The Bootleg Files: Jive Junction

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 847: “Jive Junction” (1943 musical starring Dickie Moore and directed by Edgar G. Ulmer).

LAST SEEN: On DailyMotion.com.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: It doesn’t appear to have been released.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: There might be a music rights issue.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

When you think of the musicals of the 1940s, you probably think about the big-budget Technicolor productions from MGM or 20th Century Fox. Few people would immediately call to mind the output of Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC), the Poverty Row funhouse that churned out low-budget Westerns and thrillers. Every now and then, this cheapjack studio would put forth a musical – and while none of these films resonated within the popular culture, they provided enough silly distraction to help theaters fill their double features.
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The Road to ‘Detour’

Posted on January 10, 2022 by Phil Hall

On this episode, “The Online Movie Show” takes a look at Edgar G. Ulmer’s 1945 film noir classic “Detour.” The guest commentator is writer and film noir expert Jeffrey Cintolo.

The episode can be heard here.

The Bootleg Files: Babes in Bagdad

Posted on September 29, 2017 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 607: “Babes in Bagdad” (1951 romp directed by Edgar G. Ulmer).

LAST SEEN: It can be found on YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It is not entirely clear why.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Lord, I hope not!

One does not approach a film titled “Babes in Bagdad” expecting a provocative cerebral challenge. But, at the same time, one should not expect an unfocused mess of half-baked feminist politics and burlesque antics molded together by several great talents who hit respective career lows with this nonsense.

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