Bert & I
Encyclopedia
Bert & I is the name given to numerous collections of humor stories set in the "Down East
" culture of traditional Maine
. These stories were made famous and mostly written by the humorist storytelling team of Marshall Dodge
(1935-1982) and Bob Bryan in the 1950s and 1960s, and in later years through retellings by Allen Wicken.
While many of the more prominent stories center around the title characters (Bert, and the narrator), others are stories of fabricated characters which communicate a quirkiness of rural New England
and Maine culture. The stories are told in the traditional folksy New England storytelling vein, with a dry wit, of the sort generally considered as "humor," though not comedy
in the common sense, akin to that of the (later) Lake Wobegon
stories.
A number of well-worn sayings and rehashed jokes have their roots in Bert & I stories. One common phrase, sometimes said in a New England accent, "You can't get there from here" (or, with accent
, approaching "You cahn't get theyah from heeah") was the punchline to the story Which Way to Millinocket?
(not to be confused with Which Way to East Vassalboro
?, which had a different, anti-urbanite theme.)
The title characters are fishermen
by trade, operating a motor vessel named Bluebird (and later Bluebird II), based out of Kennebunkport. 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).
Bert & I 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 a Bert & I mock language tape, How To Talk Yankee, with fellow Maine humorist Tim Sample
.
Down East
In New England, the term Down East is applied in several different ways. In the narrowest sense, Down East refers to the coast of the U.S. state of Maine from Penobscot Bay to the Canadian border....
" culture of traditional Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. These stories were made famous and mostly written by the humorist storytelling team of Marshall Dodge
Marshall Dodge
Marshall Dodge was a well-known Maine humorist. He and his associate, Bob Bryan, put out several defining albums of Maine humor, starting with Bert & I, released in 1958...
(1935-1982) and Bob Bryan in the 1950s and 1960s, and in later years through retellings by Allen Wicken.
While many of the more prominent stories center around the title characters (Bert, and the narrator), others are stories of fabricated characters which communicate a quirkiness of rural New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and Maine culture. The stories are told in the traditional folksy New England storytelling vein, with a dry wit, of the sort generally considered as "humor," though not comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
in the common sense, akin to that of the (later) Lake Wobegon
Lake Wobegon
Lake Wobegon is a fictional town in the U.S. state of Minnesota, said to have been the boyhood home of Garrison Keillor, who reports the News from Lake Wobegon on the radio show A Prairie Home Companion....
stories.
A number of well-worn sayings and rehashed jokes have their roots in Bert & I stories. One common phrase, sometimes said in a New England accent, "You can't get there from here" (or, with accent
Boston accent
The Boston dialect is the dialect characteristic of English spoken in the city of Boston and much of eastern Massachusetts. The accent and closely related accents can be heard commonly in an area stretching into much of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and areas of south-western Nova Scotia...
, approaching "You cahn't get theyah from heeah") was the punchline to the story Which Way to Millinocket?
Millinocket, Maine
Millinocket is a former mill town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,203 at the 2000 census. Millinocket is both a forest products and recreational area.-History:...
(not to be confused with Which Way to East Vassalboro
Vassalboro, Maine
Vassalboro is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,047 at the 2000 Census. Vassalboro includes the villages of South Vassalboro, North Vassalboro, and East Vassalboro, home to the town library and sports field.-History:...
?, which had a different, anti-urbanite theme.)
The title characters are fishermen
Fisherman
A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishermen and fish farmers. The term can also be applied to recreational fishermen and may be used to describe both men...
by trade, operating a motor vessel named Bluebird (and later Bluebird II), based out of Kennebunkport. 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).
Bert & I 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 a Bert & I mock language tape, How To Talk Yankee, with fellow Maine humorist Tim Sample
Tim Sample
New England humorist Tim Sample , famous both for his presentation and his Maine accent, has sold well over a million copies of his books, albums, and videos . In the summer of 1993, Tim was recruited by Charles Kuralt as a correspondent for the Emmy Award winning TV Show CBS News Sunday Morning...
.
Discography
- Bert and I... And Other Stories from Down East
- More Bert and I... And Other Stories from Down East
- 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
- Bert and I Stem Inflation (1961) BI-11
- Bert and I... On Stage
- How to Talk Yankee
- A Maine Pot-Hellion
External links
- Bert and I homepage
- What about Bert and I? by Tim Sample