How to Sleep (1935) User Reviews

Robert Benchley at his sleepy-eyed best

[wmorrow59 · 7/10 · 22 August 2004]

This is a delightful short that packs more laughs into ten minutes than you'll get from some feature-length comedies. Although it's been shown occasionally on the Turner Channel, How to Sleep was hard to find in a home-viewable format until recently, when it was included as a special feature in the new DVD release of the Marx Brothers' A Night at the Opera. Robert Benchley's low-key, whimsical humor serves as a nice lead-in to the Marxes' more aggressive style of comedy.

Mr. Benchley acts as our affable host/narrator, covering such topics as 1) the causes of sleep, 2) methods of inducing sleep, 3) methods of avoiding sleep, and 4) how to wake up, which, we're told, "is very important." But this is no dry academic lecture. Our host, who happens to sport the most outlandish pajamas ever designed, helpfully serves as actor as well, demonstrating various positions such as the Supine Curl, the Ventrolateral Sprawl, and the Sleeping-Sitting Standing Crouch. He is aided in his analysis of sleep by some highly amusing animated segments.

This is a film better seen than described. I only wish I could enjoy it with a large audience in a theater, as it must be a real crowd-pleaser. How to Sleep won the Oscar for Best Short Subject of 1935, and led to Benchley's series of how-to short comedies for MGM and Paramount (including How to Read, How to Eat, etc.), but this one may well be the very best of his output. Heartily recommended.

Robert Benchley in an amusing short everyone can relate to...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 14 February 2009]

Anyone can easily relate to HOW TO SLEEP, especially if you've spent a sleepless night in a thousand different positions as illustrated by Benchley in this '35 short subject.

In this good natured spoof, he starts out trying a hot bath but never gets beyond sticking his toe in the warm water before draining the water out and deciding to go back to bed. Similarly, when he decides to get a drink of warm milk, he ends up snacking on leftovers in the refrigerator, defeating his purpose.

It goes on in this vein with water dripping from a faucet being the final annoyance that keeps him awake. Finally, he's just about to fall asleep when the alarm clock rings and it's a lost cause.

As a fellow insomniac, I found it was most amusing when he demonstrated all the sleeping positions someone goes through when they toss and turn. Funny stuff with the usual dry commentary from Benchley.

z z z z z z z z z Z z z Z z z Z z Z z ZZZZZZZ

[charlytully · 7/10 · 14 June 2009]

I think my summary says it all. As a former hurdler, the part I liked best was an animated-live action combination in which the sleep lecturer--Robert Benchley--(an admitted insomniac) decides to count sheep as a time-honored method of "catching some Z's". Unfortunately, as each sheep nears the fence he becomes more and more apprehensive that something unfortunate is bound to happen, and sure enough, a klutzy ovine cannot clear the barrier, resulting in a massive sheep pile-up. This film also provides an informative look at a 1930's era kitchen, with a refrigerator of special note.

Though Alfred Hitchcock's FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT is one of the few other Benchley films I've seen, I do have a Dover edition book of his humorous writings collected from the HARVARD LAMPOON, VANITY FAIR, THE NEW YORKER, and the NEW YORK TRIBUNE. Sometimes a serious man, it is interesting to note Benchley lost his TRIBUNE gig for campaigning against racial lynchings 15 years before filming HOW TO SLEEP.

A great opening for the Marx Brothers

[caspian1978 · 24 September 2004]

The only thing tougher than having to follow the Marx Brothers is having to go on before them. How to Sleep was one of 3 short films that opened for A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races. For an 11 minute short, it is just long enough to keep the attention of an audience member from 1935 and 2005. Many of the short musicals and comedies that ran 20 - 30 minutes sometimes failed to hold its audiences attention before the main feature. How to Sleep is an original and interesting 'moc'umentary about how to fall asleep. A quick taste test before the real meal, How to Sleep is still funny to an audience 80 years later. Robert Benchley is great as a leading man who is funny be acting serious.

This sure-fire cure for Narcolepsy . . .

[oscaralbert · 7/10 · 14 July 2015]

. . . is virtually guaranteed to give any watcher many a sleepless night. Most people don't lose any sleep in trying to think of things that might keep them awake. HOW TO SLEEP does this heavy lifting for you. Whether hunger pains, thirst, or a dripping faucet, SLEEP touches all the bases. If you substitute the bathroom sink for the one in the kitchen, it's as complete a catalog of sleep deprivation as you're likely to find anywhere. Except that the main insomniac character appears to be single, so that there's no spouse kicking him in the ribs every five minutes. He also does not seem to have the El rattling by at regular intervals outside his window, or be situated in close proximity to an airport with jet runways. Though he's shown briefly battling ONE mosquito, his mattress is bedbug free, from all indications. There's no clue that the follows the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Lions, or similar franchises that can keep you fretting into the wee hours for decades on end. He seems, in fact, to be leading a charmed life: Get to sleep, you bozo!

I kept waiting for the sharks to appear, but all I saw were sheep!

[tadpole-596-918256 · 7/10 · 12 February 2013]

Maybe someone out there knows if the Benchley guy narrating this public service announcement spoof is the same dude who wrote the book upon which the movie JAWS is based? (If you look at the 1800s as one block of history, and the 1900s as another old-timer period, and factor in the time lag you often get between a book such as THE HOBBIT and its movie version, it implies that this probably is the SAME Benchley; I've never met anyone with that name, so how many screenwriter Benchleys COULD there have been scribbling away in the 1900s?) I'd like to compliment Benchley on his range; instead of having real-looking sharks chomping people in half or swallowing them whole (which would not seem very conducive to sleep), this 11-minute piece features innocent-looking cartoon sheep jumping over a fence (except for the one that caused the 94-sheep pile-up in Aisle 5!).

slight light fun

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 16 September 2020]

A sleep expert (Robert Benchley) presents a lecture speaking directly into the camera and then he's acting out what he's saying. Robert Benchley is considered a humorist. He's not a real actor. He's slightly fun. This is slightly quirky. It's slightest of slight humor. They're not actual laughs but they have just enough light fun.

This'Short' About Sleep Will Do Just That

[ccthemovieman-1 · 2/10 · 15 March 2007]

Robert Benchley discusses the subject of sleep in four parts: 1 - the causes of sleep; 2 - the methods of inducing sleep; 3 - methods of avoiding sleep and, finally, 4 - how to wake up ("which is the most important," he notes.)

Early on this showed promise to a funny "short," but it really wasn't. After five or six minutes, it got simply boring. The third segment comprised most of the overall time and went on way too long. Yes, some of it was mildly amusing, mainly the names he put to various sleepng positions, but that's about it.

Actually, as someone who has a lot of trouble sleeping, it was amazing: this short film almost put me to sleep!

Still funny

[rbverhoef · 8/10 · 12 December 2006]

'How to Sleep' is the Oscar-winning short comedy for the year 1935. It is a mockumentary, one of the earliest I have seen myself, on how to fall asleep. The narrator speaks about a man who has trouble falling asleep and we get to see the man and his actions. From time to time the narrator puts in a joke with references to alcoholics and the fictional names for events on the screen including sleeping positions.

It is amazing how funny this short film still is. Apparently in cinemas it was shown before Marx Brothers-films and it may not be a coincidence that their films still work today as well. It is not too long, keeps our attention quite easily and gives us many smiles and some good laughs. If you have the chance to see it then do so.

Benchley does double duty in this comedy short

[SimonJack · 6/10 · 29 August 2023]

Robert Benchley narrates with voice over, and then acts the various scenarios in this comedy short. Here he sleep walks, tries warm mile, counts sheep and tosses and turns to try to get to sleep. All with good humor. I've always liked Benchley over some other common narrators of the short fillers for feature films in the mid-20th century. His straight-faced, somber delivery with just a slight cynicism is always worth a smile at least. Benchley made 50 shorts from 1928 to 1945 - most of them in the late 1930s and early 1940s. He visited the doctor, trained a dog, showed how to sub-let a room or apartment, how to raise a baby. Many of these "How to" briefs were hilarious renditions of how not to do something - as in "How to Take a Vacation."

the "Jaws" author's grandfather discusses sleep

[lee_eisenberg · 5/10 · 22 April 2018]

Nick Grinde's Academy Award-winning "How to Sleep" comes across as the type of short that "Mystery Science Theater 3000" would've riffed. It features humorist Robert Benchley (the grandfather of "Jaws" author Peter Benchley) discussing ways of going to sleep and remaining in the nightly unconscious state. The humor is mainly derived from the protagonist's inability to get any sleep, even as he tries numerous poses in the bed.

It's not bad, but certainly nothing special. It must've been a shock for movie-going audiences in 1935 to go from this subdued humor to the Marx Brothers' anarchic humor.

The type of short film that is not replicated at all in present times

[StevePulaski · 8/10 · 24 November 2014]

Nick Grinde's How to Sleep is an instructional video on the common practices of winding down, falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night, and, finally, waking up in the morning to start another day, written with a brilliantly wry comedic focus. Our subject is played by Robert Benchley, as he narrates over an average person's (also played by Benchley) sleep routine, poking fun at the many positions we tend to contort ourselves in while resting, and even mocking the conventions of taking a hot bath with pine fragrance, drinking warm milk, and counting sheep.

During the short, Benchley treads the line of being serious while being playful, creating a short film that merges both approaches into a devilishly fun short. Benchley exerts a great deal of energy, striving to be all that he can be in a short film that demands a lot of energy despite the fact that it's about the process in which one falls asleep. How to Sleep is a short that, when you watch it, you laugh heartily until you recall how there are far too few of these kinds of shorts being replicated in the present.

Starring: Robert Benchley. Directed by: Nick Grinde.

comedy short from Benchley

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 17 June 2021]

This thing won an oscar for best short comedy ! Another How to instruction lesson by Peter Benchley; in this one, he talks about the the common issues of getting to sleep, insomnia, and even how to wake up! Pretty dry by today's standards, but it's entertaining enough. Written and acted by Benchley. Directed by Nick Grinde, who also directed Ron Reagan in one of his first films - Love is In the Air. Not much info out there on Grinde... where did he go after 1945? He would have been around 50. Still pretty young! He passed away in 1979.

ccthemovieman-1 was right--this is a terrible film...

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 22 August 2009]

In this film, raconteur and professional clever-guy Robert Benchly gives a lecture on sleep and insomnia. It's intended to be a comedy and his droll delivery as he gave his long-winded speech apparently made people fall into the aisles laughing. Benchley has had a reputation for being one of the cleverest men in Hollywood. And, as a reward for his incredible cleverness, HOW TO SLEEP received the Oscar for Best for Best Short Subject, Comedy. He also had a long contract with MGM to produce similar shorts and he made a bunch of them. However, today, many decades later, I was struck by how painfully dull and unfunny this award-winning film was. Sure, I saw that several reviewers liked it, but I was in agreement with ccthemovieman-1--it was a terrible film! There were no real laughs throughout the entire 11 minutes--just Benchley narrating and acting like he was dang clever while we were treated to film of him and some other guy in bed (not together--this would have made the film a lot more interesting, though!). Not a single laugh or interesting moment. For more laughs, watch an army training film or a public health video about venereal disease.

How to Sleep and Get a Few Laughs

[slymusic · 4 January 2011]

"How to Sleep" is a funny MGM short starring - and narrated by - Robert Benchley, the famed humorist and light sleeper. In this film, Benchley illustrates how to induce sleep, how to avoid sleep, how to awaken, and how to drive yourself bonkers.

My two favorite scenes: The animation of counting sheep jumping over a fence, with a small sheep getting half credit, ends when a pile of sheep crashes into the fence. AND, how difficult can it be to get out of bed and get a drink of water?

One point Benchley makes in "How to Sleep" that I can easily identify with: A surefire way to avoid sleep is occupying your brain with WORRY, and when I was younger and didn't know any better, worry was the fiercest enemy I ever had to face!

Just let him rest please

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 10 March 2016]

"How to Sleep" is a 10.5-minute mix of educational documentary and comedy, but mostly the latter. It was made over 80 years ago and even if this kind of films was pretty frequent back then, then this one here was still a bit of an early take on the matter. It won Jack Chertok his only Academy Award. But it should really have gone to Robert Benchley as he is the only one we see and hear in the film. Unfortunately, I have seen similar films that were more entertaining than this black-and-white movie. I am not sure what it was. I guess the narrator did not have the greatest comedic talent and the material he was given was not too good either. It was certainly more fun to watch than to listen to. But it would have been even more fun with Donald or Goofy in a cartoon. I think there is one with Donald in a similar situation out there, also a very old one and that one is really funnier than this live action short we have here. I do not agree with the Academy. Not recommended.

Robert Benchley's How to Sleep was a great surprise of a short subject for me

[tavm · 10/10 · 22 January 2013]

Just watched this comedy short on the A Night at the Opera DVD. It has Robert Benchley narrating and acting the many ways one tries to sleep or what to do if you can't. There's also some animation here to aid in some of the humor like showing a brain or sheep one tries counting as they jump over the fence. I found the whole very funny and it was a nice surprise this won the Oscar for Best Short Film. Another bit I liked was when Benchley the narrator was being talked back by Benchley the actor! Really, it's not very easy to describe what happens here and I really don't want to as it would ruin the surprise of it all! So on that note, I highly recommend How to Sleep.

Humorous short about sleeping

[llltdesq · 8/10 · 5 August 2015]

This Robert Benchley short won the Academy Award for Live Action Short, Comedy. There will be spoilers ahead:

Robert Benchley was a columnist and reviewer. He also did a series of live action shorts of a humorous bent. This is one of the better ones he did.

The short begins with Benchley sitting at a desk preparing to deliver a lecture on falling asleep. He leads into the lecture by referring to a previous lecture on staying awake and noting that much of the audience was unable to do so. He then says that the best way to fall asleep is drawing blood from the brain (though with alcoholics, it's when the brain leaves the blood. Benchley refers to alcohol consumption more than once, not just in this short. He was a fair man with a bottle).

There follows several vignettes on methods of getting to sleep, problems staying asleep and generally what happens when you sleep. Some of the jokes hold up well, others are a bit flat at this remove of 80 years. The short ends with Benchley drifting off to sleep.

This short is available on DVD as an extra on the A Night At the Opera as well as a collection of Robert Benchley shorts. It's well worth watching. Recommended.

How to Laugh

[Michael_Elliott · 1 May 2011]

How to Sleep (1935)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Robert Benchley made dozens of shorts in his career and this here is perhaps the best known. One reason is the title and subject itself but another is the fact that this was Best Short Subject at the Oscars. In the film Benchley explains that sleep comes from the blood flowing out of the brain. The comedian then explains some of the possible ways to make this happen before he turns his attention to the many positions one sleeps in at night. I'd be lying if I said this short deserved an Oscar but in its own way it's pretty clever and it certainly ranks as one of the best in the "How to..." series. I think this one benefits from the subject matter as well as some neat animation used. One example is when we see the blood leaving the brain and another happens later when Benchley is counting sheep. Neither thing is going to make you forget Walt Disney but it was a nice added touch. There are some pretty funny moments here including one where Benchley discusses the various positions someone is in while asleep and mentions that a normal person moves over fifty times a night.

I just saw an inspiring bit on the ABC national evening news tonight . . .

[pixrox1 · 8/10 · 11 November 2020]

. . . about the first athlete with Downs Syndrome to complete a full triathlon. This testament to the Human Spirit brought to mind HOW TO SLEEP, and it's time-lapse documentary about the physical trauma and gymnastics many rest-challenged individuals have to endure just to get a little shut-eye. If I'm not mistaken, the pioneering individual on this evening's news finished his 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile marathon run in a little more than 16 hours. If the man featured in HOW TO SLEEP managed to stay in bed that long, it is likely that he'd burn about as many calories as the triathlete shown on television!