User Reviews

. . . the USA's National Pastime, football. As Leader Trump always tweets, "Football has more brains in its little finger than baseball has in 'Junior Bonds'' entire batting helmet." I ran across "Bob Benchley's" hatchet job on the grid-iron--HOW TO WATCH FOOTBALL--Friday, Oct. 26, 2018, and could not believe that the White House would allow such Fake Facts to air during the height of Football Season. Since my pigskin picks were not playing until Saturday and Sunday, I decided to take a gander at MLB's alleged Super Bowl (aka, "The World Series"). Here's what I found out about "Baseball at its best." A typical game lasts SEVEN HOURS & TWENTY MINUTES!! We football fans would be waddling around like bloated blimps if We had to chow down that long during OUR game! (But perhaps this is not a problem for baseball's effete followers, steadily munching their cucumber sandwiches with celery sticks for dessert.) What was the score of this marathon baseball fiasco? Just 3 to 2! You could play the Super Bowl in ten feet of snow, and the final score would be at least triple that! Please join me in urging Leader Trump to move the World Series to the Dog Days of August (as well as banning any more air time for Bob Benchley!).

Slow-moving, not particularly funny Benchley short, several notches below his usual standard. Nothing much happens, really--Benchley sits at home listening to a football game, imagines what it would be like if he were at the stadium watching it, there's a "dream sequence" showing what happens, then it fades back to Benchley back at home listening to the game. The only remotely funny thing to happen at the game involves a somewhat amusing exchange between Benchley and the adorable Joyce Compton, who plays his wife (or his girlfriend; it's never quite clear exactly what she is), who doesn't know anything about football. Director Roy Rowland should have expanded on that, as Benchley and Compton complement each other well, but after a few exchanges Compton gets up and leaves, ending whatever potential this short had. There's an annoying bit with a drunk who keeps bothering Benchley, and another with a loudmouth fan sitting next to him, and that's about it. Definitely one of the lesser in Benchley's usually terrific series of comedy shorts for MGM.

Robert Benchley sits sown to enjoy a game of football. He daydreams going to the game, accompanied by a lovely blonde. His enjoyment of the game is bothered by obnoxious fans (yelling and blocking his view), blurred vision (from accepting an alcoholic beverage), and a sudden downpour. Maybe he should have stayed home - but, maybe it was all a dream?

I tried to see what some of the uniforms on the players said, but all the "trick photography" blurred my vision. The film would be interesting if it preserved some footage from an old game; but, it must be stock footage, available other movies. I don't believe the studio would build a stadium set for this film, so that leaves little reason to recommend "How to Watch Football".

* How to Watch Football (10/8/38) Roy Rowland ~ Robert Benchley, Joyce Compton, Eddie Acuff