The Bootleg Files: Follies

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 861: “Follies” (fan film recreation of the legendary 1971 Broadway musical).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: An unauthorized presentation of inconsistent quality.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

When the Stephen Sondheim musical “Follies” opened on Broadway in April 1971, the show’s co-director Harold Prince was sowing the seeds of a potential film version featuring some of Hollywood’s greatest stars. John Springer, who handled the publicity for the Broadway show, would later claim that a minor miracle was achieved when Bette Davis and Joan Crawford agreed to be in the film – albeit without being in the same scene; Springer also insisted Gloria Swanson, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton expressed interest in being part of the cast.
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The Bootleg Files: The Lodger, aka The Phantom Fiend

Posted on April 5, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 860: “The Lodger,” also known as “The Phantom Fiend” (1932 thriller starring Ivor Novello and Elizabeth Allan).

LAST SEEN: On several online video sites.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On public domain labels.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A lapsed copyright in the United States.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely as a fully restored production.

During the 1920s, the British film industry was a mostly uninspired environment that failed to match the Hollywood film machine or the silver screen output from France, Germany and the Soviet Union in terms of artistry and commercial appeal. That situation shifted somewhat with the 1927 release of “The Lodger,” an adaptation of Marie Belloc Lowndes’ thriller inspired by the Jack the Ripper murders. Under the direction of the then-unknown Alfred Hitchcock, “The Lodger” was a visually imaginative study in fear and paranoia – and much of its appeal at the time was the against-type casting of matinee idol Ivor Novello as a mysterious figure suspected of being a serial killer.
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The Bootleg Files: Luno

Posted on March 29, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 859: “Luno” (1963-1965 series of theatrical and television animated shorts).

LAST SEEN: Some of the shorts are on YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: A few shorts turned up on VHS video.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

You never know what you’ll find on Facebook. The other day, while scrolling through the site I came across a couple of a screenshots from an old cartoon that I didn’t immediately recognize. After reading the captions for the screenshot, I vaguely recalled the production being featured. I looked up the titles and found them on YouTube – and then, I remembered viewing these works during my childhood in the early 1970s.

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The Bootleg Files: Gentlemen Marry Brunettes

Posted on March 22, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 858: “Gentlemen Marry Brunettes” (1955 musical starring Jane Russell and Jeanne Craig).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube and DailyMotion.com.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Most likely because of music rights clearance problems.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

Despite its similar title, the vaguely identical plot involving two American showgirls in Paris and the presence of Jane Russell, the 1955 “Gentlemen Marry Brunettes” is not a sequel to the 1953 “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” Yes, the source material – Anita Loos’ 1927 novel “But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes” – is a sequel to her 1925 “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” but the film does not use the plot of the Loos book.

Indeed, the two films should not be mentioned in the same breath. “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” is one of the greatest musical comedies of all time – a witty, stylish, rollicking classic that offered Russell and Marilyn Monroe their best screen roles. “Gentlemen Marry Brunettes” doesn’t come close to the first production’s greatness at any level.
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The Bootleg Files: 3rd Ave. El

Posted on March 15, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 857: “3rd Ave. El” (1955 Oscar-nominated short).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube and Internet Archive.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: It was reportedly on video, but I can’t confirm that.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: This fell through the cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Maybe as a special feature.

New York City residents of a certain age will remember the IRT Third Avenue Line, an elevated railway that operated between Manhattan and the Bronx. The Manhattan portion of the line – which was informally known as the 3rd Avenue El – ended in 1955, while the Bronx portion of the line had service until 1973.
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The Bootleg Files: The Strollin’ ’20s

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 856: “The Strollin’ 20s” (1966 all-star television special).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: There is most likely a rights clearance issue.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

Black entertainers have been part of the American television experience since the medium’s beginning, with no less a figure than the legendary Ethel Waters starring in an eponymous special in 1939 when television was still mostly experimental and extremely limited in its reach. Once television became more prominent in American living rooms, Hazel Scott and Billy Daniels briefly had their own programs, while in the mid-1950s NBC’s decision to have Nat King Cole host his own variety show created unexpected controversy when no national sponsor was willing to back the program. Harry Belafonte headlined a 1959 special that was sponsored by Revlon, but he rejected further productions backed by the company when he was ordered not to integrate his song and dance ensemble.
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The Bootleg Files: Wolfman vs. Godzilla

Posted on February 16, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 854: “Wolfman vs. Godzilla” (unfinished fan film).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube and Internet Archive.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A right clearance issue.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

From a creative artist’s perspective, I could never understand the appeal of making fan films. I appreciate when teens and pre-teens create these cinematic tributes – there’s something very charming when the James Bond or Star Wars orbits are reimagined by an alternative universe of the under-18 crowd. But when adults spend a great deal of time and money in creating fan films, it usually leaves me cold.
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