The Bootleg Files: Carnival Story

Posted on May 17, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 866: “Carnival Story” (1954 drama starring Anne Baxter and Steve Cochran).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube and other online video sites.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On public domain labels.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A lapsed copyright enabled endless duping.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: The likelihood of a Criterion-style restoration and release is unlikely.

For many years, I avoided the 1954 “Carnival Story,” even though there were endless opportunities to view it. Back in the pre-cable television days, the film was a staple of very-late-night programming on local stations that needed to fill space between commercials during their twilight hours. With the dawn of VHS videos, the film’s public domain status ensured there were too many copies available from rival cheapo labels in bargain basement bins. And with the dawn of online video, “Carnival Story” is all over the Internet – but, then again, too many public domain films are all over the Internet, so why seek out this title?
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The Bootleg Files: Should Wives Work?

Posted on June 23, 2023 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 834: “Should Wives Work?” (1937 Oscar-nominated comedy short starring Leon Errol).

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 an anthology of comedy shorts.

Unless you are too-serious student of film comedy, there is a good chance that you either never heard of Leon Errol or you may only know of him through a few supporting performances in other comics’ movies. But during the 1930s Errol became a prominent as the star in a series of comedy shorts made at RKO. These films are mostly forgotten today, although one of them – the 1937 “Should Wives Work?” – secured a niche in movie history through its Academy Award nomination for Best Short Subject (Two-Reel).
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Western Wednesdays: The Avenging Rider (1943)

Posted on April 26, 2023 by Geno Cuddy

SYNOPSIS:
While on his way to help out his mining partner Sam Trotter, Brit Marshall [Tim Holt] runs in to a band of murderous rogues whom claim to be working for Trotter. Unbeknownst to Marshall and his sidekick Ike [Cliff “Ukulele Ike” Edwards], these men not only stole the gold shipment they claim they were delivering to the Gold Ace, Trotter’s ranch, but also shot and killed Trotter in cold blood. After a gunfight, Marshall and Ike are taken prisoner by the local sheriff [Edward Cassidy].
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In Search of Faith Domergue

Posted on May 30, 2022 by Phil Hall

On this episode of “The Online Movie Show,” film historian Geno Cuddy takes a look at the strange Hollywood career of Howard Hughes-backed actress Faith Domergue.

The episode can be heard here.

The Unlikely Adventures of King Kong

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Phil Hall

The 1933 classic “King Kong” inspired a number of strange projects, including two Japanese Kong films that are considered lost and a wealth of ideas ranging from a three-camera Cinerama remake to “King Kong vs. Frankenstein” by Willis O’Brien, the genius behind the original’s special effects. On this episode of “The Online Movie Show,” we look at these remarkable Kong projects with John LeMay, author of “Kong Unmade: The Lost Films of Skull Island.”

The episode can be heard here.

Wheeler and Woolsey: The Pre-Code Funnymen

Posted on April 13, 2020 by Phil Hall

Few comics took full advantage of the loose standards of Pre-Code Hollywood with more gusto than the team of Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey. In this episode of “The Online Movie Show,” film historian and podcaster Geno Cuddy offers insight on the duo’s saucy on-screen antics and classic routines.

The episode can be heard here.

Clark & McCullough: The Forgotten Kings of Comedy

Posted on April 6, 2020 by Phil Hall

From the late 1920s to the mid-1930s, Bobby Clark and Paul McCullough turned out a series of wild, bawdy and often surreal short comedies. Today, the team is mostly unknown to the average movie lover because many of their films are lost and the surviving films are rarely revived. Film historian and podcaster Geno Cuddy considers the Clark & McCullough legacy and advocates for a new appreciation of their surviving work in this episode of “The Online Movie Show.”

The episode can be heard here.