the Pacific in 1945. He worked for Newsweek magazine as an assistant drama editor.
Writing career
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 DanishDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
boy during the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
occupation of his country in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
; and "Small Wolf", a story about a Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
boy who meets white men on the island of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and learns that their ideas about land are different from those of his own people.
He wrote a biography of his father Robert in 1955. His first novel Sail a Crooked Ship (1960) was filmed by Columbia Pictures in 1961. Film director/producer, Norman Jewison
Norman Jewison
Norman Frederick Jewison, CC, O.Ont is a Canadian film director, producer, actor and founder of the Canadian Film Centre. Highlights of his directing career include In the Heat of the Night , The Thomas Crown Affair , Fiddler on the Roof , Jesus Christ Superstar , Moonstruck , The Hurricane and The...
made Benchley's 1961 novel The Off-Islanders into a motion picture titled The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming is an American comedy film. Based on the Nathaniel Benchley novel The Off-Islanders, the film was directed by Norman Jewison and adapted for the screen by William Rose....
for which he received the nomination for an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay
Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay
The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. It is awarded each year to the writer of a screenplay adapted from another source...
. He was a close friend of actor Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
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
Peter Benchley
Peter Bradford Benchley was an American author, best known for his novel Jaws and its subsequent film adaptation, the latter co-written by Benchley and directed by Steven Spielberg...
(1940–2006), was a writer best known for writing the novel Jaws
Jaws (film)
Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
and the screenplay of the 1975 Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
film made from it. His younger son, Nat Benchley
Nat Benchley
Nathaniel Robert "Nat" Benchley is a writer and actor who has performed on stage, television, and film. He is the grandson of humorist Robert Benchley, the son of author Nathaniel G...
, 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
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket is an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the United States. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and the coterminous Nantucket County, which are consolidated. Part of the town is designated the Nantucket...
.
Partial bibliography, children/juvenile books:
- Sinbad the Sailor (1960)
- Red Fox and His Canoe (1964)
- Oscar Otter (1966)
- The Strange Disappearance of Arthur Cluck (1967)
- Ghost Named Fred (1968)
- Sam the Minuteman (1969)
- The Several Tricks of Edgar Dolphin (1970)
- Feldman Fieldmouse: A Fable (1971)
- The Magic Sled (1972)
- Small Wolf (1972)
- Only Earth and Sky Last Forever (1972)
- The Deep Dives of Stanley Whale (1973)
- Bright Candles: A Novel of the Danish Resistance (1974)
- Beyond the Mists (1975)
- Snorri and the Strangers (1976)
- Kilroy and the Gull (1977)
- George the Drummer Boy (1977)
- Running Owl the Hunter (1979)
- Walter, the Homing Pigeon (1981)
- Welcome to Xanadu (1968)
Partial bibliography, novels (unless otherwise noted):
- Robert Benchley: A Biography(1955)
- Sail a Crooked Ship (1960)
- The Off-Islanders (1961)
- Catch a Falling Spy (1964)
- A Winter's Tale (1964)
- The Visitors (1965)
- The Monument (1966)
- Welcome to Xanadu (1968)
- The Wake of the Icarus (1969)
- Lassiter's Folly (1971)
- A Necessary End: A Novel of World War II (1976)
- Sweet Anarchy (1979)
- Portrait of a Scoundrel (1979)
- All Over Again (1981)
- Speakeasy (1982)
Partial bibliography, short stories:
- "Short cut" The New Yorker 25/49 (28 January 1950) : 26-29