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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BOOTLEG FILES 920: “Abbott and Costello Meet the Exorcist” (2025 AI-fueled comedy short short).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Unauthorized use of trademarked material.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Maybe someday as part of a collection of AI viral videos.
The latest trend in viral videos involves comedy shorts where prominent cultural and political figures are animated via artificial intelligence to appear in unlikely situations. Among the most recent examples of this trend that I’ve seen include Ronald Reagan dancing in a hotel lobby, Mister Rogers as a belligerent WWE combatant, and Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X dining together on a ribs dinner.
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Show Biz Bugs (1957)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Gerry Chiniquy, Arthur Davis, Virgil Ross
Music by Milt Franklyn
Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck are performers in a vaudeville revue, but Daffy is furious that Bugs has top billing and a star’s dressing room plus the audience’s frenzied adulation while he faces the indignity of being assigned the men’s bathroom as his dressing room and an audience that greets his performing with either stony silence or a tomato thrown at his face. Unable to upstage and sabotage Bugs, Daffy pulls out all stops to perform a wildly dangerous act where he consumes multiple explosive ingredients and blows himself up. The audience loves the act and wants more, but alas it is too late – Daffy’s soul is Heaven bound when he ruefully confides to Bugs that he can only do that explosive act once.
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This silent two-reel comedy from Hal Roach’s fun factory is better known for the talent involved in its production than its contents: character actor James Finlayson has a rare starring role, vaudeville funnyman Ted Healy made his film debut, and Stan Laurel was behind the camera as the director.
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