Robert Benchley Miniatures Collection

How to Sleep is a short comedy film written by and starring humorist Robert Benchley. Filmed and released by MGM in 1935 (as part of their "Miniatures" series), it features Benchley as a narrator as well as film subject, discussing four parts of sleep - causes, methods, avoiding sleep, and waking up.

How to Behave is a short comedy film written by and starring humorist Robert Benchley. Filmed and released by MGM in 1936 (as part of their "Miniatures" series). Two workers in a manhole call etiquette columnist Benchley for advice. Two of the topics he advises them about are what to do when a lady enters the room and the proper way to behave when one is an overnight guest.

How to Train a Dog is a short comedy film written by and starring humorist Robert Benchley.The short film reveals how not to train a dog, as the character Benchley gets the dog from a pet store.

How to Vote is a short comedy film written by and starring humorist Robert Benchley. Filmed and released by MGM in 1935 (as part of their "Miniatures" series). A candidate has laryngitis, so his assistant must make a speech in his place. Both the speaker and his audience are soon befuddled.

How to Be A Detective is a short comedy film written by and starring humorist Robert Benchley. Filmed and released by MGM in 1935 (as part of their "Miniatures" series). Benchley's lecture on detective work includes topics such as: types of criminals to be detected; getting a confession; and escorting a criminal to prison. Guess who ends up behind bars.

A brief, illustrated lecture on digestion. Aburdist humor is the hallmark of this pseudo-scientific description of biting, chewing, swallowing, and digesting food. The on-screen narrator begins with teeth, "little sentinels" as he calls them, and the tongue. Then it's on to the stomach: he describes the stomach's workings as if it were an office or a factory. He uses an illustration of the side view of a human torso, with mouth, esophagus, and stomach visible, saying it's a photograph of a man with a visible digestive tract.

A brief, illustrated lecture on digestion. Aburdist humor is the hallmark of this pseudo-scientific description of biting, chewing, swallowing, and digesting food. The on-screen narrator begins with teeth, "little sentinels" as he calls them, and the tongue. Then it's on to the stomach: he describes the stomach's workings as if it were an office or a factory. He uses an illustration of the side view of a human torso, with mouth, esophagus, and stomach visible, saying it's a photograph of a man with a visible digestive tract.