The Bootleg Files: Nirvana

Posted on April 29, 2022 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 800: “Nirvana” (re-edited version of the 1951 Laurel and Hardy feature “Atoll K”).

LAST SEEN: Available for private request screenings.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A bit of a copyright issue.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Probably not.

Before I begin this week’s column, I want to pause and point out that this is the 800th entry in The Bootleg Files series that began in September 2003 on Film Threat before becoming part of Cinema Crazed in February 2017. My goodness, I cannot believe that there have been 800 entries in this weekly column! I need to give my deepest and sincerest thanks to Felix Vasquez Jr., publisher and editor at Cinema Crazed, for providing The Bootleg Files with a loving home, and I need to thank the readers of this long, long, long-running series for checking in with me every Friday – I’ve ton too much writing in the course of my career, but this is the achievement that has been the true labor of love. Okay, enough gushing – on with the show!
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The Bootleg Files: The Seven Stooges

Posted on April 22, 2022 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 799: “The Seven Stooges” (2014 animated short inspired by the Three Stooges).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: The film did not clear the trademarks associated with the Three Stooges characters.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Definitely not.

I was not planning to devote this week’s column to an animated fairy tale inspired by the Three Stooges, but YouTube posted “The Seven Stooges” in a list of recommended videos and my initial reaction was “Huh?”
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The Journey to Red River Road

Posted on April 20, 2022 by Phil Hall

On this week’s episode of “The Online Movie Show,” the spotlight is on Paul and Jade Schuyler, who used their lockdown time during the Covid-19 pandemic to create the acclaimed film “Red River Road” with their family in their home.

The episode can be heard here.

The Bootleg Files: Boogie-Woogie Dream

Posted on April 15, 2022 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 798: “Boogie-Woogie Dream” (1944 musical short starring Lena Horne).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On public domain labels.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A lapsed copyright.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: There are no plans for a restored version.

In September 1941, an unlikely group of creative artists converged in a New York City movie studio to shoot an independently financed musical short film. The finished production sat on a shelf for three years before it was seen, making very little impression in its day. But today, this film is considered an invaluable asset for capturing an iconic performer at the cusp of her rise to prominence while providing the only filmed record of two of the greatest jazz performers of all time.
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1978 in Film

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Phil Hall

From Russian roulette in Saigon to Double Secret Probation at Faber College, 1978 was a wild year for movies. This “Online Movie Show” episode relives the year’s peaks and valleys with guest Jerry Dean Roberts of ArmchairCinema.com.

The episode can be heard here.

The Bootleg Files: Have Badge Will Chase

Posted on April 1, 2022 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 797: “Have Badge Will Chase” (1959 8mm one-reel excerpt from “Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops”).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope.

Long before video cassette recorders invaded living rooms in the 1970s, movie lovers who wanted to replay their favorite films at home would purchase projectors and screens and create their own private cinematic viewing experience.
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Oscars, Shmoscars: 10 Classic Films That Didn’t Receive An Academy Award Nomination

Posted on March 25, 2022 by Phil Hall

This coming Sunday, movie lovers will be watching the Academy Awards telecast and betting on which films and creative artists will take home the celebrated prize. Oddly, the history of the Oscars is heavy with classic works that failed to snag a single nomination – and the reasons for the omissions are among the great mysteries of movie history.
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