Charles Bennett (screenwriter) facts for kids

Charles Alfred Selwyn Bennett (born August 2, 1899 – died June 15, 1995) was a talented English writer and director. He is most famous for his exciting work with the legendary film director Alfred Hitchcock.

About Charles Bennett

His Early Life and Acting Days

Charles Bennett was born in a unique place: a railway carriage that was no longer used! This happened in Shoreham-by-Sea, England. His mother, Lilian Langrishe Bennett, was an actress and artist. Charles was mostly taught at home, but he also went to St Mark's College, Chelsea for a short time.

Charles started acting when he was just a child. He appeared in many plays, like The Miracle in 1911 and Alice in Wonderland in 1913. He even had a role in a film called John Halifax, Gentleman in 1915.

In 1917, when he was 18, Charles joined the army. He served in World War I and was injured during his time there. After the war, he left the army in 1919 and went back to acting. He performed with many different theater groups, traveling all over England.

Becoming a Playwright

In 1925, Charles joined a theater group that performed in Paris. While acting in the evenings, he started writing his own plays. His first plays were The Return, Blackmail, and The Last Hour.

In 1927, Charles even acted in and directed one of his own plays, The Return. But his biggest success came with his play Blackmail in 1928. This play became very popular on tour.

A famous director named Alfred Hitchcock saw Blackmail. He decided to turn it into a movie! The film Blackmail (1929) is known as one of the first British "talkies" (films with sound). It was a huge hit!

Charles's play The Last Hour also became a popular movie in 1930. He continued to write more plays, showing his talent for creating exciting stories.

Writing for the Big Screen

Because Blackmail was so successful, Charles got a contract with a film company called British International Pictures. He started working with Alfred Hitchcock again. They planned a film called Bulldog Drummond's Baby, but it didn't get made right away.

Charles wrote stories for many other films, even some low-budget ones. He wrote and directed a play called Sensation in 1931, which was later made into a film. He also wrote another play, Big Business (1932), and even acted in it with his wife at the time, Maggie. Soon, he decided to focus only on writing.

He wrote many films in the early 1930s, often working with another writer named Billie Bristow. Some of these films included Mannequin (1933) and The Secret of the Loch (1934), which was the first film shot on location in Scotland.

Working with Alfred Hitchcock Again

Alfred Hitchcock moved to another film company, Gaumont British. There, he finally made the film that Charles had helped create, The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934). This movie was a big success!

After that, Charles wrote The 39 Steps (1935) for Hitchcock. This film quickly became a classic! Charles said he was responsible for most of the story's structure.

Charles was now in high demand. He wrote other films like The Clairvoyant (1935) and King of the Damned (1935). He also wrote two more films for Hitchcock: Secret Agent (1936) and Sabotage (1936).

He also helped write King Solomon's Mines (1937) and then worked with Hitchcock again on Young and Innocent (1937).

Moving to Hollywood

Because of his amazing work with Hitchcock, Charles became one of the most respected screenwriters in England. Hollywood noticed him! In 1937, he signed a contract with Universal Studios and moved to America.

He worked on films like The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938) and The Young in Heart (1938). He also worked on Foreign Correspondent (1940) with Hitchcock, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Script!

Working with Cecil B. De Mille

Charles then worked with another famous director, Cecil B. De Mille. He helped write the story for the huge hit Reap the Wild Wind (1942).

He also wrote Joan of Paris (1942), which was one of his favorite films. During World War II, Charles even claimed to have done secret work for Allied intelligence.

De Mille hired Charles again for The Story of Dr. Wassell (1944). After the war, Charles returned to Hollywood and wrote Unconquered (1947) for De Mille.

Becoming a Director

Charles finally got to direct his own film, Madness of the Heart (1949), starring Margaret Lockwood. He continued to write scripts for other films like Where Danger Lives (1950) and Kind Lady (1951). He also directed another film noir movie called No Escape (1953).

Television Work

In the 1950s, Charles started writing for television. He wrote for many popular TV shows, including The Ford Television Theatre and Climax!. For Climax!, he wrote "Casino Royale" (1954), which was the very first time a James Bond novel was adapted for the screen! He also directed some TV episodes and even produced The New Adventures of Charlie Chan.

Working with Irwin Allen

Charles worked a lot with producer and director Irwin Allen. They teamed up on films like The Story of Mankind (1957) and The Big Circus (1959).

He also wrote Night of the Demon (1957) in England, which became a cult classic. Charles and Irwin Allen continued their partnership with adventure and science fiction films like The Lost World (1960), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961), and Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962).

In the late 1960s, Charles focused on TV series for Allen, including The Wild Wild West, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and Land of the Giants.

Later Years

After the 1960s, Charles didn't have many new films or TV shows produced. He felt his writing was still strong, but the industry often preferred to hire younger writers. He continued to write many stories, plays, and TV series, but they were not made into films or shows. In 1987, he published a novel called Fox on the Run.

In 1990, he was even hired to write a new version of his famous play Blackmail, but that film was never made.

Personal Life

Charles Bennett was married twice. His first marriage was in 1930 to actress Faith Bennett. They divorced in 1941. In 1947, Charles married Betty Jo Riley. They had a son named John Charles Bennett.

Charles Bennett passed away in Los Angeles in 1995.

Books About Charles Bennett

Charles Bennett's son, John, has written two books about his father's life and work:

• Hitchcock's Partner in Suspense (2014)
• The Rise of the Modern Thriller (2020)

There are also articles written about him, like:

• Barr, Charles. "Blackmail: Charles Bennett and the Decisive Turn" in Palmer, R Burton & Boyd, David, Hitchcock at the Source: The Auteur as Adaptor, 2011.
• Belton, John. "Charles Bennett and the typical Hitchcock scenario", Film History, (1997) 9(3), 320–332.

He was also interviewed in 1992 for a project about British entertainment history.

Selected Films and TV Shows

Plays Written by Charles Bennett

• The Return (1925)
• Blackmail (1928)
• The Last Hour (1928)
• Sensation (1931)
• Big Business
• Midnight
• The Danger Line
• Page From a Diary (1936)