I don’t know how many people would agree with me on this, but I think that “Pecos Pest” is the greatest of the Golden Age Tom and Jerry cartoons. I am enthralled with this short because it deviates from the usual knockabout of the series with the inclusion of an audacious new character who shakes up the comedy with inventive humor.
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BOOTLEG FILES 922: “No Indians Please!” (1948 silent truncated version of Abbott and Costello’s “Ride ‘Em Cowboy”).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: No perceived commercial value.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope, sorry.
If you’ve been following this column, you may recall that I’ve been on a mini-Abbott and Costello kick. Two weeks ago, I reviewed the new AI-fueled parody “Abbott and Costello Meets the Exorcist” and last week I dug up a video record of a Texas theater company’s 1984 live stage production of “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.” I was going to put Bud and Lou back on the shelf until I saw a notice announcing that November is Native American Heritage Month – and that seemed like the perfect cue to unspool the team’s 1948 release of “No Indians Please!”
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Hare-Less Wolf (1958)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Gerry Chiniquy, Art Davis, Virgil Ross
Music by Milt Franklyn
One of the most inspired one-shot characters in the Bugs Bunny series is Charles M. Wolf, a genial lupine slob who is yanked out a relaxing afternoon watching a baseball game on television by his harridan wife who orders him to hunt a rabbit for dinner. As he exits his cave residence with a rifle, Charles looks to the viewer and angrily whispers, “I hate her” – a declaration that is punctuated by his off-screen wife throwing a pot directly at his head.
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A classic example of actors being better than their material, “The Misfits” offers a slate of diverse talents who use the force of their respective energies and charismas to give magic to material that, quite frankly, is not very good.
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BOOTLEG FILES 921: “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (Full Show) 1984” (Texas-based stage production recorded on video).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A few problems with copyright infringement.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope, sorry.
Last week, this column served up a new AI-fueled parody called “Abbott and Costello Meets the Exorcist.” But when I was watching that video on YouTube, I was alerted there was also a video titled “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (Full Show) 1984.” And my reaction to that was an incredulous “What???”
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Rabbit Romeo (1957)
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Ted Bonnicksen and George Grandpre
Music by Milt Franklyn
Elmer Fudd’s Uncle Judd ships him a Slobovian rabbit to watch until he returns from abroad, with the offer of $500 for his efforts. The rabbit is a large female named Millicent who behaves with unhappy destructiveness. A doctor is called to examine Millicent and Elmer is informed that Millicent is lonely and wants another rabbit as a companion. Elmer lures Bugs Bunny in from a cold winter night, and Millicent immediately falls in love with Bugs – indeed, she’s ready to marry him after making his acquaintance for several seconds. Bugs tries to escape, but Elmer keeps blocking his exit by brandishing a rifle.
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The Los Angeles County wildfires last January was one of the most devasting catastrophes to hit California, and according to David Goldblum’s documentary short on the burning of the Big Rock community within Malibu it would have been completely preventable if local authorities possessed brains and competence.
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