Robert Benchley not only was a great humorist (in my opinion, the funniest writer who ever lived), he also was a talented film comedian and a good actor as well. He was naturally funny, both in person and in whatever medium (print, film, stage, radio, public speaking) he worked. By all accounts, he also was a warm and wonderful human being.
"The Sex Life of the Polyp," made in 1928, was only the second all-talking commercial motion picture, following "The Treasurer's Report," also a 1928 Benchley short subject. Unlike "The Treasurer's Report," which is amusing and invaluable historically but not a classic, "The Sex Life of the Polyp" still holds up as a genuinely funny film. This is Benchley at his best; in fact, he is just as good here as he was in "How to Sleep," a short subject that won him an Academy Award in 1935.
The other thing that is notable about "Sex" is the special effects (or what passed for them in 1928). Whereas "The Treasurer's Report" is simply a filmed speech, "Sex" employs more complicated techniques. It's still pretty basic, but it works better than its predecessor. This is not a knock on "The Treasurer's Report," which Benchley first delivered as a stage monologue in 1922 and became a staple of his career; it's just that "The Sex Life of the Polyp" is a better piece of film-making. And it's still hilarious, all these years later.
