Elmer's Candid Camera is a 1940 Merrie Melodies short directed by Charles Jones.
Plot[]
Elmer Fudd wants to learn how to take photos of wildlife and grabs his camera kit to begin his progress. Elmer tries to photograph rabbits after seeing footprints, which leads to a mischievous gray rabbit. Elmer tries to hide behind the rabbit to take a picture of him, but the rabbit sneaks behind and asks to have a look. When Elmer finds out the rabbit has moved, the rabbit starts to leave.
Elmer decides to take a picture of a squirrel instead, but the rabbit returns to continuously bother Elmer. He grabs the lens of the camera and springs it back onto Elmer, launching him back into an apple tree. The rabbit throws an apple core at the tree to knock an apple down on Elmer. Elmer attempts to photograph a bird, but the rabbit taunts him again, and an angered Elmer now wants to forget photographing in the meantime to capture the rabbit. The rabbit tries to fake himself suffering, and Elmer falls for the ploy to release him, causing the rabbit to place Elmer in the net and make his escape.
Elmer is now driven insane, destroys his camera set, and jumps into a lake. He nearly drowns, while the rabbit swims to rescue Elmer. After ensuring Elmer is fine, the rabbit boots Elmer back into the lake and tosses the photographing book at Elmer's face for further insult.
Availability[]
Streaming[]
Notes[]
- In this cartoon, Elmer Fudd evolved from an earlier character debuting in Tex Avery's "Little Red Walking Hood" (1937). In this cartoon, Elmer still wears the same derby hat, high collar, and green coat as the Egghead-like Elmer prototype and sports a large, bulbous nose, which was one of Prototype-Elmer's earliest distinguishing traits that Avery gave to him. This is Elmer Fudd's ninth appearance. This is also the first time Arthur Q. Bryan voices him in his "milk-sop" and "hewwo" voice that he used earlier in a Merrie Melodies cartoon titled "Dangerous Dan McFoo" (1939) directed by Tex Avery. And the very last appearance, other than a cameo in "Patient Porky", of Ben Hardaway's rabbit, who would become Bugs Bunny a few months later, beginning with "A Wild Hare".
- The Prototype-Bugs Rabbit from the three earlier cartoons is more like Bugs Bunny in this short, except he has apricot-colored hands and mouth, furrier tail, black nose, black-tipped ears, and a different voice. The rabbit's voice sounds "rural", and at times sounds rather like Daffy Duck's early voice. The laugh at the end of the cartoon, "Heh-heh-heh-HEH-heh!", is similar to that of another Blanc character, the early version of Woody Woodpecker, which would debut later in the year.
- Elmer's voice is fully developed, and his appearance is similar to that in later cartoons, except for having shiny cheeks and nose. When in a mild-mannered mood, he is very much like the familiar Elmer. When enraged, his appearance is decidedly uncharacteristic, nearly maniacal.
- Chuck Jones was extremely critical of this short, as he says in his book Chuck Amuck. "Perhaps the kindest thing to say about 'Elmer's Candid Camera' is that it taught everyone what not to do and how not to do it" is one of the things he says about the short.[4]
- Vitaphone release number: 9371
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Catalog of Copyright Entries
- ↑ (3 October 2022) Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2. BearManor Media, page 79.
- ↑ Jones, Chuck (1989). "The Writers: The Slum Kid, the Scion, and Me", Chuck Amuck: The Life and Times of an Animated Cartoonist. Farrar Straus Giroux, page 114. ISBN 978-0374123482.
- ↑ Jones 1989, p. 197
Preceded by Hare-um Scare-um |
Prototype-Bugs Bunny Cartoons 1940 |
Succeeded by A Wild Hare |