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The 1930s’ Female Comedy Teams

During the early 1930s, producer Hal Roach created a series of two-reel comedies that teamed Thelma Todd with ZaSu Pitts, then Thelma Todd with Patsy Kelly, and then Patsy Kelly with Pert Kelton and Patsy Kelly with Lyda Roberti. These comedies were unavailable for years, but now they are on DVD and are the subject of “The Hal Roach Comedy Shorts of Thelma Todd, ZaSu Pitts and Patsy Kelly” by James L. Neibaur, who is our guest on this episode of “The Online Movie Show.”

The episode can be heard here.

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The Bootleg Files: The Honeymooners – The REALLY Lost Debut Episodes

BOOTLEG FILES 635: “The Honeymooners – The REALLY Lost Debut Episodes” (1993 television special).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS:
The program was never re-released to home entertainment channels.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Unlikely.

In 1993, fans of “The Honeymooners” were shocked to learn that some of the earliest episodes of the classic comedy were rediscovered after being presumed lost for more than 40 years. These episodes, which consisted of eight- to twelve-minute sketches performed on the “Cavalcade of Stars” variety program broadcast on the DuMont network, were presented during the spring at special screenings at the Museum of Television and Radio in New York and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. On October 30, 1993, six of the sketches were gathered into a Disney Channel special called “The Honeymooners – The REALLY Lost Debut Episodes.”

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