Nathaniel Benchley

Nathaniel Benchley

Nathaniel Benchley (Nathaniel Goddard Benchley) was born on November 13th, 1915. Nathaniel passed away December 14th, 1981 at 66 years old. Nathaniel Benchley was born in Newton, Massachusetts, USA. Benchley attended Harvard College.

Nathaniel Benchley was an author. His son is Peter Benchley, and his dad is Robert Benchley. He has a younger son, named Nat, who is also a writer and actor that has played his grandpa in a one-man, semi-autobiographical stage show.

He enlisted in the US Navy just before the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served as a public relations officer, and on patrol craft and destroyers for North Atlantic convoy duty during the Battle of the Atlantic, later being transferred to the Pacific Theater in 1945.

After the war, he worked for Newsweek as an assistant drama editor.

Side Street, his debut novel, was published by Harcourt, Brace in 1950. It features some hilarious activities of these two New York City families that live on the East Side of Manhattan close to 60th Street.

Besides writing fiction, he also wrote children’s fiction which provides readers this experience of certain historical settings, animal species, and so on. He also wrote biographies of Humphrey Bogart, which was a friend, and his dad.

Sail a Crooked Ship was adapted as a comedy film of the same name by Columbia in 1961. The Off-Islanders was adapted into The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming by Norman Jewison (producer/director) in 1965. ABC aired the made-for-TV drama Sweet Hostage in 1975, which was based on his 1968 novel called Welcome to Xanadu.

The Visitors is about the Powell family nearly given up on finding an affordable New England house for them to rent for the summer when this agent shows them the old Twitchell place, which is being offered at quite a suspiciously low price. What everybody in town, but the Powell family, knows is that this place has been haunted ever since Ebenezer Twitchell (that cantankerous sea captain)murdered his mistress and wife and hid their bodies in the cellar.

The ghosts don’t initially seem to be too much of an issue, even though the blood dripping walls and the flying dishes are sort of a nuisance. However once old George shows up for a visit and the ghosts sink his boat, it gets obvious that their intentions are more murderous and that the Powells’ relaxing summer holiday has become a horrible nightmare.

This is a pitch perfect blend of humor and horror with just the right mix of laughs and scares.

It was adapted into The Spirit Is Willing, a William Castle movie produced by Paramount Pictures.

Nathaniel Benchley: Awards & Accolades

Benchley's book, Only Earth and Sky Last Forever won the Spur Awards, Best Western Juvenile Fiction, in 1972.

Related Authors

Fans of Nathaniel Benchley also enjoy these authors:

1. Carl Hiaasen, author of the Andrew Yancy Series.
2. John Sandford, author of the Prey/Lucas Davenport Series.
3. Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher Series.
4. James Patterson, author of the Alex Cross Series.
5. Bill Bryson, author of the Bill Bryson Travel Books.

Nathaniel Benchley: F.A.Q