Charles Alfred Selwyn Bennett (2 August 1899 – 15 June 1995) was an English playwright, screenwriter and director probably best known for his work with

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

Biography

Early life

Charles Bennett was born in a disused railway carriage in

Shoreham-by-Sea Shoreham-by-Sea (often shortened to Shoreham) is a coastal town and port in the Adur District, Adur district, in the county of West Sussex, England. In 2011 it had a population of 20,547. The town is bordered to its north by the South Downs, to ...

, Sussex, England, the son of Lilian Langrishe Bennett (1863–1930), an actress and artist. Bennett's mother told him his father was Charles Bennett, a civil engineer killed in a boiler explosion, though he thought it was actor Kyrle Bellew (1855–1911). Bennett had an elder brother, Frederick (known as Eric), and a younger brother, Vere. His father is recorded in his baptismal register as Frederick Bennett, engineer. The film historian John Belton has asserted that Bennett's father died when he was four. In the 1911 census, Lilian Bennett recorded herself as a widow, and an artist. Bennett was mostly educated at home, but also briefly at St Mark's College, Chelsea.

Actor

Bennett was a child actor, appearing in Max Reinhart's production of ''The Miracle'' at Olympia Theatre in 1911. He played child roles in stage productions of ''Alice in Wonderland'' (1913), ''Goody Two Shoes'' (1913), ''Drake'' (1914) and ''The Marriage Market'' (1915), and toured in productions all over England. He had a role in the film '' John Halifax, Gentleman'' (1915) as the young John Halifax; the older Halifax was Fred Paul. The performance was not particularly well received and Bennett became an extra and assistant to

Adrian Brunel Adrian Brunel (4 September 1892 – 18 February 1958) was an English film director and screenwriter. Brunel's directorial career started in the Silent film, silent era, and reached its peak in the latter half of the 1920s. His surviving work fr ...

. He continued to appear in stage in productions of '' The Speckled Band'' (1916), ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'' (1916) with Sir Herbert Tree and ''Raffles'' (1917). In 1917 he enlisted in the army and served with the

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many war ...

. Most of his war service was spent on the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France * Somme, Queensland, Australia * Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), ...

, where he saw action. He was awarded the

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the British Armed Forces, armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, below commissioned o ...

and ended the war with the rank of lieutenant. He was invalided out due to a gas attack and left the army in 1919. Bennett resumed his acting career, playing with the ''

Brewster's Millions ''Brewster's Millions'' is a comedic novel written by George Barr McCutcheon in 1902, originally under the pseudonym of Richard Greaves. The plot concerns a young man whose grandfather leaves him $1 million in a will, but a competing will from ...

'' company (1920), then the Compton Comedy Company, the Lena Ashwell Players, the Gertrude Elliott Touring Company, and the Henry Baynton Company (for whom he appeared in ''

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed around 1607, by the King's Men at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre. Its first appearance in print was in the First Folio published ...

'' and ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'').In 1923 he joined the Alexander Marsh Shakespearean company, touring throughout England.

Playwright

In 1925 Bennett joined the

Ben Greet Sir Philip Barling Greet (24 September 1857 – 17 May 1936), known professionally as Ben Greet, was a British William Shakespeare, Shakespearean actor, director, impresario and actor-manager. Early life The younger son of Captain William Gre ...

Repertory, which performed in Paris from 1925 to 1926. During this time, while acting in the evenings he wrote his first three full-length plays: ''The Return'', based on his war service, ''

Blackmail Blackmail is a criminal act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a thr ...

'' and '' The Last Hour''. In December 1926 Bennett played Theseus in a production of ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' at London's

Winter Garden Theatre The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Originally designed by architect William Albert Swasey, it opened in 1911. The Winter Garden's current des ...

. In April 1927 he was in a production of ''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

'' at the Apollo Theatre alongside

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud ( ; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Britis ...

, Robert Loraine and Gertrude Elliott. In May 1927 Bennett appeared in a production of his own play ''The Return'', which he also directed.

Peggy Ashcroft Dame Edith Margaret Emily "Peggy" Ashcroft (22 December 1907 – 14 June 1991) was an English actress whose career spanned more than 60 years. Born to a comfortable middle-class family, Ashcroft was determined from an early age to become ...

was in the cast. In December 1927 he appeared in Loraine's production of ''

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th ce ...

''. Bennett had the biggest success of his career to date when Al Woods decided to finance a production of ''

'' in 1928, produced by Raymond Massey and starring

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Lifeboat (194 ...

. The play was not well received at first, but had a hugely successful run on tour. The play was seen by

who arranged for British International Pictures to buy the film rights and adapted Bennett's play into a script, with Benn Levy doing the dialogue. His film of ''

'' (1929) is generally credited as the first British

sound film A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...

, and was a huge commercial success. Bennett's play '' The Last Hour'' debuted on London stage in December 1928 and was a popular hit in London. '' The Last Hour'' (1930) was turned into a movie directed by

Walter Forde Walter Forde (born Thomas Seymour Woolford, 21 April 1898 – 7 January 1984) was a British actor, screenwriter and Film director, director. Born in Lambeth, South London in 1898, he directed over fifty films between 1919 from the silent era ...

, the first "talkie" for Nettleford Studios. Bennett's fourth play was ''The Danger Line'' (1929), based on Hazel May Marshall's story ''Ten Minutes to Twelve''. He also wrote a one act play ''After Midnight'' (1929).

Early screenplays

The success of ''Blackmail'' led to British International offering him a contract in September 1931 to deliver three film stories a year for two years. He was reunited with Alfred Hitchcock and they collaborated on a story for Bulldog Drummond, to be called ''Bulldog Drummond's Baby''. However Hitchcock then directed some films which flopped and BIP chose not to proceed with the project. While at BIP he wrote stories for as yet filmed books: ''Death on the Footplate'', ''The Parrot Whistles'', ''High Speed'', ''Love My Dog'' and ''Fireman Save My Child''. Bennett provided the story for a number of low-budget movies for George King who he later called the "world's worst director": '' Number, Please'' (1931); ''

Deadlock Deadlock commonly refers to: * Deadlock (computer science), a situation where two processes are each waiting for the other to finish * Deadlock (locksmithing) or deadbolt, a physical door locking mechanism * Political deadlock or gridlock, a si ...

'' (1931), which was a big hit; ''

Midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours. ...

'' (1931), the latter based on his play; and '' Two Way Street'' (1932). Bennett wrote and directed the play ''

Sensation Sensation (psychology) refers to the processing of the senses by the sensory system. Sensation or sensations may also refer to: In arts and entertainment In literature *Sensation (fiction), a fiction writing mode *Sensation novel, a British ...

'' (1931), a melodrama, but it was not a success, although it was adapted into a film. He followed it with another play ''Big Business'' (1932), which Bennett also directed and appeared in alongside his then-wife Maggie. But by now he had given up acting to focus on writing. Bennett wrote a short film, '' Partners Please'' (1932), and did an early film for John Paddy Carstairs, '' Paris Plane'' (1933). Bennett wrote ''

Mannequin A mannequin (sometimes spelled as manikin and also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off dif ...

'' (1933); '' The House of Trent'' (1933); '' Matinee Idol'' (1933) for King; ''

Hawley's of High Street ''Hawley's of High Street'' is a 1933 British comedy film directed by Thomas Bentley (director), Thomas Bentley and starring Leslie Fuller, Judy Kelly, Francis Lister and Moore Marriott. Its plot concerns a butcher and a draper who stand for el ...

'' (1933), a rare comedy for Bennett; '' The Secret of the Loch'' (1934), the first film shot on location in Scotland; '' Warn London'' (1934); an adaptation of his play ''

Big Business Big business involves large-scale corporate-controlled financial or business activities. As a term, it describes activities that run from "huge transactions" to the more general "doing big things". In corporate jargon, the concept is commonly ...

'' (1934); and '' Gay Love'' (1934). A number of these films were written in collaboration with publicist and story writer Billie Bristow; she and Bennett would work on eight films together in all. In 1934 he wrote the play ''Heart's Desire'' which he later regarded as the best play he wrote and the only one he loved but it was never produced.

Hitchcock

Hitchcock moved over to

Gaumont British The Gaumont-British Picture Corporation was a British company that produced and distributed films and operated a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. It was established as an offshoot of France's Gaumont. Film production Gaumont-British was fou ...

where he got

Michael Balcon Sir Michael Elias Balcon (19 May 1896 – 17 October 1977) was an English film producer known for his leadership of Ealing Studios in west London from 1938 to 1956. Under his direction, the studio became one of the most important British film ...

interested in ''Bulldog Drummond's Baby''. It was eventually filmed as '' The Man Who Knew Too Much'' (1934), which was a significant success. After doing '' Night Mail'' (1935) with Bristow, Bennett wrote '' The 39 Steps'' (1935) for Hitchcock, a film which soon established itself as a classic; Bennett said he was responsible for most of the film's construction, but paid tribute to the contribution of Ian Hay, who did dialogue. Bennett was now in much demand. He wrote '' The Clairvoyant'' (1935) with

Claude Rains William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British and American actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. He was the recipient of numerous accolades, including four Academy Award nominations for Academy Award for Best Supp ...

and

Fay Wray Vina Fay Wray (September 15, 1907 – August 8, 2004) was a Canadian-American actress best known for starring as Ann Darrow in the 1933 film ''King Kong''. Through an acting career that spanned nearly six decades, Wray attained international r ...

; '' King of the Damned'' (1935), written with

Sidney Gilliat Sidney Gilliat (15 February 1908 – 31 May 1994) was an English film director, producer and writer. In the 1930s he worked as a scriptwriter, most notably with Frank Launder on ''The Lady Vanishes'' (1938) for Alfred Hitchcock, and '' Nig ...

; '' All at Sea'' (1936); ''Blue Smoke'' (1935). He did two films for Hitchcock, ''

Secret Agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ''e ...

'' (1936) (based on Somerset Maugham's '' Ashenden'') and ''

Sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, government, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, demoralization (warfare), demoralization, destabilization, divide and rule, division, social disruption, disrupti ...

'' (1936). In January 1936 his play ''

Page From a Diary ''Page From a Diary'' is a 1936 play by the British writer Charles Bennett. It is a melodrama set on the Northwest Frontier where a British unit is trapped by the enemy and a Captain's wife is involved in a love triangle. It ran for 33 performa ...

'', starring

Greer Garson Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson (29 September 1904 – 6 April 1996) was a British-American actress and singer. She was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer who became popular during the Second World War for her portrayal of strong women on the homef ...

and Ernst Deutsch, had a short run at the

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ...

in London. Bennett was one of several writers on ''

King Solomon's Mines ''King Solomon's Mines'' is an 1885 popular fiction, popular novel by the English Victorian literature, Victorian adventure writer and fable, fabulist Sir H. Rider Haggard. Published by Cassell and Company, it tells of an expedition through an ...

'' (1937) then he went back to Hitchcock for '' Young and Innocent'' (1937).

Hollywood

Bennett's work with Hitchcock had made him perhaps the most highly regarded screenwriter in England (one paper called him "Britain's best known blood curdler") and attracted the attention of Hollywood. In 1937 he accepted a contract with

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

at $1,500 a week. Universal loaned him out to Sam Goldwyn, and did some uncredited writing on '' The Adventures of Marco Polo'' (1938) and '' The Real Glory'' (1939), then worked on Universal's '' Good Girls Go to Paris'' (1939) and '' Hidden Power'' (1939). After six months Universal dropped Bennett's contract. His agent Myron Selznick got Bennett a job with Myron's brother

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

. Bennett got his first Hollywood credited on the comedy '' The Young in Heart'' (1938); he did the construction and Paul Osborne the dialogue. Bennett then signed a contract to MGM where he worked on '' Cause for Alarm'', an adaptation of an

Eric Ambler Eric Clifford Ambler OBE (28 June 1909 – 23 October 1998) was an English author of thrillers, in particular spy novels, who introduced a new realism to the genre. Also working as a screenwriter, Ambler used the pseudonym Eliot Reed for books ...

novel which ended up not being made, and ''

Balalaika The balalaika (, ) is a Russian string instrument, stringed musical instrument with a characteristic triangular wooden, hollow body, fretted neck, and three strings. Two strings are usually tuned to the same note and the third string is a perf ...

'' (1939), a

Nelson Eddy Nelson Ackerman Eddy (June 29, 1901 – March 6, 1967) was an American actor and baritone singer who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclubs ...

musical. He wrote a short novel, ''War in His Pocket'', which was published in 1939. Hitchcock moved to the US and hired Bennett to do some work on '' Foreign Correspondent'' (1940). Bennett was nominated for an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

for Best Script.

Cecil B. De Mille

Bennett worked on '' They Dare Not Love'' (1941) at Columbia and did uncredited work on '' Lucky Legs'' (1942). He was hired by Cecil B. De Mille to work on the script construction of ''

Reap the Wild Wind ''Reap the Wild Wind'' is a 1942 American adventure film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Ray Milland, John Wayne, and Paulette Goddard, with a supporting cast featuring Raymond Massey, Robert Preston (actor), Robert Pres ...

'' (1942), which was a huge hit. Bennett went to RKO to write ''

Joan of Paris ''Joan of Paris'' is a 1942 war film about five Royal Air Force pilots shot down over Nazi-occupied France during World War II and their attempt to escape to England. It stars Michèle Morgan and Paul Henreid, with Thomas Mitchell, Laird Cr ...

'' (1942), which was one of his favourite films. At that studio he wrote the unproduced ''Challenge to the Night'' and was one of many writers on '' Forever and a Day'' (1943). He also made some uncredited contributions to the script of '' Saboteur'' (1942). During war he claims to have done undercover work for Allied intelligence. De Mille used Bennett again on '' The Story of Dr. Wassell'' (1944), once more focusing on construction while Alan Le May did the dialogue. Another script Bennett did for De Mulle, ''Rurales'', about the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...

, was never made. In 1944 Bennett returned to London to write propaganda films for the British Ministry of Information. He continued to write feature films as well, earning $15,000 from Edward Small for an early draft of '' Lorna Doone'', and an adaptation of the

Madeleine Smith Madeleine Hamilton Smith (29 March 1835 – 12 April 1928) was a 19th-century Glasgow socialite who was the accused in a sensational murder trial in Scotland in 1857. Background Smith was the first child (of five) of an upper-middle-class ...

story for Two Cities Films to star

Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh ( ; born Vivian Mary Hartley; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. After completing her drama school education, Leigh appeared in small roles in four films in 1935 and progress ...

and

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

, at a fee of £4,000. He was contracted to direct the latter. Two Cities contracted Bennett to write ''Miracle of Peille''. After the war, Bennett returned to Hollywood and wrote '' Unconquered'' (1947) for De Mille. Olivier and Leigh pulled out of the Madeleine Smith project, so Bennett went to Universal to work on '' Ivy'' (1947), a thriller for

Sam Wood Samuel Grosvenor Wood (July 10, 1883 – September 22, 1949) was an American film director and producer who is best known for having directed such Hollywood hits as ''A Night at the Opera (film), A Night at the Opera'', ''A Day at the Races (fi ...

and Joan Fontaine.

Director

Bennett was going to direct Laraine Day in ''The Trial of Madeleine Smith'' but those plans were interrupted when

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor, widely considered one of the most important figures of Cinema of the United Kingdom, British cinema. He directed the large-scale epi ...

decided to make '' Madeleine''. Instead he worked on the scripts for '' The Sign of the Ram'' (1948) for

John Sturges John Eliot Sturges (; January 3, 1910 – August 18, 1992) was an American film director. His films include '' Bad Day at Black Rock'' (1955), '' Gunfight at the O.K. Corral'' (1957), ''The Magnificent Seven'' (1960), '' The Great Escape'' (19 ...

and ''

Black Magic Black magic (Middle English: ''nigromancy''), sometimes dark magic, traditionally refers to the use of Magic (paranormal), magic or supernatural powers for evil and selfish purposes. The links and interaction between black magic and religi ...

'' (1948) for Edward Small. He attempted to remake ''Blackmail'' but was unsuccessful. Bennett finally made his directorial debut in '' Madness of the Heart'' (1949) with Margaret Lockwood. He continued to write: the unproduced ''Bangkok'' for Robert G. North, ''The Search for the Holy Grail'' for De Mille and a film for

Rank A rank is a position in a hierarchy. It can be formally recognized—for example, cardinal, chief executive officer, general, professor—or unofficial. People Formal ranks * Academic rank * Corporate title * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy ...

, ''The Moneyman''. He was credited on the script for ''

Where Danger Lives ''Where Danger Lives'' is a 1950 American film noir thriller directed by John Farrow and starring Robert Mitchum, Faith Domergue and Claude Rains. Plot Dr. Jeff Cameron treats a mentally disturbed attempted suicide victim. She signs herself o ...

'' (1950), where he worked with

Irwin Allen Irwin Allen (born Irwin O. Cohen; June 12, 1916 – November 2, 1991) was an American film and television producer and director, known for his work in science fiction, then later as the "Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genr ...

for the first time. He also write '' Kind Lady'' (1951), and '' The Green Glove'' (1952), then got another chance to direct with '' No Escape'' (1953), a film noir. Bennett worked on the script for '' Dangerous Mission'' (1954) where he worked with Allen again.

Television

Bennett began writing for TV, doing such shows as '' The Ford Television Theatre'', ''

Climax! ''Climax!'' (later known as ''Climax Mystery Theater'') is an American television anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa. It was one of the few CBS pro ...

'' (where he did "Casino Royale", the first screen adaptation of a

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

novel, '' Schlitz Playhouse'', ''

Fireside Theatre ''Fireside Theatre'' (later known as ''Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre, Jane Wyman Theatre, The Jane Wyman Show'' and ''Jane Wyman Presents'') is an American anthology drama series that ran on NBC from 1949 to 1958, and was the firs ...

'', ''

Cavalcade of America ''Cavalcade of America'' is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented musicals, such as an adaptation of ''Show Boat'', and condensed biographies of popular Composer, composers. It was ...

'', ''

The Count of Monte Cristo ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' () is an adventure novel by the French writer Alexandre Dumas. It was serialised from 1844 to 1846, and published in book form in 1846. It is one of his most popular works, along with ''The Three Musketeers'' (184 ...

'', '' Conflict'', '' The Christophers'', ''

Lux Video Theatre ''Lux Video Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1957. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays. Overview The ''Lux Vi ...

'' and '' The New Adventures of Charlie Chan''. Some of these he also directed and he produced ''Charlie Chan''.

Irwin Allen

Bennett was reunited with Allen on '' The Story of Mankind'' (1957). He wrote '' Night of the Demon'' (1957) in England, which he had hoped to direct himself; it became a cult success. He then did a series of films for Allen: '' The Big Circus'' (1959), '' The Lost World'' (1960), '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' (1961), and ''

Five Weeks in a Balloon ''Five Weeks in a Balloon, or, A Journey of Discovery by Three Englishmen in Africa'' () is an adventure novel by Jules Verne, published in 1863. It is the first novel in which he perfected the "ingredients" of his later work, skillfully mixing ...

'' (1962). Bennett also wrote for ''

The Dick Powell Show ''The Dick Powell Show'' is an American television anthology series that aired on NBC from September 26, 1961 until September 17, 1963, primarily sponsored by the Reynolds Metals Company. Overview The series was an anthology of various dram ...

'' and did '' War-Gods of the Deep'' (1965) for AIP. In the late 1960s Bennett focused on TV series such as ''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western (genre), Western, spy film, spy, and science fiction on television, science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 19 ...

'', and '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' and '' Land of the Giants'' for Allen.

Later career

Bennett had no produced credits from the 1970s onwards. "It was so frustrating, because in many ways I felt my writing had gotten even better", he said. "But at my age, no one wanted to hire me... know, I hate all the talk of this being a young man's industry. I hate it! Not because I'm an old man. But because I hate the notion that you must be young to be hot." Bennett continued to write films, plays, treatments and TV series, though none were produced. He wrote a novel, ''Fox on the Run'' which was published in 1987. In 1990 Bennett was hired to write a remake of ''Blackmail''. The film was never made.

Personal life

Bennett's brother Eric was killed in World War I in 1915. His other brother, Vere, hanged himself in 1928. He was twice married. First, in 1930, to the actress Faith Bennett. They were divorced in 1941, and in 1947 Bennett married Betty Jo Riley, who predeceased him. They had a son, John Charles Bennett. Bennett died in Los Angeles in 1995.

Biographies

Bennett has been the subject of two biographies, both written by his son John. * ''Hitchcock's Partner in Suspense'' (2014) * ''The Rise of the Modern Thriller'' (2020) He has also been the subject of biographical articles: * Barr, Charles. "Blackmail: Charles Bennett and the Decisive Turn" in Palmer, R Burton & Boyd, David, ''Hitchcock at the Source: The Auteur as Adaptor'', 2011, New York: SUNY Press. * Belton, John. "Charles Bennett and the typical Hitchcock scenario", ''Film History'', (1997) 9(3), 320–332. He was interviewed by Arnold Schwartzman for the British Entertainment History Project in 1992.

Selected filmography

* '' John Halifax, Gentleman'' (1915) – actor only * ''

'' (1929) – based on his play * '' The Last Hour'' (1930) – based on his play * ''Two Way Street'' (1931) * ''

'' (1931) * ''Midnight'' (1931) – based on his play * '' Number, Please'' (1931) * '' Partners Please'' (1932) * ''

'' (1933) * '' Paris Plane'' (1933) * ''

'' (1933) * '' The House of Trent'' (1933) * '' Matinee Idol'' (1933) * '' The Secret of the Loch'' (1934) * '' Gay Love'' (1934) * '' Warn London'' (1934) * '' The Man Who Knew Too Much'' (1934) (story) * '' Night Mail'' (1935) * '' Blue Smoke'' (1935) * '' The Clairvoyant'' (1935) * '' King of the Damned'' (1935) * '' The 39 Steps'' (1935) * ''

'' (1936) * ''

'' (1936) * '' All at Sea'' (1936) * '' King Solomons's Mines'' (1937) * '' Young and Innocent'' (1937) * '' The Adventures of Marco Polo'' (1938) * '' The Young in Heart'' (1938) * '' Hidden Power'' (1939) – uncredited contribution * ''

'' (1939) * '' Foreign Correspondent'' (1940) * '' They Dare Not Love'' (1941) * ''

'' (1942) * '' Saboteur'' (1942) * ''

'' (1942) * '' Forever and a Day'' (1943) * '' The Story of Dr. Wassell'' (1944) * '' Unconquered'' (1947) * '' Ivy'' (1947) * '' The Sign of the Ram'' (1948) * '' Madness of the Heart'' (1949) (also directed) * ''

'' (1949) * ''

'' (1950) * '' Kind Lady'' (1951) * '' The Green Glove'' (1952) * '' Ford Television Theatre'' (1952) (TV series) * '' No Escape'' (1953) (also directed) * '' Dangerous Mission'' (1954) * ''

'' (1954–55) (TV series) – various eps including '' Casino Royale'' * ''

'' (1954–55) (TV series) – 7 eps * '' Schlitz Playhouse'' (1954–55) (TV series) (also directed) * '' The Christophers'' (1955–57) (TV series) (also directed) * ''

'' (1955) (TV series) (also directed) * '' Conflict'' (1956) (TV series) – 2 eps * ''

'' (1956) (TV series) (also directed) * '' The Man Who Knew Too Much'' (1956) – original story * ''

'' (1955–57) (TV series) – 4 eps * '' The Story of Mankind'' (1957) * '' Night of the Demon'' (1957) * '' The New Adventures of Charlie Chan'' (1957–58) (TV series) (also directed) * '' Behind Closed Doors'' (1958) (TV series) – 1 ep * '' The Big Circus'' (1959) * '' The Lost World'' (1960) * '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' (1961) * '' The Dick Powell Theatre'' (1962) (TV series) * ''

'' (1962) * '' The City Under the Sea'' (1965) * ''

'' (1966) (TV series) – 1 ep * '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' (1967–68) (TV series) – 7 eps * '' Land of the Giants'' (1968) (TV series) – 1 ep

Plays

* ''The Return'' (1925) * ''

'' (1928) * '' The Last Hour'' (1928) * ''

'' (1931) * ''Big Business'' * ''Midnight'' * ''The Danger Line'' * ''

'' (1936)

References

* McGillian, Patrick "Charles Bennett", ''Backstory 1''

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Charles (screenwriter) 1899 births 1995 deaths English male actors English film directors English male screenwriters English male television writers People from Shoreham-by-Sea Writers from Sussex 20th-century English screenwriters 20th-century English male writers British Army personnel of World War I Royal Fusiliers officers Recipients of the Military Medal