Rupert Goold’s adaptation of Mike Bartlett’s Tony Award-nominated play imagines a brief yet tumultuous reign of the current Prince of Wales following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Author Archives: Phil Hall
Eadweard Muybridge, Zoopraxographer (1975)
Documentary filmmaker Thom Andersen (Los Angeles Plays Itself), began this nonfiction feature as his UCLA thesis project and finished it a decade later; it was rejected by the Los Angeles PBS station that helped finance the project, but later had a brief theatrical release before mostly vanishing from circulation until its 2013 restoration and 2015 inclusion on the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry.
The Bootleg Files: Orson Welles’ Frozen Peas
BOOTLEG FILES 593: “Orson Welles’ Frozen Peas” (1970 audio outtakes of Orson Welles’ tumultuous recording of a series of British TV advertisements).
LAST SEEN: It is on YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: Various tributes to the recordings are on a several home entertainment releases.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: These were never supposed to be publicly released.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Maybe as a special feature.
Orson Welles is revered today as one of the most innovative and daring artists to work in the cinematic arts. During his lifetime, however, Welles often struggled to gain the respect of his peers whenever he sought funding for his film projects. Having been burned on several occasions by dubious financial backers and business partners, Welles often sought to self-fund his projects. As a result, he appeared in too many film and television projects that were far beneath his talents just for the sake of getting extra money to keep his dreams alive.
Solitary: Inside Red Onion State Prison (2016)
Kristi Jacobson’s HBO-aired documentary goes inside the segregation units at Red Onion State Prison, a supermax facility located in rural Virginia. The convicts incarcerated here are among the most violent in the penal system – and while they initially come across as articulate and charismatic in their on-camera interviews, the insouciant manner in how they detail the carnage that landed them behind bars is more than a little unsettling.
David Cornelius: From Film Critic to Filmmaker
In this episode, we visit with David Cornelius, the highly regarded online film critic who made the transition from reviewing movies to creating them with his new sci-fi comedy feature “Inhumanwich!”
The Bootleg Files: Something Special – Eartha Kitt
BOOTLEG FILES 592: “Something Special: Eartha Kitt” (1967 TV special starring Eartha Kitt with Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66).
LAST SEEN: It is on HistoricFilms.com.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Several problems with rights clearances.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: It can be done if someone was willing to take the effort.
During the mid-1960s, a syndicated television series called “Something Special” turned up on independent stations across the United States. The program consisted of a one-hour showcase featuring a major headliner and, in some episodes, a supporting guest act. Among the stars who turned up on “Something Special” were Peggy Lee, Julie London paired with then-husband Bobby Troup, the New Christie Minstrels paired with the Righteous Brothers, Barbara McNair paired with Duke Ellington, and Buddy Greco paired with Frankie Avalon and Sammy Davis Jr. Sadly, most of these shows are not easily accessible for viewing today due to rights clearance issues.
Alan Sues: A Funny Man
In 1968, Alan Sues became a household name thanks to his wacky persona on the TV hit “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In.” But he was hardly an overnight success – he enjoyed a long career on Broadway, in flims, in nightclubs and on television (including a classic “Twilight Zone” episode) before “Laugh-In” came around. On today’s show, our guest is Michael Michaud, author of the new biography “Alan Sues: A Funny Man.” If you recall the “Laugh-In” cut-up or you are just discovering his zany humor, you’ll love this episode.