Author Archives: Phil Hall

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The Bootleg Files: The Gong Show Pilot Episode

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BOOTLEG FILES 916: “The Gong Show Pilot Episode” (unaired taping of the initial concept for the popular game show).

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: Not likely.

Maya Angelou once wrote, “I believe that every person is born with talent.” However, the celebrated poet may have offered that observation without having been exposed to “The Gong Show,” a crazed bundle of anarchy that ran on NBC as a daytime program from 1976-78 and as an evening syndication offering from 1976-80.
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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Napoleon Bunny-Part (1956)

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Napoleon Bunny-Part (1956)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Gerry Chiniquy, Virgil Ross. Art Davis
Music by Carl Stalling

Bugs Bunny makes “one wrong turn off the Hollywood freeway” and somehow winds up in the palatial headquarters of Napoleon Bonaparte. Mistaking his destination for an ornate movie theater, Bugs disrupts Napoleon’s military planning on a desktop map by moving artillery piece where he sees fit and then sneezing away the map’s contents after taking a too-generation inhale of snuff. Napoleon and his oafish guard (the oversized moronic Mugsy from “Bugs and Thugs”) attempt to subdue Bugs, which proves to be a Waterloo-worthy debacle.
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The 10 Weirdest Charlie Brown Parodies of All Time (Caution: NSFW Content)

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Did you know that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the debut of Charles M. Schulz’s beloved Peanuts characters? Yes, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and their circle of friends began as a newspaper comic strip on October 2, 1950, and later expanded into television specials, movies, books and endless merchandising. They also inspired a genre of parody productions that frequently reconfigure the characters in ways that Schultz would never have imagined, let alone condoned.

For those with a warped sense of humor and no squeamishness over occasional deep dives into NSFW entertainment, here are the 10 weirdest Charlie Brown parodies that you’ll be able to find online.

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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Rabbitson Crusoe (1956)

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Rabbitson Crusoe (1956)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Gerry Chiniquy, Art Davis. Virgil Ross
Music by Milt Franklyn

This riff on “Robinson Crusoe” is the rare Bugs Bunny cartoon where Bugs is mostly a supporting character, with the bulk of the comedy handled by Yosemite Sam and a one-off shark character named Dopey Dick.
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Half-Wits Holiday (1947)

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The Three Stooges’ “Half-Wits Holiday” is one of the saddest comedies ever made, not so much because of its content – which tries but mostly fails at being amusing – but because of its troubled production history. On May 6, 1946, the final day of the four-day shoot, Curly Howard suffered a massive stroke during the production that effectively ended his career. Curly’s health had been in decline since mid-1944 and it is believed that he endured several mini-strokes prior to making this short.
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The Bootleg Files: Casanova wider Willen

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BOOTLEG FILES 915: “Casanova wider Willen” (1931 German-language version of “Parlor, Bedroom and Bath” starring Buster Keaton).

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 was released as a Region 2 DVD in Europe.

When the silent cinema disappeared in favor of the talkies, film producers found themselves with a tricky situation regarding the international distribution of their work. In the silent cinema, new intertitles in different languages could easily be edited into the prints sent around the world. But once there was a dialogue soundtrack, it appeared that films would be stuck in nations where the actors’ language was spoken.
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