Listen to Benchley Perform The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

December 8 is the birthday of James Thurber (1894, Columbus, Ohio), so what a perfect time to listen to Robert Benchley and a full cast perform Thurber's most-popular work, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty? It was recorded in December 1944 for CBS. Thurber loved this adaptation of the story from The New Yorker. This is the complete broadcast, not abbreviated. To celebrate Thurber today, let's share this with our friends, and try to get 100 listeners for both Benchley and Thurber!

Al Hirschfed Exhibit at Algonquin Hotel Nov. 22-Jan 9

New York -- November 22, 2014, is the 112th anniversary of the Algonquin Hotel throwing open its doors to guests. To coincide with the date, a celebration of iconic artist Al Hirschfeld illustrations will be on display in the lobby through January 9, 2015. There will be 25 images of the Vicious Circle and their friends hanging in the lobby. Stop in and have a cocktail, or lunch at the Round Table.

Benchley 1914 Piece Uncovered

Sept. 9, 1914, New York Tribune, "The Conning Tower"

Thanks to independent historian Stuart Y. Silverstein of Los Angeles and Chicago, the editor of Not Much Fun, the Lost Poems of Dorothy Parker, we can now read something Robert Benchley wrote in 1914 for "The Conning Tower" of the New York Tribune. Benchley was just two years out of Harvard, and the Algonquin Round Table was five years off on the horizon.

The piece, "Blank Form To Be Handed to Returning Tourists," was submitted to the editor of the column, Benchley's mentor, Franklin P. Adams. As all "contribs" to "The Conning Tower" it was signed with Benchley's initials, not his byline. It ran Sept. 9, 1914. Mr. Silverstein says, "Note that it refers to the First World War - which started July 28, 1914 - just 6 weeks earlier. This item appeared less than a week before Benchley's 25th birthday."

Thanks, Mr. Silverstein, for digging up what we believe is the first appearance of Benchley in a New York newspaper, and sharing it with us.

(If the image is hard to read, here is a transcription)

Blank Form To Be Handed to Returning Tourists

Please fill in blanks and return with photograph showing yourself with mouth open.

The first inkling I had of the war was in _____. I was with my _____ (and my _____) at the time, and we had just come from a delightful trip through _____. One evening, the _____th of _____, we heard _____ and I said to our _____friend--, "_____?" He replied: "_____!" Immediately the streets were thronged with enthusiastic _____, all singing "_____." We had time only to get our _____ and stand _____ hours in the station for the train to _____. We were grossly insulted on the border by a _____ who insisted on _____. On reaching _____ we had to stand like cattle before the _____ left for _____. I tell you, the old Statue of Liberty looked pretty good to me. I don't know, of course, but take it from me, the war won't be over until one side is victorious and that won't be for _____.

R. C. B. 

Algonquin Round Table Walking Tour

Algonquin Round Table Walking Tour, Sunday, Dec. 4, Noon-2 p.m.

Location: Algonquin Hotel, 59 W. 44th St (bet 5th and 6th Avenues)
Cost: $20

Walk in the footsteps of the Vicious Circle in the only walking tour dedicated to the city's greatest literary friends. See the places where the Round Table, lived, worked, played and drank. You'll visit the former homes, theaters and speakeasies associated with Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Franklin P. Adams, Heywood Broun, Edna Ferber, George S. Kaufman and many more. The walk begins and ends in the landmark Algonquin Hotel. The walk is led by Kevin C. Fitzpatrick, president of the DPS and author of A Journey into Dorothy Parker's New York. RSVP to kevin@dorothyparker.com.

New Book by Kim Goldsworthy, "Lunch at the Algonquin," Features the 1920s Celebrities Known as The Algonquin Round Table

"Lunch at the Algonquin" is a new book by Kim Goldsworthy. A novelette of historical fiction, the book re-creates a dialogue between the group of writers known as "The Algonquin Round Table" or "The Vicious Circle," featuring Dorothy Parker and Robert Benchley.

The author, Mr. Kim Goldsworthy of Rosemead, California, describes his historical fiction novelette as a re-creation of a one-hour luncheon attended by the famous Algonquin Wits of The Roaring Twenties or The Jazz Age. Specifically, the dialogue features the wit and sarcasm of Dorothy Parker (writer/screenwriter), Robert Benchley (writer/actor), Harold Ross (editor and founder of "The New Yorker" magazine), George S. Kaufman (Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright), and Marc Connelly (Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright), and others.

Like a fly-on-the-wall, the book records a typical conversation of this group as they eat lunch in the Algonquin Hotel in mid-town Manhattan, one afternoon in 1921, as they gab about the hot issues of the day: Prohibition; women's rights; radio; film; the Red Scare; the Sacco-Vanzetti trial of the century. They likewise converse about the little things, like pets, the theater, and what to do this weekend. In between bites, they spit their venom on each other as they toss off their insults and sexual innuendos between puns, word-play, literary allusions, and quotable quotes.

The author has included historical background to allow the reader to pick up the vibration of post-World War I America as expressed by the most literate New Yorkers living through the Jazz Age. For example, the newest interests of the early 1920s were mainly: the spread of the deadly Spanish flu epidemic; the spreading of jazz music; the propagation of radio as a consumer good; and the two newest Amendments to the U.S. Constitution concerning the right to vote ("women's suffrage") and the banning of alcoholic beverages ("Prohibition").

Popular interest in the Roaring Twenties and The Jazz Age is peaking right now, thanks to recent television shows like HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" and the Ken Burns documentary "Prohibition" which debuted on PBS.

Did I Die and Go to Heaven? Not Yet. But I Did Stay at...

Did I die and go to Heaven? Not yet. But I did stay at the legendary Algonquin Hotel for several days just last week, mere moments before its most recent sale at 82 million smackeroos.

For a writer, member of the Robert Benchley Society, and a humorist, visiting the home of The Algonquin Round Table is akin to a holy event.

The Oak Room. The mural. Me. This is my pilgrimage to the altar of wit, brilliant repartee, sophisticated quips, and cherished literary history.

Barb Best "A Vicious Circle" by Natalie Ascencios

A display case adjacent to the elevators displays a historical collection of cultural keepsakes from The Algonquin Round Table. Included are photographs of Robert Benchley and vintage copies of some of his books.

Let us not forget Matilda, the celebrity cat whose chaise longue adorns the front lobby. She has a popular book (a biography), a Facebook page, an active Twitter account, and (I suspect) a lucrative merchandising deal. Eat your heart out, Eloise and Taco Bell Chihuahua.

I had the pleasure of meeting Matilda in The Oak Room when I was luxuriating over a lengthy, late breakfast with a writer friend. She's quite sociable (Matilda, that is).

The wallpaper upstairs in the hallways is custom made from classic New Yorker cartoons. Thurber, Arno, Steig, Addams. I never thought I'd say this, but I am in love with wallpaper.

Seeking inspiration within The Algonquin?

There is a "Writer's Block" rate at The Algonquin. Simply show a manuscript or published work to qualify.

BARB BEST is a new member of the Robert Benchley Society and in the Top Ten in the RBS Humor Writing Competition.

She is also the 2010 Erma Bombeck Global Humor Winner. Her blog is Barb's Blast.

Robert Benchley "My Favorite New Yorker" Says Style Guy Glenn O'Brien

GQ writer Glenn O'Brien in a recent interview cited "Robert Benchley, the great Algonquin Round Table figure and New Yorker humorist who went on to write in Hollywood and have an acting career as a curmudgeon" as his favorite New Yorker, and aded "I love his resigned but noble sense of humor in the face of mass societal stupidity." Read the interview in New York magazine at http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/04/glenn_obrien_thinks_donald_tru.html

A Mention in Australian Dispatches.

The newspaper, "The Weekend Australian" had an article on the 9th April, about best travel experiences.
The traveller, Kaye Fallick, author and publisher of a website for mature travellers, was asked various questions,
Stand out bar experience?
The Round Table Room bar at the Algonquin Hotel, on West 44th Street, New York for the the best whisky sour.
I'll put it on my bucket list.

The Drum Major Instinct Demystified

The Algonquin Hotel in NYC, is famous for the Algonquin Round Table mural painted by Natalie Ascencios, which depicts "the Vicious Circle" of columnists, playwrights, and novelists; such as, Franklin Pierce Adams, Robert Benchley, Heywood Broun, Marc Connelly, George S. Kaufman, Dorothy Parker, Harold Ross, Robert E. Sherwood, John Peter Toohey, and Alexander Woollcott, who conducted important business in the Rose Room. Much of the agenda focused on the proper combination of gin mixed with vermouth and olives, and how to hail a cab.

Members of the vicious circle were immortalized in Aviva Slesin’s Academy Award-winning documentary, The Ten Year Lunch; lunches that spanned from 1919 to 1929. The New Yorker Magazine was born at the Algonquin, Orson Wells honeymooned there, William Faulkner wrote the first draft of his Nobel Prize acceptance speech there, composers Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner created songs there for “Brigadoon” and “My Fair Lady;” and yet, taking the bull by the horns to hail a cab was still a matter of concern.

In other words, “We call ourselves a free nation, and yet we let ourselves be told what cabs we can and can't take by a man at a hotel door, simply because he has a drum major's uniform on.” ~ Robert Benchley

Dorothy Parker Society President, Kevin Fitzpatrick, Leads Us on a Tour of The Hotel Algonquin

New York in the Springtime

Experience NYC in style at the Algonquin with 15% off our Best Rates. Located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in Midtown, The Algonquin is in the heart of the excitement with world-class shopping, dining, and nightlife all just steps away. Newly renovated guestrooms blend timeless décor with modern conveniences. The Round Table delights with superb cuisine, while the Blue Bar and lobby serve up great conversation and excellent cocktails.

See more information or book this limited time offer at http://zimmerman.bm23.com/public/?q=preview_message&fn=Link&t=1&ssid=12615&id=jlg33s671ddwkf3k6fviv76veqwm1&id2=1heku6ylhunbm0cdbdrsrvu80z1h1&subscriber_id=axspmsdmgbzhenliukvzfxcjmqatbkp&messageversion_id=aeanhbxsgkukdpkealvuxxkbcjrubaj&delivery_id=bbsbqemrxviptxulrbdvjrwmzvwbbkb.

L.A. Writer Recreates the Round Table in New Book

PRESS RELEASE - MARCH 28, 2010

contact: Mr. Kim Goldsworthy (Rosemead, CA)
tele: (626) 280-5644
e-mail: gebegb@earthlink.net

FAMOUS ALGONQUIN HOTEL "VICIOUS CIRCLE" LUNCHEON GATHERING RE-CREATED IN BOOK

Mr. Kim Goldsworthy of the Los Angeles area has re-created an afternoon luncheon dialogue of the Algonquin Round Table, featuring Dorothy Parker and Robert Benchley, among half a dozen others, in that famous "Vicious Circle" which met in the Algonquin Hotel in New York City throughout the decade of the 1920s.

Mr. Goldsworthy wishes for members of the RBS as well as members of the Dorothy Parker Society to contact him via e-mail. Object: to ascertain the interest level of people interested in "hearing" what those now-famous people were chatting about in a typical lunch hour circa 1921, with insults and suggestive humor punctuating their literary allusions, their puns, and their respect for each other, and their disrespect for the rest of the world outside of their circle.

If interest is sufficient, then the book may be self-published via one of the major on-line e-publishing companies. If interest is light, then chapters may be shared among the readers who have shown an interest by contacting the author.

FREE Martinis ... at the Algonquin at GLIMPSES OF THE MOON

GLIMPSES OF THE MOON is fun and romantic--perfect for a date or a celebration with friends!

FREE Martinis before the show

For tickets call 866.468.7619 or www.TICKETWEB.com

FREE Ticket-- if you bring 3 friends. (this Monday only) Mention codeFREEmoon.
.
"It plays only on Monday nights but elicits a Sunday kind of love." -- John Simon, Bloomberg.com


"You'll leave with dreams in your heart and stars in your eyes." --Stage & Cinema

www.glimpsesofthemoon.com

Nat Benchley Releases Volume 2 of 'Benchley on Benchley'

We got the new CD of Robert Benchley stories from his grandson, Nat Benchley, who recorded it. "Benchley on Benchley Volume 2" has ten stories, all classics. Among them are "Kiddie Kar Travel," "How to Understand Music," "Penguin Psychology," and "The Social Life of the Newt."

Nat was good enough to answer 5 questions for us about the CD, which you can purchase on his web site.

Nat, how did you choose the pieces on Volume 2?

Mostly, they were among my favorites which fit into the recording time frame and were not universally printed in too many collections.

What is your favorite piece on Volume 2, and why?

Well, I don't want to prejudice listeners, but there is one particular piece which -after all the readings and recording and listening again- still absolutely cracks me up (because of the writing, of course, not the reading). It is one I reference in my one-man show for a particular line, but there are many other sections of the piece which make me giggle. I think anyone who might ever have been "overserved" will relate to it.

What is the best part about recording your grandfather's work, and presenting it to the public?

To be perfectly, Frank, [sic] the best part is finally getting it right. There have been recordings before -some by some very talented people- which just missed some of the whimsy and the off-beat nature of his character. I will immodestly say that after all these years of living with the legend, studying his films and recordings and performing my one-man show, I think I have him down pretty well.

Volume 1 has "The Treasurer's Report"; does Volume 2 have anything like it that stands out?

Well, "The Treasurer's Report" is his "signature" piece but not necessarily his best (just listen to what he has to say about it in the intro). One of the pieces on Volume 2 is one that has long been underrated. If you listen to (or read) "How To Understand Music" carefully, I think you will realize what a clever piece of satire it is. Close to music criticism, but way askew.

Will we see a Volume 3?

Only if Volume 2 sells really well.

Thanks so much, Nat. We look forward to hearing it.

Enjoy 25% off at the Algonquin

This just in from our friends at the Algonquin!

Click here to view this in a web browser.


In the midst of turbulent economic times, Algonquin Hotel invites you to enjoy a wallet-friendly getaway. Stay with us for three nights or more, and we’ll treat you to 25% off our nightly rate, plus free high-speed Internet access. But you’ll have to act fast: reservations must be booked by November 17 in order to receive this special discount. Break free from routine without breaking the bank, and make your escape to the Big Apple!

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Terms & ConditionsOffer is valid for stays booked between October 28, 2008 and November 17, 2008 and completed between October 28, 2008 and March 31, 2009. All package amenities associated with this promotion are per room, per eligible stay and include: complimentary high speed internet access. An eligible stay is defined as three or more consecutive nights paying a qualifying rate in the same hotel regardless of the number of check-in or check- outs that occur. Rates are per room, per night, based on single/double occupancy and availability at time of reservation and do not include additional per room, per night charges that may be imposed or state/local taxes. Blackout dates and other restrictions may apply.Offer not applicable to groups.
The Algonquin Hotel 59 West 44th Street Between Fifth and Sixth Avenues New York, NY 10036 212-840-6800

Los Angeles Event July 31

Members of the Robert Benchley Society have been invited by the Los Angeles chapter of the Dorothy Parker Society to an evening of frolic and LA history in the 20s on Thursday, July 31, at 6:30-10 pm at Casa Del Mar, 1910 Ocean Way, Santa Monica, CA 90405. Phone: (310) 581-5533.

We will have time to get to know each other during cocktail hour between 6:30-7:30 in the Casa Del Mar bar. Around 7:30 pm, historian Alison Jefferson will give a brief slide show about the special history of the beach area, nicknamed "The Inkwell," in front of the Casa Del Mar, the site of a beach club popular with Dorothy Parker's crowd in the 20s and 30s.

Alison Jefferson works for Historic Resources Group as a historian. She has a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology from Pomona College in Claremont, California and her Master's in Historic Preservation from the University of Southern California. Her research focuses on Southern California vacation spots frequented by African Americans during the segregation in the 20s and 30s.

The meeting is open to the public. Invite your friends.

1950s Hotel Algonquin 21-Feature Match Book--NYC

I get this on Ebay recently!

This Lion 21-Feature match book is from the Hotel Algonquin on West 44th Street in New York City. The saddle reads: Ben B. Bodne, Pres. The sticks list their accommodations.

21-Feature --A Lion Match Co. trademark for a match book containing wide match sticks that were printed with lettering, designs or a combination of both (not to be confused with printed sticks). The standard 30-stick size match book held 21 wide stick feature match sticks in three rows of seven. The 20-stick size match book held 15 wide match sticks and was known as the Feature. Introduced September 1930. They are no longer made.

Round Table Video

A look inside the Algonquin Hotel, the lobby, and of course, the Round Table itself.