The Bootleg Files – Agueda Martinez: Our People, Our Country

Posted on March 17, 2023 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 825: “Agueda Martinez: Our People, Our Country” (1977 Oscar-nominated documentary short).

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.

For many years, the films nominated in the Academy Award categories for short subjects were the most mysterious titles in the annual Oscar ceremonies. Between the evaporation of the theatrical shorts market in the early 1960s and the relatively recent dawning of the streaming era, these films were unknown and inaccessible to the vast majority of movie lovers.
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The Bootleg Files: Once Upon a Tour

Posted on March 3, 2023 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 824: “Once Upon a Tour” (1972 TV special designed to boost the career of Dora Hall).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: A brief VHS video release.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A music rights clearance issue coupled with an overwhelming degree of obscurity.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Utterly unlikely.

During the 1970s, a series of variety specials turned up on independent TV stations around the U.S. that revolved around a singing-dancing-joking septuagenarian named Dora Hall. If you born after the 1970s passed into the history books, there’s an excellent chance you never heard of Dora Hall. And if you were around during the Decade That Good Taste Forgot, there’s an equally excellent chance that Dora Hall’s name does not ring that proverbial bell.
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The Bootleg Files: The Three Marx Brothers

Posted on February 24, 2023 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 823: “The Three Marx Brothers” (segment for a proposed 1961 animated TV series inspired by the Marx Brothers).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A rights clearance issue has kept this out of circulation for many years.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Maybe as part of a wider animation or Marx Brothers release.

By the end of the 1950s, a few efforts were put forth to reunite the Marx Brothers, who had not worked together as a team since “A Night in Casablanca” in 1946 – the trio were billed together for “Love Happy” in 1949, but that film was mostly centered on Harpo with Chico in a supporting role and Groucho making a few appearances without his brothers during the course of the story.
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The Bootleg Files: The Burt Bacharach-Angie Dickinson Martini & Rossi Commercials

Posted on February 10, 2023 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 828: “The Burt Bacharach-Angie Dickinson Martini & Rossi Commercials” (1970s television advertisements for the Italian wine brand).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: There is no commercial reissue channel for old TV commercials.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Maybe someday in an anthology of 1970s commercials.

When Burt Bacharach passed away earlier this week, there were endless tributes to his genius in creating instant-classic pop tunes and the scores for film and stage productions. Personally, my fondest memory of Bacharach came in a series of delicious television commercials for the Martini & Rossi wine brand that paired the composer with his glamorous wife, actress Angie Dickinson.
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The Bootleg Files: Uforia

Posted on February 3, 2023 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 827: “Uforia” (1985 comedy starring Cindy Williams, Fred Ward and Harry Dean Stanton).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube and Vimeo in unauthorized postings.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: Only on VHS video.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: The film is hampered by music rights clearance issues.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: There doesn’t appear to be a great rush to get this out.

When Cindy Williams passed away earlier this week, news sites and social media postings recalled her brilliance on the sitcom “Laverne & Shirley” and her early film work in features including “Travels With My Aunt,” “American Graffiti” and “The Conversation.” But far less attention was given to one of Williams’ most interesting work – a small film from the early 1980s called “Uforia” (sometimes spelled “UFOria” – it is hard to say which version is correct because the film’s opening spells the title entirely in upper case letters). “Uforia” never found the audience it deserved – and, by extension, Williams never found the big screen stardom she should have enjoyed.
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The Bootleg Files: The River

Posted on January 27, 2023 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 826: “The River” (1937 documentary produced by FDR’s Farm Security Administration).

LAST SEEN: On various Internet sites.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: In collections of public domain documentaries.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A lapsed copyright.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: A 4K restored version would be wonderful.

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal policies brought forth the Resettlement Administration, a federal agency designed to assist the nation’s financially struggling rural communities. By this point in the Roosevelt presidency, there were a growing number of critics who argued the New Deal programs were using taxpayer funds to finance lofty socialist endeavors.
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The Bootleg Files: The TV Cubana Version of “Hello, Dolly!”

Posted on January 13, 2023 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 825: The TV Cubana Version of “Hello, Dolly!” (1985 Cuban television recording of the Havana theatrical staging of the Broadway musical).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Rights clearance issues and a perceived lack of commercial viability.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope.

One of the most polarizing films ever made was, oddly, the 1969 musical “Hello, Dolly!” This is not a film that inspires indifference – either you embrace as a grand, old-school screen musical with Barbra Streisand giving one of her best performances or you condemn it as an over-produced mess burdened by a star who was much too young for her role. And if you should ever stumble over a Facebook forum debate on the film’s merits and deficiencies, prepare yourself for one of the most rancorous discussions on social media – trust me, I’ve been audience to several of them!
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The Bootleg Files: Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel

Posted on January 6, 2023 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 824: “Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel” (1967 special for British television).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Rights clearance issues and a perceived lack of commercial viability.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

In March 1967, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel traveled to England for a brief concert tour that included London’s Royal Albert Hall and venues in Birmingham and Manchester. While in Manchester, they taped a television special at Granada TV where they performed their songs before a small audience.
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