Tag Archives: Carol Burnett

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The Bootleg Files: Chu Chu and the Philly Flash

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BOOTLEG FILES 892: “Chu Chu and the Philly Flash” (1981 comedy feature starring Alan Arkin and Carol Burnett).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: Only available on VHS.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope.

While viewing this 1981 comedy film, a nagging thought kept cycling through my mind: Did anyone during the creation of this work genuinely believe they were making a funny movie? Granted, there is a surplus number of unfunny comedy films – but “Chu Chu and the Philly Flash” is such an astonishing misfire that it could inspire an academic consideration of how not to make a comedy film.
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The Bootleg Files: Julie & Carol at Carnegie Hall

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BOOTLEG FILES 801: “Julie & Carol at Carnegie Hall” (1962 TV special starring Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Mostly likely due to music rights issues.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Probably not.

In 1962, Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett were on the cusp of superstardom. Andrews had back-to-back Broadway triumphs with “My Fair Lady” and “Camelot” while Burnett had gained fame from her standout comedy performances in the Broadway musical “Once Upon a Mattress” and on Garry Moore’s television variety show. Surprisingly, there was initial reluctance from CBS to move forward with a proposed TV special starring the two women – the network felt that Andrews was not that well known to the wider American public while simultaneously arguing that Burnett was too familiar from Moore’s weekly show.
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Harvey Korman: Number 1 Second Banana

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Harvey Korman was one of the funniest supporting comedy actors of all time, brightening up the big and small screen with his memorable performances. On this episode of “The Online Movie Show,” the funnyman’s son and biographer Chris Korman discusses his father’s career and off-camera life.

The episode can be heard here.

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The Bootleg Files: The Laundromat

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BOOTLEG FILES 747: “The Laundromat” (1985 HBO drama directed by Robert Altman).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Most likely due to a problem with rights clearance.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Unlikely at this time.

During the early 1980s, Robert Altman seemed intent on creating his own version of the American Film Theatre by taking theatrical works and creating adaptations that were closer in style to the original proscenium-framed productions than to works of cinema. With “Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean” (1982), “Streamers” (1983) and “Secret Ceremony” (1984), Altman was plumbing dramatic emotions from claustrophobic chamber pieces rather than using the widescreen canvas to explore a greater world of tumult and chaos.
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The Bootleg Files: Talking Pictures

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BOOTLEG FILES 703: “Talking Pictures” (unsold 1968 pilot for a TV game show).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: No commercial value for a single episode of a failed production.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

For every television show that gets on the air, there are an infinite number of projects that get proposed but fail to find a slot on the broadcast schedule. Many of these projects never advance beyond the concept stage, but often these endeavors find their way to a level known as a pilot, which serves as a test of what the program would look like if it received the okay to become a full-fledged addition to the channel line-up.
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TV on DVD: The Jackie Gleason Show In Color: Unreleased Episodes (DVD)/Carol Burnett Show: The Best of Harvey Korman (DVD)

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Let me preface this review by stating that I am a hardcore “The Honeymooners” fan.

Growing up I lived with a mother and father who ate, slept and breathed Ralph and Ed Norton’s antics, did nothing but quote the series over and over, and as a plus, my dad’s threats to us as kids were always greeted with the preamble: “Remember: the life you save, may be your own.” Growing up, I learned to absolutely love every inch of “The Honeymooners” (save for the lost episodes that stunk like a rotten lizard) and subsequent my purchase of the “Classic 39” on DVD, I made it a ritual of watching it every six months non-stop.

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Classic TV on DVD – Carol +2 & Bob Hope Entertaining the Troops

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TVonDVDYou have to give it to Lucille Ball. While there are countless stories about her latter years in show business and how much of a tyrant she was, she seemed to show a lot of respect for Carol Burnett. Burnett was prompted by network executives to build a big time television special. Burnett recruited Ball, who was more than happy to co-star. Burnett, an old school queen of comedy, shared the stage with Ball, another titan of comedy.

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