"It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous." - Robert Benchley
Photo Courtesy of Vanity Fair
Do you need an incentive to keep writing? What about that quote from Robert Benchley? Who is Robert Benchley? I had no idea so I did a bit of research. This quote was one of three on my Google homepage today. I laughed after reading it. The man piqued my interest so I wanted to know more about him.
Benchley was a twentieth-century American humorist. 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. As a Harvard undergraduate, Benchley gave his first comic performance, impersonating a befuddled after-dinner speaker. The act made him a campus celebrity and remained in Benchley's repertoire for the rest of his life. (Landing the position of editor of the Harvard Lampoon was the other highlight of his college career.) As a post-graduate journalist, between frequent firings and other disruptions, Benchley made his mark as a theater critic and as writer of whimsical musings on the vagaries of modern life.
Despite his alleged confusion, Robert Benchley (1889-1945):
- wrote and acted in the first all-talking film (The Treasurer's Report," Fox-Movietone, 1928)
- in 17 years, wrote and starred in 48 short films, winning the 1935 Academy Award for MGM's "How to Sleep"
- wrote and acted in 38 feature films and wrote partial scripts or dialogue for dozens of others
- starred on his own radio show for three years (1938-1940) with Artie Shaw as his bandleader
- was a frequent guest artist on other radio shows, such as "Amos 'n Andy" and The Fred Allen Show and recorded a classic version (Thurber's avowed favorite) of James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"
- published more than 600 stories in various magazines (and had several hundred others which were not published until long after his death
All of this and more from a man who claimed to be professionally lazy!
Further research uncovered a decline in his career which resulted in alcoholism. His health continued to deteriorate as his career plummeted with no chance of being resurrected. He passed away from cirrhosis of the liver in a New York hospital on November 21, 1945. He was only 56. Ironically, the anniversary of his death is a mere three days away.
It is only befitting to end this article with a quote from Robert Benchley:
"The freelance writer is a man who is paid per piece or per word or perhaps." Somehow, I could not help but think of Mike Fak as I wrote this article. He's famous and can no doubt relate to each quote from Benchley far better than most.
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Mike Fak is a freelance writer, columnist and coach. He is featured at SearchWarp.)
Copyright 2008 by Avis Ward of
GeoVi's Home for New Life
