Category Archives: The Bootleg Files

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The Bootleg Files: Happy Money

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BOOTLEG FILES 948: “Happy Money” (1969 Christian-themed short film starring Jerry Mathers).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Deservedly obscure.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: None.

In the course of my film reviewing work, I’ve seen an awful lot of short films – as well as a lot of awful short films. But for sheer badness, I am hard pressed to recall a short film as boring and annoying as “Happy Money,” a 1969 offering that is mostly remembered today for the presence of an unlikely actor in its cast.
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The Bootleg Files: Batman Meets Mr. Fizz

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BOOTLEG FILES 947: “Batman Meets Mr. Fizz” (1965 student film directed by Richard Blackburn).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Unauthorized use of the DC Comics characters.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely, at least for now.

Hey, you never know what you can find on YouTube. An hour before I sat down to write this, I was not expecting to stumble over “Batman Meets Mr. Fizz,” a 1965 student film short that went online earlier this week courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. This short romp would probably not be given new attention had it not borrowed (without permission) the DC Comics characters of Batman and Robin for its no-budget shenanigans. And it would also not be recalled had its creator not progressed to being the force behind two of the most beloved cult movies of all time.
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The Bootleg Files: Fun on the Run

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BOOTLEG FILES 946: “Fun on the Run” (1949 short incorporating sequences from Abbott and Costello’s feature “Here Comes the Co-Eds”).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Only available in 16mm and 8mm formats.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: None.

One of the most contentious political issues today involves the presence of biological men who identify as transgender playing in women’s sports. But back in 1945, the idea of a man playing on a woman’s sports team was strictly the stuff of comedy – specifically, the Abbott and Costello feature “Here Comes the Co-Eds.”
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The Bootleg Files: In Search of Noah’s Ark

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BOOTLEG FILES 945: “In Search of Noah’s Ark” (1976 nonfiction feature from Sunn Classics).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: Three different VHS video releases.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Out of circulation for many years.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: None.

If you were going to the movies back in the 1970s, you must remember Sunn Classic Pictures, also known as Schick Sunn Classics. This small Utah company happily littered movie theaters in with films that promised to unlock the secrets of cryptozoology, paranormal activity, historical conspiracies and the more opaque corners of Biblical text. Each film produced by this Utah-based company was distributed with a blaring, carny-worthy marketing campaign that saturated local television stations and newspapers with bombastic advertisements that greatly exaggerated the depth and scope of the presentations. The company also four-walled the theaters where their films played, thus giving them a generous share of the box office.
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The Bootleg Files: That’s Life

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BOOTLEG FILES 944: “That’s Life” (1968-69 television series starring Robert Morse and E.J. Peaker).

LAST SEEN: Bits and pieces are scattered on YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It is complicated

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: None.

Earlier this week, I was very sad to learn about the passing of actress E.J. Peaker. She was a vivacious blonde who came to prominence in the late 1960s by playing the perky dress shop salesgirl Minnie Fay in the film version of “Hello, Dolly!” and as the female lead in a strange television sitcom called “That’s Life.”
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The Bootleg Files: Hot Dog

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BOOTLEG FILES 943: “Hot Dog” (1970-71 children’s series starring Woody Allen, Jonathan Winters, and Jo Anne Worley).

LAST SEEN: Bits and pieces are scattered on YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It is complicated

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: None.

The other day, I was scrolling around social media and spotted a post that mentioned how Woody Allen starred in a kiddie television series in the early 1970s. And my reaction to that post was: Huh?
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The Bootleg Files: Bicentennial Minutes

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BOOTLEG FILES 942: “Bicentennial Minutes” (1974-76 daily series of one-minute educational shorts).

LAST SEEN: Some episodes are on YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: No perceived reissue value.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: None.

Have you noticed there is a considerable lack of enthusiasm for the current America 250 celebrations? I can recall a very different environment when the nation was celebrating its 200th birthday. Fifty years ago, there was an unusual but jolly series of one-minute episodes broadcast daily in prime time on CBS that recalled the incidents, issues, and personalities that shaped the American push for independence.
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