Errol Flynn & Bette Davis in The Sisters (1938)

Obscurity factor: 7

This film has a great history. It's the first pairing of Bette Davis and Errol Flynn, who would, more notably make Elizabeth and Essex several years later. It's also directed by Anatole Litvak who had an affair with Bette and was married to Miriam Hopkins, with whom Bette worked several times and also with whom she shared an enormous animosity - mostly likely because of that affair. Bette plays Louise, the most sensible of three sisters (the other two were Anita Louise and Jane Bryan) living in Montana at the turn of the century. She's sensible at least until she marries sports writer Frank Medlin. He has high hopes for a career as a novelist and sweeps her off her feet and to San Francisco.  He's not exactly the most promising young man, however and times are tough for the young couple. After she takes a job to support the two of them, Frank runs away on a freighter to the South China Seas. The night he leaves is the night of the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Louise is left to piece together her life in the ruins of that California town without Frank. Will they be reunited?

Also in the cast are Beulah Bondi, Henry Travers and Donald Crisp. It has an epic quality with an earthquake scene rivaling the better known San Francisco (1936) with Clark Gable, Spencer Tracey and Jeanette McDonald.

This film isn't available on DVD yet, but a VHS was released in 1998 and can still be found on Amazon. I caught it on TCM, so it's occasionally aired. The trailer above was uploaded to YouTube by skipjacktuner.

Obscurity factor: 7 (known to Flynn & Davis fans, but otherwise obscure, not on DVD)

Lucille Ball & George Sanders in Lured (1947)

Obscurity factor: 5

This film has a strange quality. Primarily because of the strange pairing of stars and director (Douglas Sirk). Sandra Carpenter (Ball) is an American stranded in London after the show she was in folded. She's supporting herself as a dance hall girl. When a friend from the dance hall disappears, she is drafted by the police to help solve the crime. They've been getting strange poems that precede the disappearance of girls who have answered ads in the personal columns for some time now, and want to use Sandra as a lure to flush out the killer. Concurrently she meets Robert Flemming, a night club owner who becomes fascinated with her. They fall in love, but he is also a prime suspect. Will they find the killer before he finds Sandra?

There is lots to enjoy in Lured - Lucy is restrained, but delightful as the damsel in distress - though she's not as distressed as you might think. She can, and does take care of herself. In the process of hunting for the killer, she goes through many ordeals as a result of answering ads in the personals. Look for a particularly stylish segment with Boris Karloff. It's interesting to see her in an early Sirk film because their careers went off in two completely different directions after this.

This film is available on DVD and can be viewed in its entirety on YouTube, thanks to an upload by IveGotSplainin2Do. The poster above is available at MoviePosterShop.com.

Obscurity factor: 5 (Known to Ball and Sirk fans, available on DVD, largely unknown to the general public)

Jonathan Katz in Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist (1995)

Obscurity factor: 3

This successful series for Comedy Central featured Katz as the go-to shrink for the stand up comedian set. His wry, deadpan style was the perfect match for the varied comedy styles of his guests/patients. Each week featured one or two different comedians who told their troubles to the doctor while he listened patiently, occasionally interjecting words of support or comments on the absurd circumstances. Regulars on the show included his son Ben (H. Jon Benjamin) and Laura, the receptionist (Laura Silverman).

Dr. Katz

While this series is still fairly fresh in the minds of the viewing public, it has started to acquire the luster of obscurity. The last production year was 2002 and hasn't had much air play since. It's available on DVD, and lots of segments can be seen on YouTube. Best of all, new segments are still being made! The one above features Sarah Silverman.

Obscurity factor: 3 (on DVD, still fresh in viewer's minds, can be seen online)

Paul Lynde in The Paul Lynde Show (1970)

Obscurity factor: 10

Coming off the enormous hit Bewitched William Asher produced this sitcom for Paul Lynde, who, of course, had the recurring role of Uncle Arthur on the aforementioned program. Paul played Paul Simms, the conservative father of two daughters, one recently married to a genius who has trouble functioning in the real world. This upper middle class take off on All in the Family made Lynde's character a lawyer and his daughter a college graduate.

The show features Paul Lynde's signature style of comedy and has strange ironic elements in it that make it more off the wall than most vintage sitcoms - most notably the casting of Paul as a conservative family man. Look for Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara in later episodes as Paul's inlaws.

This show is not available commercially on DVD, though I have seen listings for it on iOffer.com. Several episodes can be watched on YouTube. The one above is the first installment of the pilot, uploaded by OldWorldTelevision.

Obscurity factor: 10 (Known to Lynde fans but not many others, not on DVD, available on YouTube and iOffer)

Rita Rudner in The Rita Rudner Show (1990)

Obscurity factor: 9

Rita Rudner's comedy has always appealed to me, so when this show appeared on cable TV I made sure to watch. It was produced for the BBC and has since become very obscure. There were only 6 episodes, as is the case for much British programming. The show featured skits, stand up and even some musical numbers - Rita having a background as a dancer. The clip below features one of the many guest stars - Jennifer Saunders from a time when Ab Fab was just a glimmer in her eye. The editing is a bit rudimentary, but the comedy is deft.

This series is not available on DVD. You can find several clips of it on YouTube. The clip above was uploaded by PhillipaRM.

Obscurity factor: 9

Sharon Gless in The Trials of Rosie O'Neal (1990)

Obscurity factor: 9

After the phenomenal success of Cagney & Lacey, Sharon Gless was in a good position to pick her projects. She chose this 1 hour dramatic series about a Los Angeles lawyer. Rosie works in the public defender's office and is working through her feelings about her divorce from another lawyer. Each episode begins with her weekly appointment with a psychologist (producer and soon to be husband Barney Rosenzweig). Each week she would tackle a problem in her personal or professional life that would make you feel as well as think.

 

 Photo, courtesy Darkchilde at Bookmice.net

The series lasted only two seasons, and hasn't been released on DVD, but had some high profile guest stars, including Robert Wagner and Tyne Dailey (pictured above) who played a high school rival of Rosie's. The episode is available on YouTube, though embedding has been disabled. Click the link to view part one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A478eMzntOY&feature=related

Obscurity factor: 9 (not on DVD, two episodes available on YouTube, series available on iOffer.com)

Peter Falk, Madeline Kahn & Eileen Brennan in The Cheap Detective (1978)

Obscurity factor: 7

Hot off the success of Murder By Death, Neil Simon and Robert Moore put this little film together. It extrapolates on the Humphrey Bogart style character that Peter Falk played in the film and pairs him with a bevy of saucy ladies from femme fatales to girls Friday. The film is a parody of the best of the genre, including Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, Chinatown and even A Streetcar Named Desire.

The production values are very high, it's beautifully shot in smoky rooms with dramatic lighting and the costumes and sets are nicely rendered. They provide the setting for some deftly handled, if at times silly comedy. Also look for Ann Margaret, Stockard Channing, Sid Caesar, Marsha Mason, James Coco, Phil Silvers, Fernando Lamas and John Housman.

In the clip above, Eileen Brennan plays a remarkably funny lounge singer, uploaded to YouTube by SueSnell. The film is available on DVD. The poster above is available from MoviePosterShop.com.

Obscurity factor: 7 (available on DVD, has cult following, but isn't as well known as Murder by Death)