Jack Bentley (musician)

Lore & Background

Bentley was born in Manchester to John and Flora Bentley; his father was a retired army bandsman who became a cellist in the Halle Orchestra. He learned cello from his father but specialized on trombone after joining the Army at age fourteen and studying at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall. He played in the band of the Second Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment until buying himself out in 1936 to join Jack Hylton's band. He first recorded with Hylton in 1937 and was joined by Coleman Hawkins as a guest soloist in 1939. With the outbreak of World War II, he rejoined the Army in autumn 1939, becoming a member of the Band of the Irish Guards. Throughout the war he combined military service with freelance work, playing with Raymond Doughty's Band, the Queen's Theatre Orchestra, Gerald

Reader's Guide

After demobilization, Bentley joined Ted Heath in 1945, recording with him until 1953. He left the band in 1950 to compose and write scripts but continued freelance work. He became show business editor of the Sunday Mirror, writing theatre reviews, film reviews, and a column that broke stories such as Jane Asher's confirmation of her engagement to Paul McCartney, Sean Connery's announcement of quitting James Bond, and an interview with Mick Jagger. His column was syndicated to Billboard and reported internationally. He retired in 1978 but continued writing television scripts, co-writing the BBC comedy series Laura and Disorder with his son Ross in the 1980s. His significance lies in his dual career as a respected big-band trombonist and a influential show business journalist who covered major entertainment stories.

Did You Know?

• Bentley first recorded with Jack Hylton and his Orchestra in 1937.
• He appeared as himself in the 1963 film Just for Fun.
• His column broke the story of Sean Connery quitting James Bond.
• He co-wrote the BBC comedy series Laura and Disorder with his son Ross.

From Cello to Trombone: A Soldier-Musician's Early Path

Born in Manchester in 1913, John Alexander Bentley was the son of John and Flora Bentley. His father, a former military bandsman, had recently relocated to the city to take up a cello chair in the Halle Orchestra. Young John learned cello from his father, but his musical direction changed decisively when, at fourteen, he enlisted in the Army as a musician and enrolled at the Royal Military School of Music at Kneller Hall, Twickenham. There he settled on trombone as his primary instrument. He served in the band of the Second Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment, rising to the rank of sergeant before purchasing his way out of service in 1936 to pursue a civilian career with Jack Hylton's band. His first recordings with that orchestra came in 1937. When World War II erupted in autumn 1939, he returned to uniform, this time joining the Band of the Irish Guards—a posting that would shape the next several years of his professional life.

Big Bands, War Years, and a Web of Collaborations

Throughout the 1940s, Bentley maintained a remarkable dual existence as both a serving soldier and a freelance musician. While attached to the Irish Guards, he played with Raymond Doughty's Band at Cricklewood Palais in late 1939, joined the Queen's Theatre Orchestra in early 1940, and performed for Geraldo that summer. In 1941 he worked successively with Jack Payne and Jack Jackson. By 1942 he had joined the London Symphony Orchestra and played alongside Harry Roy, while also taking intermittent engagements with Ambrose from mid-1942 through 1945. During 1944 he toured Italy and North Africa with the Irish Guards band. He also made studio recordings for Carl Barriteau, Frank Weir, and Philip Green. After demobilization, he joined Ted Heath's big band in 1945, with his first Heath session taking place on 22 October of that year. Though he formally left Heath in 1950 to pursue composing and scriptwriting, he continued freelance work with the band, his final recording being the 89th Palladium Sunday concert on 12 April 1953.

The Sunday Mirror and the Front Page of Show Business

After his years in the bands, Bentley transitioned into journalism, becoming the show-business editor of the Sunday Mirror. In that role he wrote theatre reviews spanning a vast range of productions—from Hamlet to the provocative Oh! Calcutta!—and covered the film world, being described as the paper's film critic by 1967. His column, branded 'The Jack Bentley Page,' landed several major scoops: Jane Asher's 1965 confirmation that she would marry Paul McCartney, Sean Connery's declaration that he was walking away from the James Bond role, and a candid sit-down with Mick Jagger on 17 September 1967. The column's reach extended well beyond Britain; it was syndicated to Billboard magazine and reported on as far away as Australia. Bentley held the position until his retirement in 1978 at the age of sixty-five, and was still bylined on the paper as recently as 1970.

A Complicated Family Life and Later Years

Bentley married actress Wendy Craig in Chelsea in 1955; she was more than twenty years his junior. The couple had two sons, Alaster and Ross. In 2004 it became public that Ross was actually the biological child of Wendy Craig's brief affair with the writer John Mortimer. Bentley had learned of the affair in early 1961 and had spoken to Mortimer's wife, Penelope, about it. Craig ended the relationship once her husband found out, and Penelope Mortimer drew on aspects of the story for her 1962 novel The Pumpkin Eater. Bentley chose to raise Ross as his own son, and the boy was eventually told the truth about his biological father when he was old enough to comprehend. In the 1964 film adaptation of The Pumpkin Eater, the character loosely based on Bentley was portrayed by James Mason. In retirement, Bentley continued writing, co-creating the 1980s BBC comedy series Laura and Disorder with his son Ross, a show that also starred Wendy Craig. He died of prostate cancer in Cookham, Berkshire, in 1994.