Title: Philip R. Benjamin Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1934-1965

Creator:

• Benjamin, Philip R.

Call Number: U.S. Mss 119AF

Quantity: 2.0 c.f. (5 archives boxes)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Papers of a New York Times reporter and novelist arranged as personal and professional records. In the first category are correspondence, primarily relating to Benjamin's service during World War II; financial records; diaries; notebooks; memoranda; freelance writings; and manuscript copies of Quick Before It Melts (1964) and a second incomplete novel. Filed as professional materials are news dispatches from Antarctica (1958-1960), the screenplay for Quick Before It Melts (MGM, 1964), reviews and publicity for this motion picture, as well as for the play version of the book, and clippings of Benjamin's Times stories on New York City and on the school integration crisis in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-us0119af

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Philip Robert Benjamin, reporter, novelist, and poet, was born 15 November 1922 in Stamford, Connecticut, the son of Victor and Dorothy (Chausky) Benjamin. He spent his boyhood years in Indianapolis, Indiana, but later moved with his family to New York City. From 1943 to 1946, he served with an air-sea rescue unit of the United States Army Air Force. While in the Army, some of his poetry was published in Yank, an Army magazine. In 1947, Benjamin received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the City College of New York and commenced work for the New York Times, first as an office boy and later as an editorial indexer, and finally as a reporter. He married Lois Regensburg in 1955. They had two sons, Anthony Scott and Roger Blerkom.

As a reporter, Benjamin traveled throughout the United States and much of the world. He reported on the Little Rock, Arkansas school integration crisis in 1954, and served as the Times correspondent in Antarctica in 1958-1959 and 1960, and in the same capacity in London in 1965. He also reported on a wide variety of New York City topics ranging from politics through crime and business. His articles were characteristically witty and humorous. Benjamin belonged to the Overseas Press Club and was a member of the executive board of the Newspaper Guild of New York.

Benjamin's trips to Antarctica formed the basis for his novel, Quick, Before It Melts, published in 1964 by Random House. The novel was later made into a play and a motion picture [1964, MGM], both of which received excellent reviews. In 1965, Benjamin resigned from the Times to devote his attention to another book, about the Caribbean. While completing this manuscript, Benjamin became suddenly ill, and died after abdominal surgery on 18 April 1966.

The Papers of Philip Benjamin have been divided into seven categories which document his personal life and professional career, as follows: Personal Correspondence; Financial Records; Personal Records including diaries, notebooks and memorabilia; Personal Writings dating from his years in secondary school through the incomplete manuscript of a novel of the Caribbean; Professional Records such as the screenplay of Quick, Before It Melts [1964, MGM], and the promotional literature concerned with it, and correspondence and teletype reports from Antarctica; Clippings dealing with his career and interests; and Miscellaneous Materials.

Personal Correspondence covers the years 1941-1965, but the bulk of it was written during World War II to members of his family and his friend Robert Alden, a reporter for the New York Times. For the years 1946-1965, the file is sketchy with gaps from 1946-1952 especially. Most of the letters are to Benjamin's wife, Alden, and other personal friends.

The Financial Records File, 1943-1965, has sizable gaps for the 1940's and 1960's. The material for the 1950's includes tax returns, 1957-1959, stock transactions, leases, receipts, expense accounts and power of attorney affidavits. Taken together, these records provide insight into Benjamin's earning power during the late 1950's.

The Personal Records File includes membership and identification cards for the various organizations to which Benjamin belonged; address books; handbooks; diaries and notebooks; personal memorabilia consisting of souvenirs from his trips and from his high school and college years, diplomas, a college transcript and a fraternity certificate; and United States' government and military materials such as passports and army induction and discharge papers.

Personal Writings include essays and drawings from high school and college; and compositions written while Benjamin was in the army, in Antarctica, and while working for the New York Times. There is also a folder of undated writings. Also included are a manuscript of Quick, Before It Melts; the unfinished manuscript of the Caribbean novel; and miscellaneous fragmentary writings consisting of poetry, et cetera.

The Professional Records File, 1944-1964, consists of correspondence relating to Benjamin's professional life, a small file of memoranda on a variety of subjects, extensive teletype reports from Antarctica to the Times and the screenplay of Quick, Before It Melts. The correspondence, most of which is from publishers who had accepted or rejected his writings, has large gaps for the late 1940's and early 1950's.

There is a relatively large file of Clippings consisting of Benjamin's articles from the Times; reviews of his book, bQuick, Before It Melts, and the motion picture based on the novel; book reviews by Benjamin, feature articles, clippings relating to Antarctica; and on miscellaneous subjects.

The Miscellaneous File includes a file of theater programs and sheet music; a large manuscript on childbirth; and a serial publication of the Times newsroom.

All files have been arranged in a chronological order where dating was possible.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Mrs. Lois R. Benjamin, New York, New York, September 14, 1967. Accession Number: MCHC67-91

Processing Information

Processed by D. Ring and Joanne Hohler, October 2, 1973.

	Correspondence
	Personal,
Box   1 Folder   1	1941, November 15-1943, December 30.
Box   1 Folder   2	1944, January 10-1944, December 25.
Box   1 Folder   3	1945, January 6 - 1945, December 26.
Box   1 Folder   4	1946, April 25-1965, October 14.
Box   1 Folder   5	Undated.
Box   1 Folder   6	Miscellaneous, 1945, April; 1964, February.
Box   1 Folder   7	Financial Records, 1943-1965.
	Personal Records
Box   2 Folder   1	Address books, handbooks, diaries, notebook.
Box   2 Folder   2	Diplomas, college transcript, fraternity certificate, 1939-1947.
Box   2 Folder   3	Identification cards, 1939-1966.
Box   2 Folder   4	Memorabilia, personal.
Box   2 Folder   5	U.S. government and military materials, 1942-1964(?).
	Personal Writings
Box   2 Folder   6	High school compositions and drawings, 1934, October - 1939, March.
Box   3 Folder   1	College compositions and drawings, 1942, February 17-December 18.
Box   3 Folder   2	Articles written during army service, 1943-1946.
Box   3 Folder   3	Articles for the New York Times, n.d.
Box   3 Folder   4	Articles for the New York Times from Antarctica, 1958-1960.
Box   3 Folder   5-6	Fragmentary writings, n.d.
Box   3 Folder   7	Manuscript of Quick, Before It Melts, c. 1963.
Box   3 Folder   8	Manuscripts, incomplete, n.d.
Box   4 Folder   1-2	Undated compositions.
	Professional Records
Box   4 Folder   3	Correspondence, general, 1944, February 28-1964, September 27.
	Antarctica file,
Box   4 Folder   4	1954, 1958.
Box   4 Folder   5	1958.
Box   4 Folder   6	1959-1961.
Box   4 Folder   7	Memoranda.
Box   4 Folder   8	Screenplay of Quick, Before It Melts.
	Clippings
	General clippings from the New York Times,
Box   5 Folder   1	1954, December 23-(1955, January 12-November 17).
Box   5 Folder   2	1956, January 23-1956, December 27.
Box   5 Folder   3	1957, January 25-December 11.
Box   5 Folder   4	1958, January 6-November 19.
Box   5 Folder   5	1959, April 2-July 10.
Box   5 Folder   6	1960, November 17-1962, December 7.
Box   5 Folder   7	1963, April, May, July, December.
Box   5 Folder   8	1964, March 11 - October 27; 1965, August 28.
Box   5 Folder   9	Antarctica clippings from the New York Times, 1958, September 16-1959, March 11; 1960.
Box   5 Folder   10	Books reviewed by Philip Benjamin, 1963; n.d.
Box   5 Folder   11	Civil rights clippings, 1957; 1959.
Box   5 Folder   12	Feature articles for the New York Times, 1956, October 21-1964, August 30.
Box   5 Folder   13	Reviews of Quick, Before It Melts (book), 1963, February 27 - 1965, April 11.
Box   5 Folder   14	Reviews of Quick, Before It Melts (motion picture), 1963, May 15 - 1965, April 1.
Box   5 Folder   15	Undated clippings.
Box   5 Folder   16	Miscellaneous clippings.
	Miscellaneous Records
Box   5 Folder   17	Theater programs, sheet music, and lyrics.
Box   5 Folder   18-19	Miscellaneous.