Elmer's Candid Camera

Elmer Fudd is reading "How To Photograph Wildlife" and he's ready. He has all the equipment, from tripod to flashbulbs. He heads out into the beautiful countryside. The first thing he sees are "wabbit twacks, er, rabbit tracks.

The rest of the cartoon is basically Fudd trying to photograph the rabbit (a forerunner of Bugs Bunny) but very little happens. I didn't anything funny in here....nothing. There were a few odd things, like th rabbit putting his elbow in Elmer's butt (really) but nothing humorous.

The only good aspect of this early Elmer Fudd cartoon is the artwork and colors. Bright, bold colors in the foreground and nice watercolor-like drawings in the back (reminiscent of "Bambi") were the only highlights of this animated short. However, it was obvious that the characters we all know - Fudd and Bugs Bunny - were in the early stages of development.

This little gray rabbit with the perfect powder puff cotton tail and the wacky laugh seems to be Bugs Bunny's Dad!!! This early version of B. Bunny is also seen in a cartoon with an earlier version of Elmer Fudd called "Hare-Um Scare-Um". And as I said before, Bugs' grandpa seems to be the little white/pink bunny in the early "Porky's Hare Hunt" and another film, "Prest-o Change-o".

In this funny little gem, Elmer Fudd hopes to get a new hobby going: photographing wildlife. He tries many times to get pics of squirrels, birds, and a cute little gway wabbit, but the wabbit keeps thwarting poor Elmer's efforts.

I do prefer the true personality of Bugs, the one that Tex Avery created and Chuck Jones refined, but this cartoon is very endearing.

I am a great fan of Looney Tunes, so I was all for seeing Elmer's Candid Camera. It is one of Elmer Fudd's first cartoons, but sadly it is not one of his best. It is not completely terrible, the animation is very beautifully coloured and detailed and the music is wonderfully orchestrated and lively in tempo which helps to give Elmer's Candid Camera some energy. Mel Blanc and Arthur Q Bryan are great, though they is even better in later cartoons, and Elmer is still rather likable. However, the rabbit character that looks like Bugs but doesn't act like Bugs is not very likable, he lacks verve and he is too sadistic at times as well. The humour also feels flabby rather than funny, the dialogue is not as fresh or as witty and the gags not as clever or imaginative. The story was a good idea but drags badly in the middle that the cartoon lacks momentum. There was the sense that everything was trying to find its feet. Overall, could have been much more, it's not a complete disgrace but it is towards the "my least favourite" end of the Looney Tunes spectrum. 5/10 Bethany Cox

The Name of Bugs Bunny's Prototype is Happy Rabbit. He appears in Four cartoons. They were Porky's Hare Hunt, Prest-O Change-O,Hare-um Scare-um and finally in Elmer's Candid Camera. He makes a cameo in Patient Porky. The Creator of Bugs Bunny is still apparently unknown and it could be Tex Avery. Bugs Hardaway has some credit so does Cal Dalton, Charlie Thorson, and Chuck Jones. In the late 1930's Tex Avery and his crew were working on A Wild Hare. Bugs Bunny was originally going to be called Jack O' Rabbit. Until the animators used the name used by Charlie Thorson. Tex decided that Bugs Bunny would come out of the Rabbit hole asking "What's Up Doc" to the Hunter (Elmer Fudd). In 1941 Bugs made his second appearance in Elmer's Pet Rabbit and thus his name would be introduced to the public. And I Have no choice but to Say That's All Folks.

Elmer's Candid Camera (1940)

*** (out of 4)

Elmer, in his first appearance, is reading a photography book, which inspires him to head out into the wilderness to photo some wildlife. Sadly for him his first target is a troublesome rabbit (a future Bugs Buggy). This certainly isn't classic Looney Tunes but it's a fairly entertaining short in its own right. I think most people will prefer the more classic approach to the characters but if you're fair to this film then you should enjoy it. Not too much happens storywise as Elmer keeps getting jokes played on him. None of the jokes are all that funny but that doesn't mean there isn't any charm here. The highlights are certainly the sequences where Elmer finally goes overboard and blows his cool after the rabbit plays all his jokes.