“Overture, curtains, lights. This is it, the night of nights.
No more rehearsing and nursing a part – we know every part by heart!
Overture, curtains, lights. This is it, you’ll hit the heights.
And, oh, what heights we’ll hit – on with the show, this is it!”
If you recognize those lyrics, you were blessed to have a childhood that included “The Bugs Bunny Show,” either in its original version or in the various iterations that were broadcast over the decades.
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Returning to a beloved comedy movie from decades past often comes with the nostalgic anticipation that one associates with school reunions. After all, favored comedies of youth could be considered the cinematic equivalent of childhood friends.
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In 1956, nearly 72% of all American homes had televisions. In that year, the nation’s living rooms had Jackie Gleason, Ed Sullivan, and Liberace as regular visitors through the television screen. And also joining the home-based entertainment line-up was Bugs Bunny.
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Michael Ritchie’s ill-fated 1995 film adaptation of the Tom Jones-Harvey Schmidt Off-Broadway classic “The Fantasticks” deserves attention, if only to call out the perils of adapting an inherently theatrical work for the big screen.
BOOTLEG FILES 942: “Bicentennial Minutes” (1974-76 daily series of one-minute educational shorts).
LAST SEEN: Some episodes are on YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: No perceived reissue value.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: None.
Have you noticed there is a considerable lack of enthusiasm for the current America 250 celebrations? I can recall a very different environment when the nation was celebrating its 200th birthday. Fifty years ago, there was an unusual but jolly series of one-minute episodes broadcast daily in prime time on CBS that recalled the incidents, issues, and personalities that shaped the American push for independence.
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False Hare (1964)
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by John Dunn
Animation by Warren Batchelder, George Grandpré, Ted Bonnicksen
Music by Bill Lava
B.B. Wolf and his giggly nephew conspire to trap Bugs Bunny by creating Club Del Conejo, a phony social club designed exclusively for rabbits. Bugs, of course, is wise to the antics of these lupine predators but plays along, inevitably causes B.B. to fall victims to his extravagant booby-traps.
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One key problem with the film industry is that too many worthy productions fall under the radar and never find the audiences they deserve. Robby Henson’s 1995 production “Pharaoh’s Army” is one of a countless number of smaller gems that never caught a break. Barely released in theaters and dumped into DVD release in 2004 with no fanfare, it remains an unfairly obscure title. This is a major shame, since “Pharaoh’s Army” is a provocative surprise at every level.
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