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The Bootleg Files: Patriotism

BOOTLEG FILES 684: “Patriotism” (1972 educational film starring Bob Crane).

LAST SEEN: One YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: As part of a grey market DVD anthology of educational films.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS:
A fuzzy question of who owns the rights to the film.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not as a standalone film.

In 1972, the United States was not in a good place. The Vietnam War was still dragging on, despite endless attempts by anti-war forces to hold multiple rallies demanding the end of the military conflict, and the push for socioeconomic racial and gender equality created significant social upheavals in the nation that delighted many and upset others. The presidential campaign magnified the political divisions that ruptured in the mid-1960s and had yet to fully heal.
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The Bootleg Files: Arsenic and Old Lace

BOOTLEG FILES 598: “Arsenic and Old Lace” (1969 television production starring Bob Crane, Helen Hayes and Lillian Gish).

LAST SEEN: It is on YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: The reason may be a little complicated.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

Remaking a beloved classic film is always a tricky endeavor – the new offering is inevitably judged against its predecessor, and it is rare for the second effort to be found superior to the work that came first.

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