Robert Benchley

Author, Humorist

About

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Also Known As

Robert Charles Benchley

Birth Place

Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

Born

September 15, 1889

Died

November 21, 1945

Biography

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Robert Benchley was an actor who had a successful Hollywood career. Benchley's earliest roles were in film, including the romantic comedy "Rafter Romance" (1933) with Ginger Rogers, "Dancing Lady" (1933) and "The Social Register" (1934). He also appeared in the Clark Gable adventure "China Seas" (1935), the comedy "Piccadilly Jim" (1936) with Robert Montgomery and the comedy "Live, ...

Filmography

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Blue Skies (1946)

Road to Utopia (1946)

The Bride Wore Boots (1946)

Janie Gets Married (1946)

It's in the Bag! (1945)

Week-End at the Waldorf (1945)

Randy Morton, the columnist

Photos & Videos

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You'll Never Get Rich (1941) -- (Movie Clip) Boogie Barcarolle

Rafter Romance (1933) -- (Movie Clip) As If You Were Ladies

Family & Companions

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Gertrude Darling

Wife

Married June 6, 1914.

Bibliography

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"Laughter's Gentle Soul: The Life of Robert Benchley"

Billy Altman, W.W. Norton & Co. (1997)

Biography

Robert Benchley was an actor who had a successful Hollywood career. Benchley's earliest roles were in film, including the romantic comedy "Rafter Romance" (1933) with Ginger Rogers, "Dancing Lady" (1933) and "The Social Register" (1934). He also appeared in the Clark Gable adventure "China Seas" (1935), the comedy "Piccadilly Jim" (1936) with Robert Montgomery and the comedy "Live, Love and Learn" (1937) with Robert Montgomery. He continued to work steadily in film throughout the forties, appearing in "Nice Girl?" (1941), the musical "You'll Never Get Rich" (1941) with Fred Astaire and the comedy adaptation "The Major and the Minor" (1942) with Ginger Rogers. In the latter part of his career, he continued to act in the Robert Walker comedy "See Here, Private Hargrove" (1944), the Phillip Terry musical "Pan-Americana" (1945) and the Fred Allen comedy "It's in the Bag" (1945). He also appeared in "Duffy's Tavern" (1945) and "Weekend at the Waldorf" (1945) with Ginger Rogers. Benchley was most recently credited in "Jeremiah of Jacob's Neck" (CBS, 1975-76). Benchley was married to Gertrude Darling. Benchley passed away in November 1945 at the age of 56.

Filmography

Cast (Feature Film)

Blue Skies (1946)

Road to Utopia (1946)

The Bride Wore Boots (1946)

Janie Gets Married (1946)

It's in the Bag! (1945)

Week-End at the Waldorf (1945)

Randy Morton, the columnist

Pan-Americana (1945)

The Stork Club (1945)

Kiss and Tell (1945)

Uncle George Archer

Duffy's Tavern (1945)

Her Primitive Man (1944)

The National Barn Dance (1944)

Song of Russia (1944)

See Here, Private Hargrove (1944)

Practically Yours (1944)

Judge Oscar Stimson

Flesh and Fantasy (1943)

Young and Willing (1943)

The Sky's the Limit (1943)

I Married a Witch (1942)

Dr. Dudley White

The Major and the Minor (1942)

Take a Letter, Darling (1942)

Syncopation (1942)

Three Girls About Town (1941)

Wilburforce Puddle

The Reluctant Dragon (1941)

Bedtime Story (1941)

You'll Never Get Rich (1941)

Martin Cortland

Nice Girl? (1941)

[Professor] Oliver [Wendel Holmes] Dana

Foreign Correspondent (1940)

Hired Wife (1940)

[Roger] Van Horn

Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937)

Live, Love and Learn (1937)

Piccadilly Jim (1936)

China Seas (1935)

Social Register (1934)

Dancing Lady (1933)

Headline Shooter (1933)

Radio announcer

Rafter Romance (1933)

[H. Harrington] Hubbell

The Sport Parade (1932)

Radio announcer

Writer (Feature Film)

The Reluctant Dragon (1941)

Additional Dialogue

Foreign Correspondent (1940)

Top of the Town (1937)

Murder on a Honeymoon (1935)

The Gay Divorcee (1934)

Blind Adventure (1933)

Additional Dialogue

After Tonight (1933)

The Sport Parade (1932)

Additional Dialogue

Sky Devils (1932)

Writer (Special)

Jeremiah of Jacob's Neck (1976)

Special Thanks (Special)

Jeremiah of Jacob's Neck (1976)

Cast (Short)

Why Daddy? (1944)

Important Business (1944)

No News Is Good News (1943)

My Tomato (1943)

That Inferior Feeling (1940)

Home Movies (1940)

The Day of Rest (1939)

See Your Doctor (1939)

Dark Magic (1939)

How to Sub-Let (1939)

An Hour for Lunch (1939)

How to Eat (1939)

Home Early (1939)

How to Raise a Baby (1938)

How to Figure Income Tax (1938)

An Evening Alone (1938)

How to Read (1938)

MUSIC MADE SIMPLE (1938)

Mental Poise (1938)

How to Watch Football (1938)

Opening Day (1938)

The Courtship of the Newt (1938)

Sunday Night at the Trocadero (1937)

The Romance of Digestion (1937)

How to Start the Day (1937)

A NIGHT AT THE MOVIES (1937)

How to Be a Detective (1936)

How to Train a Dog (1936)

How to Vote (1936)

How to Behave (1936)

Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs (1936)

David O. Selznick "Your New Producer" (1935)

How to Sleep (1935)

Writer (Short)

Important Business (1944)

Why Daddy? (1944)

No News Is Good News (1943)

Home Movies (1940)

That Inferior Feeling (1940)

Writer (Uncredited)

See Your Doctor (1939)

Dark Magic (1939)

Writer (Uncredited)

How to Sub-Let (1939)

Writer (Uncredited)

How to Eat (1939)

Home Early (1939)

Mental Poise (1938)

The Courtship of the Newt (1938)

How to Read (1938)

How to Figure Income Tax (1938)

MUSIC MADE SIMPLE (1938)

How to Watch Football (1938)

An Evening Alone (1938)

Writer (Uncredited)

A NIGHT AT THE MOVIES (1937)

The Romance of Digestion (1937)

How to Vote (1936)

How to Behave (1936)

How to Be a Detective (1936)

How to Sleep (1935)

Writer (Uncredited)

Life Events

1928

Debut as short filmmaker

Photo Collections

Live, Love and Learn - Publicity Still

Here is a publicity still from MGM's Live, Love and Learn (1937), starring Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell. Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.

Rafter Romance - Lobby Cards

Here are a few Lobby Cards from Rafter Romance (1933). Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

Rafter Romance - Scene Stills

Here are a number of scene stills from RKO's Rafter Romance (1933), starring Ginger Rogers and Norman Foster.

Videos

You'll Never Get Rich (1941) -- (Movie Clip) Boogie Barcarolle Dance director Robert (Fred Astaire) takes a call from frisky financier Cortland (Robert Benchley), then rehearses with not-intimidated Sheila (Rita Hayworth), their first on-screen dance together and a Cole Porter tune, early in You'll Never Get Rich, 1941.

Rafter Romance (1933) -- (Movie Clip) As If You Were Ladies Mary (Ginger Rogers) has landed a job which starts to look iffy, selling ice boxes on the phone for Hubbell (Robert Benchley), Ellen Corby (Granny Clampett from The Beverly Hillbillies) the second of her colleagues featured, early in Rafter Romance, 1933.

Foreign Correspondent (1940) -- (Movie Clip) Against The Wind Pursuing a suspect after an assassination in Amsterdam, Yank reporter Jones (a.k.a. Haverstock, Joel McCrea),with new friends (George Sanders, Laraine Day) notices something strange about one windmill in Foreign Correspondent (1940), directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Janie Gets Married (1946) -- (Movie Clip) Sort Of A War Emergency On their wedding day, engaged only briefly after his return from the war, Joan Leslie (title character) and Robert Hutton as Dick confer in secret, him disoriented by advice from his dad, her offering a contract, the parents (Edward Arnold, Ann Harding, Robert Benchley, Barbara Brown) intervening, in Janie Gets Married, 1946.

Foreign Correspondent (1940) -- (Movie Clip) To See London In The Sunshine Trying out his new London attire, novice foreign reporter Jones (Joel McCrea), also test-driving his fancier pen-name (Haverstock), encounters veteran newsman Stebbins (Robert Benchley), director Alfred Hitchcock in his cameo, and obfuscatory Dutch diplomat Van Meer (Albert Basserman), in Foreign Correspondent, 1940.

China Seas (1935) -- (Movie Clip) Are You With Me? In scenes largely about her wardrobe, China (Jean Harlow) wins a drinking game against Jamesy (Wallace Beery), who's already quit, then discovers his criminal scheme, rescued by captain Gaskell (Clark Gable), as the ship hits a storm, in MGM's sprawling China Seas, 1935.

China Seas (1935) -- (Movie Clip) The Whole Dirty Picture Captain Gaskell (Clark Gable) and refined widow Sybil (Rosalind Russell) join his ex, China (Jean Harlow), and Jamesy (Wallace Beery), who have become kind-of partners in a scam, C. Aubrey Smith as the ship line owner, finishing with a scolding, in China Seas, 1935, directed by Tay Garnett.

I Married A Witch (1942) -- (Movie Clip) You'll Be A Redhead! On the eve of his election as governor, candidate Wallace (Fredric March) is lured into a burning hotel by newly-embodied witch Jennifer (Veronica Lake), in I Married A Witch, 1942, directed by Renè Clair.

Sky's The Limit, The (1943) -- (Movie Clip) Slippery Times Shedding the cowboy hat he picked up in Utah when he ditched the Flying Tigers publicity tour, having hitched back to New York, Fred Astaire as “Fred Atwell” meets barkeep Vic Potel and publisher Robert Benchley, in pursuit of Joan Leslie as photographer “Joan Manion,” in The Sky’s The Limit, 1943.

Week-end At The Waldorf (1945) -- (Movie Clip) Honeymoon Couple Robert Benchley narrates, a couple (Cora Sue Collins, Michael Kirby) arrives, and Jessup (Samuel S. Hinds) rejects slippery Edley (Edward Arnold), just opening MGM's relocated and modified remake of Grand Hotel, Week-End At The Waldorf, 1944, starring Ginger Rogers and Lana Turner.

Young And Willing (1943) -- (Movie Clip) We Are An Actress In case anyone doubted the appeal of young Susan Hayward (as "Kate"), hustling on behalf of herself and fellow struggling-actor roommates, with big shot Kenny (Robert Benchley), posing here as his own chef, in Young And Willing, 1942.

Road To Utopia, The -- (Movie Clip) Personality In old Skagway, posing as famous villains they've imprisoned, Chester (Bob Hope) and Duke (Bing Crosby) act casual, and meet Sal (Dorothy Lamour), performing Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke's Personality, in Road To Utopia, 1946.

Companions

Gertrude Darling

Wife

Married June 6, 1914.

Bibliography

"Laughter's Gentle Soul: The Life of Robert Benchley"

Billy Altman, W.W. Norton & Co. (1997)

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