How to Train Your Dog (1936)
** (out of 4)
Another entry in Robert Benchley's "How to..." series with this one, as the title says, teaching you how to train a dog. We see Benchley go into a pet shop where we're told what not to do when picking out a new pet. We then see him take several home where we learn how to make sure they know who makes the rules as well as them knowing what not to eat. These Benchley shorts are always very hit and miss but this one here is somewhere in the middle. I'd call the film a miss because it simply doesn't contain any laughs but at the same time it's rather cute and somewhat charming so on this level you could call it a hit. I think the biggest problem is that Benchley's style of humor is going to be lost on many people and I'm one of them. I think this film has several cute scenes including Benchley coming home drunk, finding his room destroyed but one of his dogs decides to keep him company. This scene works as does another where Benchley leaves his breakfast out and his dog decides to take a bite.