You Can't Fool a Camera

You Can't Fool a Camera (1940)

*** (out of 4)

Interesting documentary sort/promotional piece from MGM starts off talking about how the camera was created as how it can tell the truth when countless eye witnesses might not give a clear answer as to what they saw. The second half of the short talks about current cameras being used at MGM and we get some behind the scenes clips to various films including Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It's also worth noting that at the end of the film there's a quick rundown of future MGM movies and that includes The Yearling but they've got Spencer Tracy down as the actor when it would eventually feature Gregory Peck. This short isn't anything groundbreaking but in the end it is quite fun and worth checking out on Turner Classic Movies.

It's "A New Romance of Celluloid", starting with the MGM newsreel music and collage. It starts with some news events, segues into Eadward Muybridge's horse-racing series, and onto .....

Eventually it turns into a promotional film for DOCTOR JEKYLL FAND MISTER HYDE, LOVE CRAZY, and other MGM features soon to be released when this went into the theaters. You do get some pictures of the cameramen behind the cameras.

It often occurred that MGM would disguise their promotional films as news documentaries, telling you how many feet of rope they used every year and similar facts of earth-shaking importance. Metro was not the only,studio to do this, of course. However, since is from that Studio..

There's nothing much to recommend this short from MGM, YOU CAN'T FOOL A CAMERA, except to say that it does prove the theory that all four hoofs of a horse are off the ground at some point in time during their running speed. A whole row of cameras attached to strings that set the shutters off enable proof when at least one of the B&W stills show a horse with all four legs in mid-air.

Then, having proved this and taking a look at a couple of other historical incidents captured on camera, the film goes on to show some of MGM's busy studio craftsmen behind the movie cameras or directing a bevy of films about to be released.

So, in essence, it's a promotional short for upcoming MGM features posing as some sort of documentary. Upcoming titles include some which never materialized as planned: for instance, Spencer Tracy in THE YEARLING or Rosalind Russell and Clark Gable in a film called STRANGE PARTNERS whose title was later changed to THEY MET IN BOMBAY. For the final shot, we get a glimpse of all the talent under contract to MGM at that time: everyone from Gable and Garson to Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald and Jean Harlow.

But still, not much to recommend it as anything more than passable interest.