as the incapable sportscaster Benchley played in The Sport Parade. Benchley's humor inspired a number of later humorists and filmmakers. Dave Barry, author, onetime humor writer for the Miami Herald, and judge of the 2006 and 2007 Robert Benchley Society Award for Humor, has called Benchley his "idol" and he "always wanted to write like [Benchley]." Horace Digby claimed that, "[M]ore than anyone else, Robert Benchley influenced [his] early writing style." Outsider filmmaker Sidney N. Laverents lists Benchley as an influence as well, and James Thurber used Benchley as a reference point, citing Benchley's penchant for presenting "the commonplace as remarkable" in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. In 1944, Benchley starred as Mitty in an adaptation of the story for the radio anthology series, This Is My Best. Works Benchley produced over 600 essays, which were initially compiled in twelve volumes, during his writing career. He also appeared in a number of films, including 48 short treatments that he mostly wrote or co-wrote and numerous feature films. Posthumously, Benchley's works continue to be released in books such as the 1983 Random House compilation The Best of Robert Benchley, and the 2005 collection of short films Robert Benchley and the Knights of the Algonquin, which compiled many of Benchley's popular short films from his years at Paramount with other works from fellow humorists and writers Alexander Woollcott and Donald Ogden Stewart. Works cited Billy Altman, Laughter's Gentle Soul: The Life of Robert Benchley. (New York City: W. W. Norton, 1997. ). Amazon.com: The Best of Robert Benchley product listing. Published by Wings (January 30, 1996) . URL accessed May 19, 2007. Amazon.com: Robert Benchley, a biography product listing. URL accessed May 21, 2007. Amazon.com: Robert Benchley and the Knights of the Algonquin product listing. URL accessed May 19, 2007. Nathaniel Benchley, Robert Benchley, a biography. (New York City, McGraw-Hill, 1955). The Blue Pencil: Interview with Horace J. Digby, January 19, 2007. URL accessed May 21, 2007. Jeff Chu, "10 Questions for Dave Barry." Time Magazine, January 8, 2006. James R. Gaines, Wit's End: Days and Nights of the Algonquin Round Table. (New York City: Harcourt Brace, 1977. ). Dolores Gregory, "'Benchley': Seeing a Famous Forebear Whole." The Washington Post, February 18, 2003. Also hosted at the American Century Theater. URLs accessed June 6, 2007. Matt Haber, "A One-Man Band Who Created an Oeuvre." The New York Times, January 25, 2004.