No Census, No Feeling (1940) User Reviews

Goofy, But Has Plenty Of Good Gags

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 18 September 2008]

There are some classic Stooges material in here, such as the alum-in-the punch routine and there are numerous too-silly gags but you get to choose from here. It's pretty wild, start-to-finish and if you don't laugh at one gag, another one will come along in a few seconds and you might like that. In other words: a lot of good stuff and a lot of dumb things.

The boys are homeless again, this time sleeping on a big awning outside a pawn shop (the "Square Deal Swap Shop"). When the shop owner opens for the day and pulls the cord, the boys, naturally, fall to the sidewalk. Less than a minute later, after breaking some of the merchandise, the cops are after them. They inadvertently get into a line (a gag we see often in Stooges films) and become "census takers."

"Hey, we're working for the census,"" says Moe.

"You mean we're working for Will Hays?," responds Curly. Classic film buffs will know who he is referring to.

I like the answer Moe gets when he rings the doorbell and asks the man who appears, "I'm a census taker. You are married or happy?"

The longest gag of the short film was the above-mentioned alum scene and all the actors did a great job of puckering up their mouths after drinking this specially-made punch, especially Vernon Dent and Marjorie Kane.

As Curly sums it up: "Roses are red and how do you do? Drink four of these and woo-woo-woo-woo!!"

The Stooges as government employees?

[Captain_Couth · 8/10 · 27 August 2005]

No Census, No Feeling (1940) was a short that the three stooges did during the U.S. census year of 1940. The three lovable losers are down on their luck. After being harassed by a police officer. Moe, Larry and Curley hide in a line that they mistake for a soup kitchen. When they emerge from the building, they're given a job as census takers (for those who live outside the States, every ten years, the U.S. government hires people to become census takers). What kind of bizarre adventure do the boys get mixed up in this time? This is one of their best shorts so I advise you to watch and find out!

Highly recommended.

Moe: "Are you the one they kept?" Larry:"No, I'm the one they threw away!"

[redryan64 · 8/10 · 23 November 2014]

WE GIVE THIS one an "Eight" on the Ratings; being an "8" for a Comedy Short; rather than a full designation that would be for a feature. After all, aren't these movies competing for our attention within certain classifications? You know what we mean, Schultz. It's kind of like Weight Divisions in Boxing.

FOLLOWING THE TRIED and true precept of being topical, the production team of Columbia Pictures' Short Subjects Department, Jules White, chose to do a comedy that centered on the United States Census Bureau. The Census is required by law to be conducted every 10 years on the "0" years. (1910, 1920, 1930, 1940.......etc.)

SO IT WAS very easy to see this one coming and they sure did. The short had the advantage of making not only this census year, but also the Depression Era years preoccupation with the problem of employment. This provided the Stooges' characteristically plenty of room to "do their thing".

AFTER MEADERING THEIR way through 'high society' and several minor attempts to collect the fee for so many names, the short hits high ground when 'the Boys' come to an athletic stadium; where there is a football game in progress. Reasoning that there are thousands of American Citizens there, all in one place, the Stooges arrange to enter the structure but are turned away.

SO, MASQUARADING AS members of one of the teams, they manage to get past the guard at the gate. Now in uniform, it's with the following deception that they enter: Moe. "Quarterback", Larry. "Halfback", Curly; "Hunchback!"

"Are you happy or married?"

[courtad6 · 10/10 · 25 March 2000]

One of the best Three Stooges shorts ever! To escape the police, Moe, Larry, and Curly get jobs as census-takers. There are some hilarious moments right off the bat, and the laughs get even bigger when the boys find themselves in a huge mansion. While at the mansion, there is a side-splitting bridge game involving punch and alum. I'd hate to spoil the ending, so I won't give away what happens next.

Certainly, these are the Three Stooges at their finest. No thinking, just big laughs. 10 out of 10.

From a bridge party to a football game!

[slymusic · 3 October 2009]

"No Census, No Feeling" is a great Three Stooges short directed by Del Lord. Moe, Curly, and Larry are census takers who unwittingly stir up a heap of trouble in their efforts to canvass people.

Highlights: At the football match, Curly steals the ball and runs with it, followed by Moe and Larry on an ice cream wagon, pelting the pursuing football players with ice cream; the final shots of this film show the Stooges running out of the stadium and into the street, with the football mob still in hot pursuit! Curly unknowingly sprinkles some powdered alum in the punch bowl, causing all the bridge-playing party guests to pucker their lips and hence find it difficult to speak. Moe interviews a sleeping gentleman with a newspaper over his face, with Larry providing his voice; when Moe attacks the man, he realizes it's not Larry, and boy, does Moe get belted! I also love the opening gag in which the sleeping Stooges roll off of an awning, as well as Moe asking a gentleman if he's married or happy - CRASH!

I think any fan of the Three Stooges will love "No Census, No Feeling". It boasts a fine supporting cast as well, including Symona Boniface, Vernon Dent, John Tyrrell, and Bruce Bennett.

"Where were you born?" ... "Lake Winnipasaukee"

[at-05037 · 8/10 · 28 April 2021]

"No Census, No Feeling" is one of the Stooges better shorts. It's filled with great gags, one-liners, many slaps & pokes, and a cast of great supporting characters. Other reviews have summarized some of this episode's wild antics.

The greatest laugh of this episode, however, was very subtle and likely unscripted. During the bridge game, as Fifi (the maid) handed out silver goblets of gourmet punch, Moe attempted to make eye contact with her and then lowered his head to take a gander at her rear end as she walked away. Love it!

Watch this short. And then watch it again. It's that good.

The Three famous Horsemen....

[simeon_flake · 10/10 · 18 January 2019]

You learn something new everyday may be an old saying, but sometimes it's actually true--I already knew a lot of those old comedies borrowed a lot from others, but when you watch the Shemp solo "A Peach of a Pair," then yeah, here comes great fun, regardless...

I guess the best stuff comes from the very beginning: the stooges falling out of the awning--nice no-look punch from Moe on Larry--the census and the football game.

Not a damn thing wrong with this short...

very good

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 1 February 2021]

Larry, Curly, and Moe wreck a shop and get chased by a cop. They hide in the census office and become census takers. The first half with the rich lady is good. The punch drink is funny but it could be tighter. More could be done with the lips. The second half with the football team is also funny. The gags feel a little different than usual. It's all very good although I'm not sure if any of the gags are iconic.

Pointless fun

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 14 January 2018]

"No Census, No Feeling" is an American 17-minute black-and-white short film from 1940, the days of WWII, so this one is already over 75 years old and it is another Three Stooges work directed like many others by Del Lord and Curly is still in here too, even if he doesn't look too healthy I'd say at this point already. The Stooges are census takers this time as the play on words in the title shows us already and most of the action takes place at a rich people's home this time with finally some football action as well. Curly is in the center of it all and Larry sadly again has nothing to shine really, but the scene where Curly adds special ingredient to the lemonade was kinda fun or I should maybe say everything that followed it, especially the people's face expressions during drinking. This was the highlight of the entire thing. There is even more slapping, kicking and punching in this one than usual for the Stooges what I personally did not like too much. And there is a real star athlete in here playing the football player, even if he wasn't a real football player, but he could have been what Johnny Weissmuller is today without an unlucky injury. Still a prolific film career he got. All in all, this was a decent watch and I liked it more than many other Stooges shorts I have seen, maybe also because it is a very unpolitical film with the US not involved in war in Europe at that point and the Stooges drifting in propaganda films. So yeah watch this one, I was positively surprised.

Fun Stooges Short

[Michael_Elliott · 30 July 2011]

No Census, No Feeling (1940)

*** (out of 4)

Funny short has the Three Stooges wrecking a second hand store so they have to run from a cop and end up ducking into a line for census people. Now with a new job the boys head out to gather some census and it doesn't take long for them to get in trouble when they try to enter a high society bridge game and then a football game. This Columbia short finds Moe, Larry and Curly in fine form as we get one good laugh after another. The opening sequence with the boys crashing down was certainly a good way to introduce them and things just pick up from here. I think the best moments happen inside the bridge game where Curly accidentally puts alum in some punch and soon everyone is going around with puckered up lips. Another great sequence as Curly flirting with an attractive maid and this here gets plenty of nice laughs. The football game sequence isn't classic Stooges but this too manages to get some laughs and especially one scene where Curly tries to get some answers from a quarterback who is really calling out plays. At just under 20-minutes this short goes by without any weak spots so fans of the Stooges should enjoy it and it's also good enough to show someone unfamiliar with the boys just to show them what the legends were made of.

Good Three Stooges short! A classic!

[Movie Nuttball · 22 July 2004]

The Three Stooges has always been some of the many actors that I have loved. I love just about every one of the shorts that they have made. I love all six of the Stooges (Curly, Shemp, Moe, Larry, Joe, and Curly Joe)! All of the shorts are hilarious and also star many other great actors and actresses which a lot of them was in many of the shorts! In My opinion The Three Stooges is some of the greatest actors ever and is the all time funniest comedy team!

This is a very funny Three Stooges short. Symona Boniface, Vernon Dent, and John Tyrrell acted very good. The store destruction scenes, the inside the house scenes like the card game and Curly being the chef and Larry on the couch, and the football scenes were very very funny. This is a great one Three Stooges short!