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.
Continue reading →

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.
Continue reading →

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.
Continue reading →

The Bootleg Files: Orson Welles at the Magic Castle

Posted on February 13, 2026 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 930: “Orson Welles at the Magic Castle” (1978 television special starring the Big O).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: The production was considered lost for many years, and its return came via an unauthorized upload.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not unless a restored copy is produced.

Orson Welles is the ultimate gift that keeps on giving. Since his passing in October 1985, a steady stream of long-lost and hitherto-unknown works directed by or involving this extraordinary talent have emerged, offering new insight into his colorful and often erratic output.
Continue reading →

The Bootleg Files: Swabbies

Posted on February 6, 2026 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 929: “Swabbies” (canceled Disney animated short that survives as an animatic video).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: This was never meant to be seen publicly.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope.

The history of the Walt Disney Company is littered with projects that were aborted in various stages of concept and execution. Some of these canceled projects could have been truly fascinating, such as a feature-length animated film based on “Don Quixote.” Other pulled-plug endeavors would have been more than a little peculiar, such as an animated version of “The Catcher in the Rye” with an all-canine cast.
Continue reading →

The Bootleg Files: A Streetcar Named Desire

Posted on January 30, 2026 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 928: “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1984 made-for-television film starring Ann-Margret and Treat Williams).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: As a VHS video release only.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: I have no idea why this is out of circulation.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nothing on the immediate horizon.

Remaking a classic film is always a thankless task, for nine times out of ten the remake is a pallid shadow that is eons removed from the artistry that made the original a beloved work. During the 1970s and 1980s there were plenty of misguided small-screen remakes of big-screen classics. Even the presence of genuine talent in those made-for television remakes couldn’t save them from being weak carbon copies – think of the 1972 “The Man Who Came to Dinner” with Orson Welles and Joan Collins, or the 1974 “Brief Encounter” with Richard Burton and Sophia Loren, or the 1976 “Dark Victory” with Elizabeth Montgomery and Anthony Hopkins, or the 1986 “Stagecoach” with Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson.
Continue reading →

The Bootleg Files: Uncle Walt

Posted on January 23, 2026 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 927: “Uncle Walt” (1964 student film that was unavailable for many years).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube and Internet Archive.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A student film made without the clearance of the rights owners of the original classic.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope.

One of the sad truths of locating films that are either lost or have been otherwise unavailable for decades is that the discovered titles are often far less interesting than the mystique that surrounded them during their absence from view.
Continue reading →