Something for Nothing (1940)

★★★★★ · Classic Rube Goldberg · op712 · 2003-01-02

Rube Goldberg was a classic gentleman who thought up inventions and drew them out to pretend to ease our work - in the most uncanny, roundabout, and comical way. His drawing talents and his ideas are the results of a fanstastic imagination. Do we remember the Mattel board game back in the '60s, called "Mouse Trap?" This was a Rube Goldberg drawing taken for a board game. How the construction of the mouse trap began is by the spin of the arrow spinner, allowed players to assemble this mouse trap, piece by piece, until the winner "cranks the handle" to start the capturing of the mouse…

★★★★ · Perpetual oil? · Karma Hawk · 2005-03-30

This film seems to of been made for the express purpose of discouraging people from the idea of perpetual motion machines, in fact halfway through a voice out of the blue says "In fact The U.S Pattent Office will no longer grant pattents for perpetual motion machines" The film then goes on to explain about Oil and how it works, this is the low point of the film. The first half is much better as Rube shows us his idea for a "door-open-upper" and shows us s Pattent for a device called the "Hat Tipper" and thiers even a part at the end where one of his machines seemingly breaks down. This film…

★★★★ · Rube GoIdberg terrific · ERD · 2006-08-29

Mr.Goldberg is terrific in this short. His humor is still funny today. He has lots of showmanship and personality. The rest of the film is bland. In those days, gasoline was "unlimited."

★★★★ · Can I have that drawing you're throwing to the floor? · Spuzz · 2005-06-11

It's great that Rube Goldberg seems to have a never ending life it seems. From his still amazing strips to a movie on his life now being developed, it seems that he created quite the legacy. Anyways, He's the host of this first half of this short about why Gas is so important. But first shows us shows us drawings he and other people have come up with. I just love how after he finishes a drawing, he lets the drawing drop to the floor, like it wasn't important. Anyways, the patent he talks about, does actually exist. Looked iy up myself! He then talks about perpetual motion, and how the patent…

★★★★ · Something Different · Dr-Pretorious · 2022-06-19

Your typical educational short.....however.. Rube Goldberg's illustrations and personality spike up the interest level very well. Nice change of pace.

★★ · Best for nostalgia · 442 · 2004-11-13

What I liked most about the film were the period furniture, brand new and the view of NYC thru the window. You also have to love that even in a completed feature, Mr. Goldberg stutters.