Bert & I
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Bert & Iis the name given to numerous collections ofhumorstories set in the "Down East"culture of traditionalMaine.These stories were made famous and mostly written by thehumoriststorytelling team ofMarshall Dodge(1935–1982) and Bob Bryan (1931-2018) in the 1950s and the 1960s and in later years through retellings by Allen Wicken.
The stories communicate the quirkiness of ruralNew Englandand Maine culture, told in the traditional folksy New England storytelling vein with a dry wit that inspired theLake Wobegonstories[1]that would begin appearing in 1974.[2]
The title characters arefishermenby trade, operating a motor vessel namedBluebird(and laterBluebird II), based out ofKennebunkport.Many of the longer stories of Bert & I collections involve incidents during a day's work, with careful detail given to the intricacies of the trade (especially through sound effects vocalized by Dodge).
One story,Which Way toMillinocket?,adapts the "You can't get there from here" trope of the 19th-century "Arkansas Traveler"tradition to aNew England accent.The similarly titledWhich Way toEast Vassalboro?has a different, anti-urbanite theme.[relevant?]
The stories spread beyond New England during the 1970s and 1980s and introduced many parts of the country and world to the regionally distinct Maine (or "Yankee" ) accent. In 1982, Bryan released aBert & Imock language tape,How to Talk Yankee,with fellow Maine humoristTim Sample.
Discography
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- Bert and I... And Other Stories from Down East(1958)
- More Bert and I... And Other Stories from Down East(1961) BI-5
- The Return of Bert and I: How the Bluebird II Plugged the Hole in the Machias Maru, Thus Saving the Coast of Maine and Other Stories(1961) BI-9
- Bert and I Stem Inflation(1961) BI-11
- Bert and I... On Stage(1977) BI-12
- from Bert and I... How to Talk Yankee(1977) BI-14
- Bert and I presents... Tim Sample - Back in spite of Popular Demand(1985) BI-16
- A Maine Pot-Hellion
References
[edit]- ^"50 years of humor from 'Bert and I' celebrated on CD".Bangor Daily News.Associated Press.November 9, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon January 18, 2013.RetrievedMarch 26,2011.
- ^Rob Nelson,"The Long Goodbye -- Garrison Keillor's Prairie makes a fine pasture for Altman",June 08, 2006.ArchivedJanuary 18, 2013, atarchive.today
External links
[edit]- Bert and I homepage
- What about Bert and I?by Tim Sample
- Marshall Dodge entryatDiscogs
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