Dr Benjamin Twist
Encyclopedia
Dr Benjamin Twist is a recurring fictional character who appears in several films featuring comedian Will Hay
, who portrays the character in all mediums.
at an angle on his head and a pince-nez on his nose, as he squinted in a bewildered way at his unruly pupils.
, in which he is presented as the laid-back headmaster of St. Michael's, a boys school for the sons of rich gentry, where he also teaches Science
.
Initially, he turns a blind eye to the misbehaviour of the boys under his eye, and teaches the children using his method of Twisterism, which is somehow related to Astrology
and the signs of the Zodiac
. However, he is later ordered by the school's new governor to adopt stricter policies, eventually turning St. Michael's into a military academy, with Twist holding an officer's rank.
It should be noted, however, that the character is simply creditted as "Benjamin Twist", and had not yet acquired his "Dr." title.
(1938). In this film, however, Twist is working as a porter aboard an oceangoing liner travelling between England
and the United States
, and during one particular voyage, he is mistaken for a scientist known as Prof. Tavistock by American gangster Bugs Leary (Edgar Kennedy
), eventually becoming embroiled in a gangster plot to blackmail an American millionaire.
It is possible that Hey! Hey! USA!
portrayed events that took place those before Good Morning, Boys
, explaining Twist's sudden change from teacher to steward, and the absence of St. Michael's School.
films was in the 1938 film Convict 99
, which was released shortly after Hey! Hey! USA!
. In this film, Twist is dismissed from St. Michaels for incompetence, and whilst attending a job interview for a position in another school, he is mistaken for Australia
n disciplinarian John D. Benjamin (Roy Emerton
), and accidentally accepts the post of governor of Blackdown Prison in Devon
(possibly based on the real-life Dartmoor Prison), where he befriends prison-warden Albert (Graham Moffatt
) and inmate Jerry "The Mole" (Moore Marriott
).
In The Ghost of St. Michael's
(1941) the bumbling-teacher character has changed to William Lamb, but the character still bears similarities in appearance and manner to Benjamin Twist.
Will Hay
William Thomson "Will" Hay was an English comedian, actor, film director and amateur astronomer.-Early life:He was born in Stockton-on-Tees, in north east England, to William R...
, who portrays the character in all mediums.
Character history
Dr. Benjamin Twist is a bumbling, fraudulent but lovable science teacher of the (fictional) St. Michael's School, which forms the backdrop of the films he appears in. Twist's typical appearance was with a mortarboardSquare academic cap
The square academic cap, graduate cap, or mortarboard or Oxford cap, is an item of academic head dress consisting of a horizontal square board fixed upon a skull-cap, with a tassel attached to the center...
at an angle on his head and a pince-nez on his nose, as he squinted in a bewildered way at his unruly pupils.
Good Morning, Boys
Twist's first appearance was in the 1937 film Good Morning, BoysGood Morning, Boys
Good Morning, Boys is a 1937 British comedy film featuring Will Hay, Martita Hunt, Lilli Palmer and Peter Gawthorne.-Plot outline:Will Hay plays the roguish headmaster, Dr Twist, of a dubious boarding school for boys. Twist bets on the horses with his pupils and teaches them little...
, in which he is presented as the laid-back headmaster of St. Michael's, a boys school for the sons of rich gentry, where he also teaches Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
.
Initially, he turns a blind eye to the misbehaviour of the boys under his eye, and teaches the children using his method of Twisterism, which is somehow related to Astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
and the signs of the Zodiac
Zodiac
In astronomy, the zodiac is a circle of twelve 30° divisions of celestial longitude which are centred upon the ecliptic: the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year...
. However, he is later ordered by the school's new governor to adopt stricter policies, eventually turning St. Michael's into a military academy, with Twist holding an officer's rank.
It should be noted, however, that the character is simply creditted as "Benjamin Twist", and had not yet acquired his "Dr." title.
Hey! Hey! USA!
Benjamin Twist appeared again in Hay's next film, Hey! Hey! USA!Hey! Hey! USA!
Hey! Hey! USA is a 1938 British comedy film starring comedian Will Hay, Edgar Kennedy and Eddie Ryan. Hay appears as Benjamin Twist, a porter who accidentally finds himself on a ship bound for the United States.-Plot outline:...
(1938). In this film, however, Twist is working as a porter aboard an oceangoing liner travelling between England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and during one particular voyage, he is mistaken for a scientist known as Prof. Tavistock by American gangster Bugs Leary (Edgar Kennedy
Edgar Kennedy
Edgar Livingston Kennedy was an American comedic film actor, known as "the king of the slow burn". A slow burn is an exasperated facial expression, performed very deliberately; Kennedy embellished this by rubbing his hand over his bald head and across his face, in an attempt to hold his temper...
), eventually becoming embroiled in a gangster plot to blackmail an American millionaire.
It is possible that Hey! Hey! USA!
Hey! Hey! USA!
Hey! Hey! USA is a 1938 British comedy film starring comedian Will Hay, Edgar Kennedy and Eddie Ryan. Hay appears as Benjamin Twist, a porter who accidentally finds himself on a ship bound for the United States.-Plot outline:...
portrayed events that took place those before Good Morning, Boys
Good Morning, Boys
Good Morning, Boys is a 1937 British comedy film featuring Will Hay, Martita Hunt, Lilli Palmer and Peter Gawthorne.-Plot outline:Will Hay plays the roguish headmaster, Dr Twist, of a dubious boarding school for boys. Twist bets on the horses with his pupils and teaches them little...
, explaining Twist's sudden change from teacher to steward, and the absence of St. Michael's School.
Convict 99
Benjamin Twist's final appearance in the Will HayWill Hay
William Thomson "Will" Hay was an English comedian, actor, film director and amateur astronomer.-Early life:He was born in Stockton-on-Tees, in north east England, to William R...
films was in the 1938 film Convict 99
Convict 99
Convict 99 is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring British comedian Will Hay and Googie Withers.-Synopsis:Incompetent Dr Benjamin Twist is dismissed from his job as headmaster at St. Michaels' School Convict 99 is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel...
, which was released shortly after Hey! Hey! USA!
Hey! Hey! USA!
Hey! Hey! USA is a 1938 British comedy film starring comedian Will Hay, Edgar Kennedy and Eddie Ryan. Hay appears as Benjamin Twist, a porter who accidentally finds himself on a ship bound for the United States.-Plot outline:...
. In this film, Twist is dismissed from St. Michaels for incompetence, and whilst attending a job interview for a position in another school, he is mistaken for Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n disciplinarian John D. Benjamin (Roy Emerton
Roy Emerton
Roy Emerton was a British film actor.He was a sailor, cowboy, stoker, stevedore, railroader, miner, etc and served in World War I. He played in a great number of popular London stage shows, including Shakespeare as well as film work....
), and accidentally accepts the post of governor of Blackdown Prison in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
(possibly based on the real-life Dartmoor Prison), where he befriends prison-warden Albert (Graham Moffatt
Graham Moffatt
Graham Moffatt was a British character actor and comedian.Born in Hammersmith, London, he is best known for a number of films where he appeared with Will Hay and Moore Marriott as 'Albert': an insolent, overweight, overgrown-schoolboy type character, loosely reminiscent of Billy Bunter.His first...
) and inmate Jerry "The Mole" (Moore Marriott
Moore Marriott
Moore Marriott was a British character actor most notable for a series of films he made with Will Hay in the 1930s.-Career:...
).
Other appearances
A precursor of the Benjamin Twist character was Dr Alec Smart in Boys Will Be Boys (1935), who was an otherwise identical teaching character.In The Ghost of St. Michael's
The Ghost of St. Michael's
The Ghost of St. Michael’s is a 1941 British comedy-thriller film, produced by Ealing Studios.-Plot:An ineffectual science teacher William Lamb is hired by a school recently transferred because of World War II to the remote Dunbain Castle on the Isle of Skye, Scotland...
(1941) the bumbling-teacher character has changed to William Lamb, but the character still bears similarities in appearance and manner to Benjamin Twist.