The Bootleg Files: Lulu

Posted on June 7, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 869: “Lulu” (1962 German drama starring Nadja Tiller and Hildegard Knef).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On a public domain label that probably didn’t have the rights to the film.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the proverbial cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Unlikely.

Remaking classic films is almost always a surefire mistake, since cinematic lightning rarely strikes twice. But it is easy to understand the temptation of going that route. After all, audiences don’t have to be cajoled into considering an unknown quantity with a remake, and the new versions usually take advantage of presentation opportunities not present in the original production – think of silent films remade in the sound era, black-and-white works reimagined in widescreen color, racy offerings that could unveiled without censorship constraints, and old-school epics refashioned with cutting-edge special effects to make them even more epic in scope.
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The Bootleg Files: Innocently Guilty

Posted on May 31, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 868: “Innocently Guilty” (1950 comedy short starring Bert Wheeler).

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: Unlikely, unless it is part of an anthology of miscellaneous Columbia Pictures shorts.

Bert Wheeler is remembered today as one-half of the Wheeler and Woolsey comedy team that starred in a series of comedy films beginning in 1929 with “Rio Rita” and ending with “High Flyers” in 1937. After the death of his on-screen partner Robert Woolsey in 1938, Wheeler struggled to maintain a solo career – he starred in the forgettable films “The Cowboy Quarterback” (1938) and “Las Vegas Nights” (1941) and then disappeared from the big screen to find work in nightclubs, on radio and on stage. Wheeler found a larger audience in 1950 when Jackie Gleason invited him to appear on his “Cavalcade of Stars” television show on the Dumont Television Network.
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The Bootleg Files: Groucho

Posted on May 24, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 867: “Groucho” (1965 British television series starring Groucho Marx).

LAST SEEN: One episode is on YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It was never released in the U.S.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Unlikely, considering 11 of the 13 episodes are considered lost.

One of the most popular American game shows of all time was “You Bet Your Life,” which appeared on radio from 1947 to 1960 and on television from 1950 to 1961. The program’s popularity had little to do with the game, which was a rather tame question-and-answer endeavor, but with the show’s witty host Groucho Marx. The heart of the show would involve Groucho interviewing and having fun with the contestants, punctuating the conversation with one-liners and gentle wisecracks.
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The Bootleg Files: Carnival Story

Posted on May 17, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 866: “Carnival Story” (1954 drama starring Anne Baxter and Steve Cochran).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube and other online video sites.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On public domain labels.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A lapsed copyright enabled endless duping.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: The likelihood of a Criterion-style restoration and release is unlikely.

For many years, I avoided the 1954 “Carnival Story,” even though there were endless opportunities to view it. Back in the pre-cable television days, the film was a staple of very-late-night programming on local stations that needed to fill space between commercials during their twilight hours. With the dawn of VHS videos, the film’s public domain status ensured there were too many copies available from rival cheapo labels in bargain basement bins. And with the dawn of online video, “Carnival Story” is all over the Internet – but, then again, too many public domain films are all over the Internet, so why seek out this title?
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The Bootleg Files: Sammy Stops the World

Posted on May 10, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 865: “Sammy Stops the World” (1979 filmed record of Sammy Davis Jr.’s stage production of “Stop the World – I Want to Get Off”).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: Back in the early VHS and Betamax days.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: An obscure film that fell through the cinematic cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

One of the most unusual figures in the movie world was Bill Sargent, who commanded a unique niche – he would videotape prominent stage productions, transfer the video to 35mm film, and release the work into cinemas. Sargent reckoned that moviegoers would pay to see recordings of shows that theatrical and concert audiences paid to see – and he was right, when he had the vehicle that demanded attention. Beginning in 1964 with the gimmicky banner “Electronovision,” Sargent packaged video-to-film presentations that included Richard Burton’s Broadway turn in “Hamlet,” the all-star music concert “The T.A.M.I. Show,” the Truman tribute “Give ‘Em Hell, Harry!” with James Whitmore in his Oscar-nominated role, and the definitive comedy concert presentation “Richard Pryor: Live in Concert.”
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The Bootleg Files: Hot Dogs for Gauguin

Posted on May 3, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 864: “Hot Dogs for Gauguin” (1972 student film short by Martin Brest starring Danny DeVito).

LAST SEEN: On the OK.ru website.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: An obscure film that fell through the cinematic cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

At the risk of being cruel, it needs to be acknowledged that the overwhelming majority of student films represent a victory of enthusiasm over talent. But that’s not to say the genre lacks gems – Denis Sanders’ “A Time Out of War” (1954) won the Academy Award, while George Lucas’ career has its roots in his 1967 “Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB.” Martin Brest is also credited with hatching one of the best student films of all time, the 1972 “Hot Dogs for Gauguin,” which he made while at New York University – that film wound up on the National Film Registry, one of the very few student films to earn such an honor.
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It’s a Zabriskie, Zabriskie, Zabriskie, Zabriskie Point (2023)

Posted on May 1, 2024 by Phil Hall

Two films that might seem to have absolutely nothing in common are Stanely Kramer’s 1963 zany epic “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” and Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1970 counterculture offering “Zabriskie Point.” After all, what can a massive all-star comedy chase film have with a moody, erotically charged drama of youth rebellion?

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