English. In La Libertad, El Salvador, he hid in a ship that took him to Los Angeles in March 1937. In 1938, his account, Dry Guillotine, was published in United States with an introduction by the prominent South American explorer and journalist William LaVarre. The memoir went through 14 printings in less than a year. The book attracted the attention of the U.S. immigration authorities, and Belbenoît was arrested. He received a visitor's visa but in 1941 was told to leave the country. Belbenoît then traveled to Mexico, and a year later tried to slip back into the United States. However, he was arrested in Brownsville, Texas and sentenced to 15 months in prison. After his release, Belbenoît acquired a valid passport and went to Los Angeles to work for Warner Bros. as a technical advisor for the film Passage to Marseille (1944). In 1951, Belbenoît moved to Lucerne Valley, California and founded the René's Ranch Store, where he also lived. Neighbors knew who he was. His new book, Hell on Trial (1940), again attracted the attention of immigration authorities, and in May 1951 he was summoned to Los Angeles. His former movie co-workers spoke on his behalf, and he received US citizenship in 1956. Personal life Belbenoît married Lee Gumpert, a widow who had one son, William Gumpert. Death Belbenoît died of cardiac arrest in his store in Lucerne Valley, California, on February 26, 1959, aged 59. Bibliography Books by René Belbenoît (The sequel to Dry Guillotine.) Books about René Belbenoît Magazines Newspapers References External links Inventory of Belbenoît Collection at the Harry Ransom Center Pictures of Belbenoît and Dry guillotine manuscript A verdadeira historia de Papillon, istoe.com Portrait of Belbenoît by Hansel Mieth Video with Belbenoît on Criticalpast.com French escapees Escapees from French detention 20th-century French criminals French memoirists French military personnel of World War I 1899 births 1959 deaths Devil's Island inmates French male non-fiction writers 20th-century memoirists 20th-century French male writers