Between 1961 and 1962, MGM released 13 Tom and Jerry cartoons produced at a Czechoslovakian animation studio under the guidance of expatriate Americans Gene Deitch and William N. Synder. It is safe to say that very few people adore these films – with their cheapjack animation, irritating sound effects and stupid scripts, these Tom and Jerry endeavors represent some of the shoddiest animation ever put forth by a Hollywood studio.
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BOOTLEG FILES 918: “Laugh-In” (short-lived 1977 reboot of the classic comedy show).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Legal issues are keeping it out of commercial re-release.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.
In 1977, NBC offered its audience “Laugh-In,” a reboot of the classic 1968-73 comedy series “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.” George Schlatter, the producer on the original series, was brought back to helm this new effort. However, Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, the stars of the original production, were unaware this new series was being created – and considering that they owned a piece of that franchise, the lack of communication created more than just ill-will. Rowan & Martin sued Schlatter for using the original show’s format without their permission – the lawsuit was settled out of court in 1980.
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Wideo Wabbit (1956)
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Tedd Pierce
Music by Carl Stalling
Animation by Ted Bonnicksen, Keith Darling, Russ Dyson, George Grandpré
Bugs Bunny answers a newspaper advertisement seeking a rabbit to appear on-camera at QTTV-TV. Bugs shows up and is hired, unaware that his job is to be the prey in Elmer Fudd’s television program “The Sportsman’s Hour,” sponsored by The French Fried Fresh Frozen Rabbit Company. Bugs narrowly avoids being shot by Elmer on live television and escapes through the corridors of the television studio, disguising himself as various small-screen personalities before turning tables on his predator by tricking Elmer to dress as a rabbit. Bugs then dresses up like Elmer and shoots the rabbit-suited Elmer on television.
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The final Three Stooges short to receive a theatrical release – although it was not the final short to be produced at the Columbia Pictures studio – “Sappy Bull Fighters” is a rehash of the 1942 “What’s the Matador?”, with the silly trio playing entertainers who get hired to perform a comedy bullfight during a lull in a genuine bullfighting tournament.
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BOOTLEG FILES 917: “Portrait: A Man Whose Name Was John” (1973 television film starring Raymond Burr).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the proverbial cracks.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: It deserves one.
I have a huge regret in writing this particular column – I wish I wrote it years earlier. Indeed, the film “Portrait: A Man Whose Name Was John” was on my to-do list for the longest time, but I only now got around to it. And while I am angry with my self-inflicted delay, I am overjoyed to report this film is one of the finest to be featured in The Bootleg Files series.
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A Star is Bored (1956)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Art Davis, Virgil Ross, Gerry Chiniquy
Music by Milt Franklyn
Daffy Duck is the malcontented janitor at a movie studio where Bugs Bunny is the reigning screen star. Annoyed at the attention Bugs is receiving, Daffy marches into the office of the casting director to demand a crack at stardom. Daffy is cast as Bugs’ stunt double in an ongoing production and is dressed in a rabbit suit but soon discovers to his frustration he is being assigned the most dangerous stunts.
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A truly peculiar Hollywood mystery involved Christopher Jones, who became an overnight sensation in the mid-1960s but abruptly walked away from show business after five years in the spotlight. Michael Gregg Michaud, the film historian who documented the life of another troubled Hollywood star in the excellent 2010 book “Sal Mineo: A Biography,” does a brilliant job in excavating the complex story of Jones’ turbulent life in his new work “Christopher Jones – Wild in the Streets – A Biography.”
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