Paula Prentiss and Richard Benjamin’s arranged marriage has lasted 61 years

Duing the early days of Tinsel Town, movie stars who lived together without benefit of marriage were frowned upon. This is why actors Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss were encouraged to get married. Unlike many other arranged nuptials however, the Benjamins are together today six decades later. It was common back in the day for Hollywood head honchos to put pressure on single straight couples to marry and to push gay men and women to have "beards" which were fake husbands and wives in order to keep up an image that they were heterosexual.

I’m his book “Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Live of the Stars” Scotty Bowers claims to have been sexually involved with both Cary Grant and his roommate Randolph Scott. Grant however married women five times allegedly so his adoring public would not know he was homosexual. In spite of this and the fact that Prentiss and Benjamin were encouraged to marry there are many couples in Hollywood like Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn who have been together for decades without marrying.

Paula Prentiss was born March 4, 1938 as Paula Ragusa in San Antonio, Texas. She was the older daughter of Thomas J and Paulene Ragusa and her father was of Sicilian descent. Paula is best known for her role in the films WHERE THE BOYS ARE (1960), WHAT'S NEW PUSSYCAT (1965), CATCH 22 (1970), THE PARALLAX VIEW (1974), and THE STEPFORD WIVES (1975). The actress had a nervous breakdown while filming WHAT'S NEW PUSSYCAT but received treatment and made a full recovery.

Hollywood executives did not allow Paula Prentiss to promote WHERE THE BOYS ARE because at the time, she was living with Richard Benjamin. It was suggested that the couple marry and they did so in 1961 and have been together ever since. No one has ever said whether or not Benjamin and Prentiss may have married on their own at a future date. What is known is that they got hitched after being pressured.

The Hollywood executives were trying to promote the actress as having a wholesome image like her movie character. This is ironic because the movie dealt with premarital sex and date rape.From 1967 to 1968, Prentiss and Benjamin co-starred in the CBS sitcom HE & SHE a for which Paula received a nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

Richard Samuel Benjamin was born May 22, 1938i to Jewish parents and h9is father was Samuel Roger Benjamin. Richard had roles in GOODBYE COLUMBUS (1969), CATCH 22with his wife (1970), WESTWORLD (1973), and THE SUNSHINE BOYS (1975). He directed include City Heat (1984), THE MONEY PIT (1986), and MADE IN AMERICA (1993). He had roles in a number of other movies and performed with his wife on stage in 1988's POWER PLAY. The couple has two children, Prentiss and Ross.

Today no one seems to care what celebrities do in their private lives but once upon a time in Hollywood being married was a big deal. In 1980 Richard Benjamin was in the film THE LAST MARRIED COUPLE in America. The fact that he and Paula Prentiss have lasted for 61 years in Hollywood as husband and wife indicates that they might indeed be one of the last married couples in tinsel town to stay together so long. Benjamin and Prentiss obviously were in love considering they have remained married for so long.