The Bootleg Files: The Deer’s Bell

Posted on October 3, 2025 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 919: “The Deer’s Bell” (1982 Chinese animated short).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Maybe as part of a collection of Chinese animation.

One of the great joys of being a film writer is accidentally discovering a film that you never knew existed, then falling in love with it, and then being able to share that newfound love with anyone who will listen. I am now experiencing that sensation by sharing “The Deer’s Bell” with you via this column.
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The Bootleg Files: Laugh-In

Posted on September 12, 2025 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 918: “Laugh-In” (short-lived 1977 reboot of the classic comedy show).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Legal issues are keeping it out of commercial re-release.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

In 1977, NBC offered its audience “Laugh-In,” a reboot of the classic 1968-73 comedy series “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.” George Schlatter, the producer on the original series, was brought back to helm this new effort. However, Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, the stars of the original production, were unaware this new series was being created – and considering that they owned a piece of that franchise, the lack of communication created more than just ill-will. Rowan & Martin sued Schlatter for using the original show’s format without their permission – the lawsuit was settled out of court in 1980.
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The Bootleg Files – Portrait: A Man Whose Name Was John

Posted on September 5, 2025 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 917: “Portrait: A Man Whose Name Was John” (1973 television film starring Raymond Burr).

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 deserves one.

I have a huge regret in writing this particular column – I wish I wrote it years earlier. Indeed, the film “Portrait: A Man Whose Name Was John” was on my to-do list for the longest time, but I only now got around to it. And while I am angry with my self-inflicted delay, I am overjoyed to report this film is one of the finest to be featured in The Bootleg Files series.
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The Bootleg Files: The Gong Show Pilot Episode

Posted on August 15, 2025 by Phil Hall

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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The Bootleg Files: Casanova wider Willen

Posted on August 1, 2025 by Phil Hall

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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The Bootleg Files: Time for Elizabeth

Posted on July 25, 2025 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 914: “Time for Elizabeth” (1964 television production starring Groucho Marx).

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.

In 1948, Broadway audiences were presented with “Time for Elizabeth,” a comedy co-authored by Oscar-winning writer Norman Krasna and Groucho Marx – yes, that Groucho Marx. The play was poorly received by critics and closed after eight performances. Oddly, Warner Bros. ignored the show’s commercial failure and paid the playwrights $500,000 for the screen rights – but the studio never got around to creating a screen version.
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The Bootleg Files: The Lambeth Walk

Posted on July 18, 2025 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 913: “The Lambeth Walk” (1939 British feature starring Lupino Lane).

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.

Comedies that thrust earthy working-class characters into snooty high society settings might be among the most predictable pieces of entertainment, but they often produce the best results. Chaplin plumbed this concept as a disguised convict mixing with the wealthy in his 1917 classic “The Adventurer,” George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion” and its musical successor “My Fair Lady” uneasily turned a Cockney flower seller into a lady, Abbott and Costello were crass plumbers mistaken for well-heeled guests at a Long Island estate with “In Society,” and the Three Stooges often ran amok through the mansions of the hoity-toity, leaving the residue of pie fights along the way.
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