Author Archives: Phil Hall

post

The Bootleg Files: Naked Yoga

Posted on by

BOOTLEG FILES 851: “Naked Yoga” (1974 Oscar-nominated short).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube and Internet Archive.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

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

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

It has been said that the 1970s was the decade that good taste forgot, and that cogent designation is on full display in a 1974 short film called “Naked Yoga.” The film earned a footnote in cinema history as being among that year’s nominees in the Academy Award competition for Best Documentary Short Subject.
Continue reading →

post

The Bootleg Files: Disney Time (The 1969 Christmas Special)

Posted on by

BOOTLEG FILES 850: “Disney Time (1969 Christmas Show) (1969 British television special hosted by Julie Andrews).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: The Mouse House isn’t letting it out.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

American television viewers and Walt Disney’s studio output have been in a very close relationship since the 1950s, but across the Atlantic things were a bit different. The Disney studio never established the same level of ubiquitous synergy with British television programmers that they achieved in their own country, and Disney’s televised presence across the U.K. was more limited.
Continue reading →

post

The Bootleg Files: Dames at Sea

Posted on by

BOOTLEG FILES 849: “Dames at Sea” (1971 made-for-television musical starring Ann-Margret, Ann Miller and Anne Meara).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: There could be a rights issue preventing its release.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

In 1966, the tiny Caffe Cino in New York City’s Greenwich Village offered “Dames at Sea, or Golddiggers Afloat,” a good-natured send-up of the 1930s Warner Bros. musicals. With music by Jim Wise and lyrics and a book by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller, this 50-minute mini-production presented an unknown 18-year-old Bernadette Peters as Ruby, a send-up of the kid-in-the-chorus-who-becomes-a-star role that Ruby Keeler played in the yesteryear extravaganzas.
Continue reading →

post

The Bootleg Files: Dylan Thomas

Posted on by

BOOTLEG FILES 848: “Dylan Thomas” (1962 Oscar-winning documentary short featuring Richard Burton).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: It doesn’t appear to have been released.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: There could be a rights issue preventing its release.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

Here’s a question for Academy Award trivia buffs: What is the only Welsh film to win an Oscar? The answer is the subject of this week’s column: “Dylan Thomas,” which earned the 1962 Best Documentary Short Subject Award.
Continue reading →

post

The Bootleg Files: Jive Junction

Posted on by

BOOTLEG FILES 847: “Jive Junction” (1943 musical starring Dickie Moore and directed by Edgar G. Ulmer).

LAST SEEN: On DailyMotion.com.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: It doesn’t appear to have been released.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: There might be a music rights issue.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

When you think of the musicals of the 1940s, you probably think about the big-budget Technicolor productions from MGM or 20th Century Fox. Few people would immediately call to mind the output of Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC), the Poverty Row funhouse that churned out low-budget Westerns and thrillers. Every now and then, this cheapjack studio would put forth a musical – and while none of these films resonated within the popular culture, they provided enough silly distraction to help theaters fill their double features.
Continue reading →

post

The Bootleg Files: Microsoft Windows 95 Video Guide

Posted on by

BOOTLEG FILES 846: “Microsoft Windows 95 Video Guide” (1995 instructional video starring Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube and Archive.org.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: Only the original VHS release.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It no longer has any perceived value.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

When Matthew Perry passed away last Saturday, the obituaries and tributes focused heavily on his role as Chandler Bing in the NBC sitcom “Friends.” There was some mention of his other work, particularly his Emmy-nominated performances on “The West Wing,” his brief foray into film acting with forgettable flicks like “The Whole Nine Yards,” and his two-season reboot of “The Odd Couple.”
Continue reading →