The Bootleg Files: Fallen Angels

Posted on May 8, 2026 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 937: “Fallen Angels” (1974 British television version of the Noel Coward comedy starring Joan Collins and Susannah York).

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 someday.

One of the hottest tickets on Broadway today is the revival of Noel Coward’s 1925 comedy “Fallen Angels,” starring Rose Byrne and Kelli O’Hara is Tony Award-nominated performances. But if you can’t make it to Broadway – or if you can but don’t want to pay elevated prices to see that show – I would like to direct your attention to a 1974 British television of “Fallen Angels” starring Joan Collins and Susannah York.
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The Bootleg Files: The Awful Truth

Posted on April 24, 2026 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 936: “The Awful Truth” (1956 made-for-television production starring Bob Hope and Greer Garson).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It is probably a case of clearing the rights to the source material.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Maybe someday.

As a comedian, Bob Hope was always a case of extremes. Either he was laugh-out-loud hilarious or groan-out-load awful. To be honest, I approached this 1956 made-for-television version of “The Awful Truth” with Hope playing opposite Greer Garson expecting the groan-out-loud version of the funnyman. After all, “The Awful Truth” is a classic 1937 screwball comedy that helped secure Cary Grant’s stardom. Hope starred in a radio version of “The Awful Truth” in 1941, so he was clearly familiar with the material. But, hey, Bob Hope doing a Cary Grant role?
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The Bootleg Files: Gugusse and the Automaton

Posted on April 10, 2026 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 935: “Gugusse and the Automaton” (1897 short film by Georges Méliès).

LAST SEEN: On the Library of Congress website.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It was one of many films from the late 19th century that were bootlegged.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Maybe someday in an anthology of rediscovered lost films.

During the height of his film production career, the pioneering French producer/director Georges Méliès fought a losing battle against miscreants who made bootlegged copies of his films and profited in selling these unauthorized prints. The bootlegging was particularly acute in the American market, where Méliès was forced to set up a sales office to fight against the characters who were pirating his work.
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The Bootleg Files: London After Midnight

Posted on March 20, 2026 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 934: “London After Midnight” (2025 AI-fueled reconstruction of the lost 1927 film).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It rips off a 2002 copyright-protected reconstruction of lost the film.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Definitely not.

Among the vast and woeful realm of lost films, the 1927 Lon Chaney-starring vampiric mystery feature “London After Midnight” is among the most sought-after titles. Back in 2000, I interviewed Jon Mirsalis, a Chaney historian and film preservationist, for an article on Film Threat – this was when Film Threat was still readable, of course – and I asked him about this Tod Browning-directed film, which was considered lost after the last known surviving print was destroyed in a 1967 vault fire at the MGM studios. In that interview, Mirsalis openly questioned whether “London After Midnight” was the lost classic that too many people imagined it had to be.
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The Bootleg Files: Ten From Your Show of Shows

Posted on March 6, 2026 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 933: “Ten From Your Show of Shows” (1973 compilation of sketches from the landmark TV series).

LAST SEEN: On the Internet Archive.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On VHS video and LaserDisc.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It has fallen out of circulation.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Briefly included as a special feature in a now out-of-print DVD.

In 1973, movie audiences were treated to a genuine oddity: a feature film consisting of sketches from a television comedy show that were broadcast in the early 1950s but not seen in the ensuing years. The show in question was “Your Show of Shows,” a 90-minute revue program that dominated Saturday prime time viewing from 1950 to 1954 and lifted its stars Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, and Howard Morris into A-list stardom.
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The Bootleg Files: The Red Detachment of Women

Posted on February 27, 2026 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 932: “The Red Detachment of Women” (1970 Communist Chinese ballet film).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It was never theatrically released in the United States.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: It is possible that someday it would appear on a US label.

I need to prefix this review by admitting that I am not a big fan of the ballet and I have even less enthusiasm for Chinese Communist propaganda. Thus, having me review “The Red Detachment of Women,” a feature-length ballet film produced during the Chinese Communist era known as the Cultural Revolution, might run the risk of ingrained bias.
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The Bootleg Files: The Flintstones on Ice

Posted on February 20, 2026 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 931: “The Flintstones on Ice” (1973 television special mixing the Bedrock bunch with ice dancing).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Who knows?

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

Back when I was a kid in the 1970s (yes, I am that old), the only time that ice skating appeared on television was during the Winter Olympics or in an occasional special anchored on an ice dancing spectacular production. In 1973, the Hanna-Barbera fun factory licensed their Flintstones characters for a one-shot ice skating special. The resulting work was among the most bewildering but strangely entertaining specials to air on 1970s television.
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