Category Archives: The Bootleg Files

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The Bootleg Files: Waiting for Godot

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BOOTLEG FILES 924: “Waiting for Godot” (2024 version of the Beckett classic).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Not cleared for home entertainment release.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Doesn’t seem likely at the moment.

At the moment, one of the hottest tickets on Broadway is the revival of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. But if you can’t make it to Broadway or don’t have the money to afford tickets, fear not because an inventive, enchanting, and under-the-radar version of the Beckett classic can be seen for free on YouTube.
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The Bootleg Files: Hedda

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BOOTLEG FILES 923: “Hedda” (1975 film version of Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler” starring Glenda Jackson and Patrick Stewart).

LAST SEEN: On the Russian OK.ru site.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On VHS video.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: There seems to be a rights clearance issue.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Damn, I hope so.

When the Academy Award nominations for 1975 were announced, Glenda Jackson was among the Best Actress nominees for her performance in “Hedda,” an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler” produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company under the direction of Trevor Nunn. The likelihood of Jackson winning the Oscar was nil, only because she already won two Best Actress Oscars within the previous five years – for “Women in Love” (1970) and “A Touch of Class” (1973) – and the Academy was not going to give her a third award in such a short period of time. Jackson was aware of that situation, which may explain why she was the only woman in that category who did not attend the Oscar ceremony.
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The Bootleg Files: No Indians Please!

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BOOTLEG FILES 922: “No Indians Please!” (1948 silent truncated version of Abbott and Costello’s “Ride ‘Em Cowboy”).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: No perceived commercial value.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope, sorry.

If you’ve been following this column, you may recall that I’ve been on a mini-Abbott and Costello kick. Two weeks ago, I reviewed the new AI-fueled parody “Abbott and Costello Meets the Exorcist” and last week I dug up a video record of a Texas theater company’s 1984 live stage production of “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.” I was going to put Bud and Lou back on the shelf until I saw a notice announcing that November is Native American Heritage Month – and that seemed like the perfect cue to unspool the team’s 1948 release of “No Indians Please!”
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The Bootleg Files: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (Full Show) 1984

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BOOTLEG FILES 921: “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (Full Show) 1984” (Texas-based stage production recorded on video).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A few problems with copyright infringement.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope, sorry.

Last week, this column served up a new AI-fueled parody called “Abbott and Costello Meets the Exorcist.” But when I was watching that video on YouTube, I was alerted there was also a video titled “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (Full Show) 1984.” And my reaction to that was an incredulous “What???”
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The Bootleg Files: Abbott and Costello Meets the Exorcist [Halloween Horror Month 2025]

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BOOTLEG FILES 920: “Abbott and Costello Meet the Exorcist” (2025 AI-fueled comedy short short).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Unauthorized use of trademarked material.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Maybe someday as part of a collection of AI viral videos.

The latest trend in viral videos involves comedy shorts where prominent cultural and political figures are animated via artificial intelligence to appear in unlikely situations. Among the most recent examples of this trend that I’ve seen include Ronald Reagan dancing in a hotel lobby, Mister Rogers as a belligerent WWE combatant, and Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X dining together on a ribs dinner.
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The Bootleg Files: The Deer’s Bell

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BOOTLEG FILES 919: “The Deer’s Bell” (1982 Chinese animated short).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Maybe as part of a collection of Chinese animation.

One of the great joys of being a film writer is accidentally discovering a film that you never knew existed, then falling in love with it, and then being able to share that newfound love with anyone who will listen. I am now experiencing that sensation by sharing “The Deer’s Bell” with you via this column.
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The Bootleg Files: Laugh-In

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BOOTLEG FILES 918: “Laugh-In” (short-lived 1977 reboot of the classic comedy show).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Legal issues are keeping it out of commercial re-release.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

In 1977, NBC offered its audience “Laugh-In,” a reboot of the classic 1968-73 comedy series “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.” George Schlatter, the producer on the original series, was brought back to helm this new effort. However, Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, the stars of the original production, were unaware this new series was being created – and considering that they owned a piece of that franchise, the lack of communication created more than just ill-will. Rowan & Martin sued Schlatter for using the original show’s format without their permission – the lawsuit was settled out of court in 1980.
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