The Bootleg Files: No Indians Please!

Posted on November 14, 2025 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 922: “No Indians Please!” (1948 silent truncated version of Abbott and Costello’s “Ride ‘Em Cowboy”).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: No perceived commercial value.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope, sorry.

If you’ve been following this column, you may recall that I’ve been on a mini-Abbott and Costello kick. Two weeks ago, I reviewed the new AI-fueled parody “Abbott and Costello Meets the Exorcist” and last week I dug up a video record of a Texas theater company’s 1984 live stage production of “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.” I was going to put Bud and Lou back on the shelf until I saw a notice announcing that November is Native American Heritage Month – and that seemed like the perfect cue to unspool the team’s 1948 release of “No Indians Please!”
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The Bootleg Files: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (Full Show) 1984

Posted on November 7, 2025 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 921: “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (Full Show) 1984” (Texas-based stage production recorded on video).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A few problems with copyright infringement.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope, sorry.

Last week, this column served up a new AI-fueled parody called “Abbott and Costello Meets the Exorcist.” But when I was watching that video on YouTube, I was alerted there was also a video titled “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (Full Show) 1984.” And my reaction to that was an incredulous “What???”
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The Bootleg Files: Abbott and Costello Meets the Exorcist [Halloween Horror Month 2025]

Posted on October 31, 2025 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 920: “Abbott and Costello Meet the Exorcist” (2025 AI-fueled comedy short short).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Unauthorized use of trademarked material.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Maybe someday as part of a collection of AI viral videos.

The latest trend in viral videos involves comedy shorts where prominent cultural and political figures are animated via artificial intelligence to appear in unlikely situations. Among the most recent examples of this trend that I’ve seen include Ronald Reagan dancing in a hotel lobby, Mister Rogers as a belligerent WWE combatant, and Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X dining together on a ribs dinner.
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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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