The Bootleg Files: The Flintstones on Ice

Posted on February 20, 2026 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 931: “The Flintstones on Ice” (1973 television special mixing the Bedrock bunch with ice dancing).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Who knows?

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope, sorry.

Back when I was a kid in the 1970s (yes, I am that old), the only time that ice skating appeared on television was during the Winter Olympics or in an occasional special anchored on an ice dancing spectacular production. In 1973, the Hanna-Barbera fun factory licensed their Flintstones characters for a one-shot ice skating special. The resulting work was among the most bewildering but strangely entertaining specials to air on 1970s television.
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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Person to Bunny (1960)

Posted on February 18, 2026 by Phil Hall

Person to Bunny (1960)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Arthur Davis, Gerry Chiniquy, Virgil Ross, Harry Love
Music by Milt Franklyn

Bugs Bunny is being interviewed at his Hollywood home (a luxurious hole in the ground) on live television by Cedric R. Burrows for the “People to People” show (a spoof Edward R. Murrow and his series “Person to Person”). While the interview is in progress, Daffy Duck comes in and tries to make himself the center of attention. Bugs answers a question about Elmer Fudd with an insulting wisecrack – “His IQ is PU” – but Elmer is watching the broadcast and grabs his rifle, showing up at Bugs’ home. The broadcast devolves into chaos as Elmer winds up shooting Daffy, a quickly recovered Daffy does vaudeville-style dancing for the camera, and a rifle-toting Elmer chases Bugs out of his home.
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Old Rockin’ Chair Tom (1948)

Posted on February 16, 2026 by Phil Hall

One of the most misunderstood (and, subsequently, controversial) characters in animation history is the amply proportioned Black woman who appeared in 19 of the Tom and Jerry shorts. Contemporary sources refer to as “Mammy Two Shoes,” but that name was never used on-screen or in the screenplays – that moniker was first applied incorrectly in a 1975 Film Comment article and stuck ever since. Not only did she not have a name, but viewers never saw her face (outside of a split-second gag in the 1950 “Saturday Evening Puss”) and never truly understood her relationship to the troublesome cat and mouse duo. It is widely assumed she is a maid or housekeeper because she wears an apron, but if that is the case her (presumably white) employers are never shown or even mentioned. In “Saturday Evening Puss,” she refers to the residence as “my house,” suggesting homeownership rather than domestic servitude.
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The Bootleg Files: Orson Welles at the Magic Castle

Posted on February 13, 2026 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 930: “Orson Welles at the Magic Castle” (1978 television special starring the Big O).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: The production was considered lost for many years, and its return came via an unauthorized upload.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not unless a restored copy is produced.

Orson Welles is the ultimate gift that keeps on giving. Since his passing in October 1985, a steady stream of long-lost and hitherto-unknown works directed by or involving this extraordinary talent have emerged, offering new insight into his colorful and often erratic output.
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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Horse Hare (1960)

Posted on February 11, 2026 by Phil Hall

Horse Hare (1960)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Gerry Chiniquy, Virgil Ross, Arthur Davis
Music by Milt Franklyn

In the Old West of 1886, Sergeant Bugs Bunny is tasked with being the sole guard on duty at Fort Lariat while the U.S. Cavalry leaves on a special mission. Once the Cavalry departs, Yosemite Sam – here known as “Renegade Sam” – leads a battalion of considerably incompetent Indian warriors in an attempt to overtake the fort. Needless to say, Bugs easily outwits these intruders while repeatedly humiliating Sam during the battle.
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Jacqueline Kennedy’s Asian Journey (1962)

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Phil Hall

Long before Brett Ratner pointed his cameras at Melania Trump, another First Lady was given the big screen treatment. And while the resulting film may not have been a cinematic classic, at the time it proved to be an invaluable marketing tool for the administration of that First Lady’s husband.
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The Bootleg Files: Swabbies

Posted on February 6, 2026 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 929: “Swabbies” (canceled Disney animated short that survives as an animatic video).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: This was never meant to be seen publicly.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope.

The history of the Walt Disney Company is littered with projects that were aborted in various stages of concept and execution. Some of these canceled projects could have been truly fascinating, such as a feature-length animated film based on “Don Quixote.” Other pulled-plug endeavors would have been more than a little peculiar, such as an animated version of “The Catcher in the Rye” with an all-canine cast.
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