The Bootleg Files: The Frederick Douglass Afro Sheen Commercial

Posted on January 17, 2025 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 894: “The Frederick Douglass Afro Sheen Commercial” (1979 television commercial featuring an unlikely historic figure promoting haircare products).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: There has been no home entertainment anthology for the television commercials for this Afro Sheen product line.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

It is not uncommon for historical figures to be used in television commercials, usually for comic effect. Leonardo Da Vinci was incorporated into a Red Bull advertisement, Abraham Lincoln hawked Geico’s insurance products, and several of the Founding Fathers turned up pitching a variety of goods. But for pure undiluted strangeness, nothing beats a 1979 television commercial where the 19th century abolitionist Frederick Douglass is called up to sell the Afro Sheen line of haircare products aimed at Black Americans. And while the concept is more than a little bizarre, the result is delightfully effective.
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The Bootleg Files: Kennedy’s Children

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 893: “Kennedy’s Children” (1982 television film based on Robert Patrick’s play).

LAST SEEN: On OK.ru.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It is unclear why this was never released for home entertainment viewing.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

Adapting a stage play into a film is always something of a challenge, but taking Robert Patrick’s drama “Kennedy’s Children” from its theatrical setting into a cinematic format was not an easy journey. For starters, “Kennedy’s Children” is not a conventional play, but rather a series of monologues delivered by five strangers in a bar. The characters never interact with each other, but instead voice their inner frustrations to the audience.
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The Bootleg Files: Chu Chu and the Philly Flash

Posted on January 3, 2025 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 892: “Chu Chu and the Philly Flash” (1981 comedy feature starring Alan Arkin and Carol Burnett).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: Only available on VHS.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope.

While viewing this 1981 comedy film, a nagging thought kept cycling through my mind: Did anyone during the creation of this work genuinely believe they were making a funny movie? Granted, there is a surplus number of unfunny comedy films – but “Chu Chu and the Philly Flash” is such an astonishing misfire that it could inspire an academic consideration of how not to make a comedy film.
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The Bootleg Files – Computability: How to Make the Most of Your Home Computer

Posted on December 27, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 891: “Computability: How to Make the Most of Your Home Computer” (1984 educational home video starring Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube and Internet Archive.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: Only available on VHS.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Woefully outdated production with no reissue value.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope.

Forty years ago, many Americans were spending the holidays getting acquainted with a remarkable gift: their first home computer. But for those at the dawn of the digital age who only knew about computers from science-fiction films, the machines posed a complex challenge.

In 1983, comedian and talk show host Steve Allen teamed with his wife, actress Jayne Meadows, on a record album called “Everything You Wanted to Know About Home Computers,” which provided a pleasant introduction to how home computers work and how people can get these machines to work for them. The record, which was produced by Casablanca/Polygram Records, received a Grammy Award nomination and it inspired the creative talent involved to adapt the material into an educational video with an accompanying glossary.
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The Bootleg Files: A Muppet Family Christmas

Posted on December 20, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 890: “A Muppet Family Christmas” (1987 television special with Kermit the Frog and a lot of friends).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On VHS and DVD, but in edited versions.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Rights clearance issues.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not unless someone pays a lot of money to straighten things out.

This week’s column is different from its predecessors because the subject in the spotlight, the 1987 television special “A Muppet Family Christmas,” has been commercially released on VHS video and DVD. The problem is that the North American home entertainment format releases were forced to edit out a significant amount of musical numbers due to the problems in clearing the music rights for the songs. Even worse, the production has never been on Blu-ray, has never been on any streaming service and has been absent from broadcast television for decades – with little to no hope of being seen again in its entirety.
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The Bootleg Files: Bob Hope’s Comedy Christmas Special

Posted on December 13, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 889: “Bob Hope’s Comedy Christmas Special” (1976 television offering wit guests John Wayne, Dyan Cannon and Neil Sedaka).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A perceived lack of commercial viability.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: No thanks for these memories!

On this day in 1976, NBC showed its contempt for the American public by broadcasting “Bob Hope’s Comedy Christmas Special” in prime time.

Okay, maybe that introduction was a wee bit harsh. This particular production wasn’t that bad – but as with most of Hope’s 1970s specials, it wasn’t that good, either. While Hope managed to score a number of humorous one-liners in this 90-minute presentation, the show was mostly too safe, too sedate and too square to resonate.
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The Bootleg Files: Broadway Open House

Posted on December 6, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 888: “Broadway Open House” (1950-51 television series that pioneered the concept of late-night television).

LAST SEEN: Two extant episodes are online.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A combination of music rights issues and a low survival rate of kinescoped episodes.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Probably not.

The other day, I was scanning through social media and I came upon a posting from a news organization with a headline that read something like “Jimmy Kimmel Rips Trump’s Economic Proposals” – and under the headline was a picture of the obnoxious late-night host squinting and scowling while he was reading his agitprop from a TelePrompter. My reaction to this was negative – really, who wants to end their day watching a painfully unfunny late-night host bloviating for the zillionth time about his hatred of Donald Trump? Then, another thought hit me. We all know where late-night television is today, with its emetic hosts spewing far-left political commentary before engaging in vapid faux-interviews with the current line-up of dreary talent. But I wanted to know where late-night television began and what yesteryear’s audiences enjoyed at the end of their days. The answer: it began in 1950 with a show called “Broadway Open House,” and the story of its rise and fall is nothing short of astonishing.
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