The Bootleg Files: Understanding Stresses and Strains

Posted on October 22, 2021 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 782: “Understanding Stresses and Strains” (1968 animated Disney short for the educational market).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A film that fell through the cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Unlikely, unless it is part of an anthology of Disney’s non-theatrical films.

During the 1960s, Walt Disney Productions began to curtail its output of animated short films for the theatrical market. From a commercial viewpoint, this made perfect sense because fewer cinemas were including animated shorts as part of their exhibition slate.
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The Bootleg Files: The Second Shot Kills

Posted on October 8, 2021 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 781: “The Second Shot Kills” (1972 fan film of the 007 franchise made by Welsh teenagers).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Getting this released commercially is a bit tricky.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Unlikely.

This week, everyone with even the faintest connection to film scholarship has been writing articles in advance of the U.S. premiere of the new James Bond film “No Time To Die.” However, there is a more intriguing 007 film that deserves attention – one that you probably never knew existed.
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The Bootleg Files: The Rula Lenska / Alberto VO5 Commercials

Posted on October 1, 2021 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 780: “The Rula Lenska / Alberto VO5 Commercials” (series of TV commercials from the late 1970s).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: There is no perceived commercial value for a home entertainment anthology of these commercials.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Sorry, darling.

I did not plan to write another television commercial-based column, but yesterday on Twitter I read that the British actress Rula Lenska turned 74. I had not thought of Rula Lenska in ages, and for those of us who were watching television in the 1970s her name and image occupied a unique space.
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The Bootleg Files: The Monkees’ Tokyo Concerts

Posted on September 17, 2021 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 779: “The Monkees in Japan” (1968 recording of the Pre-Fab Four in a Tokyo concert).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: There is no surviving video of the concert and the audio recording was never commercially released.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: To borrow a line from a Monkees tune: Zilch!

On very rare occasions, this column puts the spotlight on audio recordings that only exist when there is no surviving film element. In this case, the spotlight shines on what might have been the last commercial hurrah of the Monkees during their brief and frenetic spin at the center of the 1960s cultural zeitgeist.
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The Bootleg Files: The New York Hat

Posted on September 10, 2021 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 778: “The New York Hat” (1912 film directed by D.W. Griffith).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On multiple labels offering silent films.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: An expired copyright.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: It’s already out there, but that’s not why it is in this column.

In the early years of the silent movies, the bootlegging of film prints was completely out of control. Due the primitive nature of film distribution, it was too easy for cinematic miscreants to swoop in and gather up prints and resell them as their own works, thus denying the profits that the original producers should have recived.
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The Bootleg Files: The Nancy Walker / Bounty Paper Towel Commercials

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 777: “The Nancy Walker / Bounty Paper Towel Commercials” (1970-1990 television commercial campaign).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: No perceived value in compiling 20 years’ worth of commercials.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

If you were watching U.S. television in the 1970s, it was impossible not to find Nancy Walker somewhere on the dial. She was simultaneously appearing on two popular shows at the same time – “McMillan & Wife” and “Rhoda” – and turned up in guest starring appearances on various series and variety shows; she also had notoriety for starring in two of the fastest flops of the decade, “The Nancy Walker Show” and “Blansky’s Beauties.”
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The Bootleg Files: Jack Benny in Australia

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 776: “Jack Benny in Australia” (1964 television special from down under).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: No perceived commercial value.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

In early 1964, Jack Benny received an offer to do a series of shows in Australia, where his radio and television shows had been popular for years. The timing for the offer was serendipitous, as CBS unceremoniously axed Benny’s popular television program at the end of 1963 and he had no other engagements lined up.
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