The Bootleg Files: A Doonesbury Special

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 875: “A Doonesbury Special” (1977 animated film that received an Oscar nomination).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On VHS and laserdisc plus a blink-and-you-missed-it DVD release in an anthology collection.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: There might be a rights issue that is unresolved.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: A re-release on DVD and Blu-ray is not likely at this time.

As a prefix to this column, I need to confess that I’ve never been infatuated with Garry Trudeau’s comic strip “Doonesbury.” Yes, I am highly aware of its awards and cultural resonance, but I never found Trudeau’s brand of satire to amusing or provocative. That being said, I was curious to explore “A Doonesbury Special,” the 1977 production that marked the only time that Trudeau’s comic strip was adapted into an animated film. Trudeau collaborated with Oscar-winning animators John and Season Hubley on this work – John Hubley died while the production was in the storyboard phase, but he still received co-director and co-producer credit with his wife and Trudeau.

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The Bootleg Files: The Avery Schreiber Doritos Commercials

Posted on August 2, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 874: “The Avery Schreiber Doritos Commercials” (1970s television advertising campaign).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It falls into the grey area of old-time advertising.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

Question: When was the last time that a television commercial made you laugh out loud? Not in a polite giggle, but a genuine roar of jollity. Quite frankly, I get the impression that the creative minds behind today’s television commercials have absolutely no sense of humor – stupidity and puerility, yes, but no humor.
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The Bootleg Files: Look-Out Sister

Posted on July 26, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 873: “Look-Out Sister” (1947 musical starring Louis Jordan).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On public domain labels.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A lapsed copyright.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope, it is doomed to public domain hell.

During the 1940s, singer/songwriter and bandleader Louis Jordan was among the most popular entertainers of the decade. Jordan’s invigorating mix of big band, boogie-woogie and jazz music coupled with his often-amusing lyrics and ebullient performing style resulted in rollicking fun.
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The Bootleg Files: The Magic Machines

Posted on July 19, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 872: “The Magic Machines” (Academy Award-winning short film about sculptor Robert Gilbert).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Unlikely.

Making a nonfiction film about a visual artist is always a tricky proposition. After all, the finished product is often a work of genius but the process of bringing it to fruition is frequently a tedious process. And truth be told, not every visual artist is a magnetic raconteur or a force of personality.
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The Bootleg Files: The American Film Institute Presents a Salute to Orson Welles

Posted on June 28, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 871: “The American Film Institute Presents a Salute to Orson Welles” (1975 televised tribute to the iconic actor/filmmaker).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On a VHS label.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Unlikely.

Earlier this month, television audiences viewed the American Film Institute’s (AFI) Lifetime Achievement Award presentation to Nicole Kidman. Unlike the other movie industry awards, the AFI honors focuses its attention on a single person who puts up with lavish praise and some mild kidding before accepting the star-shaped honor.
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The Bootleg Files: The Cocoanuts (Colorized)

Posted on June 14, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 870: “The Cocoanuts (Colorized)” (unauthorized color-dappled version of the 1929 Marx Brothers comedy).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Because you can’t take a copyright protected film and colorize it.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Unlikely.

During the 1980s, there was a strange trend involving old black-and-white films being turned into color versions. Dubbed “colorization,” the trend began when the Hal Roach Studios began to colorize its 1930s titles including “Topper” and “Way Out West.” Later, black-and-white films that were in the public domain became prime targets for colorized versions – it was believed that consumers buying VHS videos would prefer color works rather than the old monochrome versions.
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The Bootleg Files: Lulu

Posted on June 7, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 869: “Lulu” (1962 German drama starring Nadja Tiller and Hildegard Knef).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On a public domain label that probably didn’t have the rights to the film.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the proverbial cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Unlikely.

Remaking classic films is almost always a surefire mistake, since cinematic lightning rarely strikes twice. But it is easy to understand the temptation of going that route. After all, audiences don’t have to be cajoled into considering an unknown quantity with a remake, and the new versions usually take advantage of presentation opportunities not present in the original production – think of silent films remade in the sound era, black-and-white works reimagined in widescreen color, racy offerings that could unveiled without censorship constraints, and old-school epics refashioned with cutting-edge special effects to make them even more epic in scope.
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