The Bootleg Files: The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians

Posted on March 30, 2018 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 632: “The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians” (1970 Rankin/Bass animated television special).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Most likely due to a rights clearance issue.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

During the 1960s, Rankin/Bass Productions enjoyed a skein of hit films and television specials, including “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Mad Monster Party?”, “The Little Drummer Boy” and “Frosty the Snowman.” In 1970, the studio put forth “The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians,” which turned out to be their highest rated television show.
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Frank Sinatra: His Way

Posted on March 26, 2018 by Phil Hall

Those songs! Those broads! Those mob ties (alleged, of course)! On today’s episode of “The Online Movie Show,” we celebrate the movies, music and raucous off-screen antics of Ol’ Blue Eyes with Facebook’s funniest man, Anthony “The Kingfish” Vitamia.

The episode can be heard here.

“The Online Movie Show” is produced at the Platinum Wolfe Studios.

The Bootleg Files: Inki and the Lion

Posted on March 23, 2018 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 631: “Inki and the Lion” (1941 animated short by Chuck Jones).

LAST SEEN: On DailyMotion.com.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: VHS and LaserDisc only.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It is not politically correct.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

Everybody knows about the notorious Censored Eleven animated shorts produced by Warner Bros. that were taken out of circulation in 1968 and have never been made available for television broadcast and home entertainment release. However, the studio had other lesser-known shorts with politically incorrect content that have also been quietly removed from release. Among these withdrawn films are five shorts created by Chuck Jones featuring the unusual characters Inki and the Minah Bird.

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Luis Alberni: Character Actor Extraordinaire

Posted on March 19, 2018 by Phil Hall

During Hollywood’s Golden Era, Luis Alberni was one of the screen’s reigning character actors. Equally adept at drama and comedy, he always stole the show with his versatility and charisma. On this episode of “The Online Movie Show,” Luis’ great-grandson, actor and filmmaker Anthony Carrillo, recalls the life and times of this great star.

The episode is now online here.

“The Online Movie Show” is produced at the Platinum Wolfe Studios.

The Bootleg Files: An Inspector Calls

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 630: “An Inspector Calls” (1954 British drama starring Alastair Sim).

LAST SEEN: On the Internet Archive.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It has been commercially unavailable for years in the United States.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: There is a U.K. DVD version, but no U.S. version yet.

In the aftermath of World War II, British writer J.B. Priestley put forth the play “An Inspector Calls,” which offered an interesting mix of drawing room mystery and socialist agitation against his nation’s suffocating class system. The play was first performed in the Soviet Union in 1945 and later had its London premiere in 1946 starring Ralph Richardson as the eponymous investigator. The Broadway premiere occurred in 1947 with Thomas Mitchell as the inspector. “An Inspector Calls” also turned up on British television in 1948 and in radio adaptations in 1950 and 1953.
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Lenny Bruce On Film

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Phil Hall

Lenny Bruce had a profound impact on modern comedy, but he was a somewhat elusive figure when it came appearances in film and television. On this episode of “The Online Movie Show,” film historian Paul Scrabo discusses Bruce’s work as a 20th Century Fox screenwriter, his writing and acting in the under-the-radar “Dream Follies” and “Dance Hall Racket,” and the censorship problems that limited his screen time and, ultimately, fueled his early death.

The episode can be heard here.

“The Online Movie Show” is produced at the Platinum Wolfe Studios.

The Bootleg Files: The Frito Bandito Commercials

Posted on March 9, 2018 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 629: “The Frito Bandito Commercials” (1967-71 television advertising campaign).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: No afterlife for politically incorrect commercials.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: We’ll see that border wall first.

When Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president in 2015, he flabbergasted many people with this impolite description of Mexicans: “They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

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