The Bootleg Files: WALTER

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 771: “W*A*L*T*E*R*” (1984 television pilot).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: No perceived commercial reissue value.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Unlikely.

In 1979, Gary Burghoff decided it was time to step away from his Emmy Award-winning role as Corporal Radar O’Reilly on the long-running television series “M*A*S*H*.” Burghoff was the only actor in the 1970 film version “MASH” to transition to the television series, and after a decade he became tired of playing the character after seven seasons.
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The Bootleg Files: SuperMark vs. Batmark!

Posted on June 18, 2021 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 770: “Supermark vs. Batmark!” (2021 one-man parody of superhero flicks).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: An obvious parody of trademarked properties.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Unlikely.

On New Year’s Eve 2018, Connecticut real estate broker Mark Pires was sitting alone in his office was reviewing his sales efforts for the year that was coming to a close.
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The Bootleg Files: The Calgon ‘Ancient Chinese Secret’ Commercial

Posted on June 11, 2021 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 769: “Calgon ‘Ancient Chinese Secret’ Commercial” (1970s commercial that made an extraordinary impression).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: No commercial reissue value.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Maybe in an anthology of vintage commercials, but that’s unlikely.

During the 1970s, Asian Americans received minimal screen time on television. The series “Hawaii Five-O.” “Kung Fu” and M*A*S*H* kept its Asian American actors in supporting roles while giving the leads to White actors, while comic actors Pat Morita and Jack Soo were also stuck in supporting parts in “Happy Days” and “Barney Miller,” respectively. (Morita scored the lead in a sitcom called “Mr. T and Tina,” but that effort was so atrocious that it was canceled after five episodes.) There was an animated Hanna-Barbera series “The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan” based on the Charlie Chan mysteries, but a mix of White and Asian American actors did the voice performances (including a young Jodie Foster).
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The Bootleg Files: Crazy Eddie Commercials

Posted on May 28, 2021 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 768: “Crazy Eddie Commercials” (long-running campaign on New York City-area television for an electronics retailer).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: No commercial reissue value.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Maybe in an anthology of vintage commercials, but that’s unlikely.

If you were living in the New York City metropolitan area in the 1970s and 1980s, then you had to be familiar with the advertisements for the Crazy Eddie electronics retailer chain. These promotional spots could be found in publications, on billboards and on radio, but most people would clearly remember them from the 7,500 television commercials produced for the company.
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The Bootleg Files: Laurence Olivier Polaroid Commercials

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 767: “Laurence Olivier Polaroid Commercials” (1973-74 television commercial campaign).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: No commercial reissue value.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Maybe in an anthology of vintage commercials, but that’s unlikely.

Have you tried sitting through television commercials lately? Really, who creates this crap? Either they are dismally unfunny (particularly for the insurance companies) or they are hard-sell to the point of discomfort or they are so vague and hazy (especially for medical products) that you wonder what exactly is being sold.
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The Bootleg Files: Our Job in Japan

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 766: “Our Job in Japan” (1946 U.S. Army propaganda film.).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube and Internet Archive.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: In collections of U.S. World War II military films.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: No copyright was ever filed on this film, so it can be duped endlessly.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: A digital restoration for commercial home entertainment release is unlikely.

One of the most bizarre news stories of this year involved the decision by Dr. Seuss Enterprises to discontinue the publication of six books by the beloved children’s author due to racially insensitive illustrations of Africans and Asians. The books in question were minor additions to the author’s canon and were never adapted into films or television productions, but for many people the idea that a Dr. Seuss book would be taken off the shelves due to political correctness was the epitome of cancel culture run amok.
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The Bootleg Files: Tin Pan Alley Cats

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 765: “Tin Pan Alley Cats” (1943 Warner Bros. animated short).

LAST SEEN: On DailyMotion.com.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Withheld from release due to politically incorrect humor.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

In today’s woke environment, the possibility of giving a second chance to the long-banned racially insensitive Warner Bros. cartoons collectively known as the “Censored Eleven” is nil. At least one of these cartoons, the 1943 “Tin Pan Alley Cats,” is certainly deserving to be kept out of circulation – but not so much for its broadly demeaning caricatures as for the laziness and sloppiness that went into its creation.
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