Buster Keaton's brief stint at Columbia is infamous among his fans, viewed as the nadir of his professional life. Critic and avid Keaton fan Imogen Sara Smith claimed she could not get through more than two of them before giving up. Fellow fans often scoff at them and bewail Keaton's lack of creative control.
I'm going to go ahead and say it, risking my life and reputation as a die-hard Buster Keaton fan: I have seen about five of these Columbia shorts and do not think they are as bad as people have said.
Yes, they are totally not in Keaton's style. They are often over the top and dumb. Some of the dialogue is painfully unfunny. Sometimes the supporting actors grate, like Elsie Ames. But Keaton is alert in them; even if he hated the material, he gave it his all. Some of the gags are actually successful, like some of the risqué material on display here in Pardon My Berth Marks or the chase through the train. He had good chemistry with Dorothy Appleby. He still had that wonderful, expressive face and body. And he could still take a fall like no one else in the business.
If you want to hurt while watching Keaton, then Free and Easy or his cameos in the Beach Party movies are much worse than something like Pardon My Berth Marks.