PETER BENCHLEY
The author responds to a fan saying, "I'm afraid I don't have a photograph to autograph and send to you. I hope this note will be okay as a second-best. I am returning your dollar."
Typed Letter signed: "Peter Benchley", 1 page, 5¾x8. No place, 1979 July 31. To Maria Sanzaro. In full: "I'm afraid I don't have a photograph to autograph and send to you. I hope this note will be okay as a second-best. I am returning your dollar." In the year of this letter, Benchley published his novel, The Island, which was made into a feature film (for which he wrote the screenplay) in 1980. Peter Benchley (1940-2006), a former speechwriter for Lyndon B. Johnson, is best known as the author of Jaws (1974), his first novel, which spent more than 40 weeks on "The New York Times" best-seller list and was made into a film by Steven Spielberg in 1975. Benchley wrote three drafts of the screenplay for the film and appeared as a reporter on the beach in the Fourth of July scene. The Oscar-winning (Best Sound, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score for composer John Williams) Jaws was the most profitable Hollywood movie to that time. His subsequent novel, The Deep (1978) was released as a feature film in 1979. Benchley co-wrote the screenplay and appeared as a "Mate". His later novels include The Beast, which was made into a TV movie in 1996 (Benchley was the Executive Producer), and Creature, which was also adapted for TV in 1998. Lightly creased. Fine condition.