Action at Anguar | 1945 | N/A | United States Army Pictorial Services | 1945 | Work of the United States Government[G] | |
Africa Screams | 1949 | Charles Barton | United Artists | 1970s | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][9] | |
The Amazing Mr. X | 1948 | Bernard Vorhaus | Eagle-Lion | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][10] | Also known asThe Spiritualist. |
Angel and the Badman | 1947 | James Edward Grant | Republic Pictures | 1975 | Failure to renew copyright.[11] | |
The Animal Kingdom | 1932 | Edward H. Griffith | RKO Radio Pictures | 1960 | Failure to renew copyright.[12] | |
Algiers | 1938 | John Cromwell | United Artists | 1966 | Failure to renew copyright.[12] | |
Attack of the Giant Leeches | 1959 | Bernard L. Kowalski | American International Pictures | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][13] | |
Bear Shooters | 1930 | Robert F. McGowan | MGM | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][14] | |
Beau Brummel | 1924 | Harry Beaumont | Warner Brothers | 1952 | Failure to renew copyright.[15] | |
Beau Ideal | 1931 (copyright notice: 1930) | Herbert Brenon | RKO Radio Pictures | 1958 | Failure to renew copyright.[15] | |
Behind Office Doors | 1931 | Melville W. Brown | RKO Radio Pictures | 1959 | Failure to renew copyright.[15] | |
The Big Cat | 1949 | Phil Karlson | Eagle-Lion | 1976 | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][16] | |
The Big Trees | 1952 | Felix E. Feist | Warner Bros. | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][17] | |
The Big Wheel | 1949 | Edward Ludwig | United Artists | 1976 | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][18] | |
Bird of Paradise | 1932 | King Vidor | RKO Radio Pictures | 1960 | Failure to renew copyright.[12] | |
Birth of the B-29 | 1942–1944 | N/A | United States Army Pictorial Services | 1945 | Work of the United States Government[G] | |
Blood on the Sun | 1945 | Frank Lloyd | United Artists | 1973 | Failure to renew copyright.[11] | |
Bowery at Midnight | 1942 | Wallace Fox | Monogram Pictures | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][19] | |
The Brain that Wouldn't Die | 1962 (completed: 1959) | Joseph Green | American International Pictures | 1962 | Missing copyright notice[20] | Originally completed in 1959 under the title The Black Door or The Head that Wouldn't Die, it wasn't released until May 3, 1962 where failure to add the copyright notice resulted in the film entering the Public Domain.[20] |
Brideless Groom | 1947 | Edward Bernds | Columbia Pictures | 1960s[21] | Failure to renew copyright.[21] | |
Captain January | 1936 | David Butler | 20th Century Fox | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | "a legal loophole"[22] | The 1924 versiondistributed by Principal Pictures is still under copyright. |
Carnival of Souls | 1962 | Herk Harvey | Herts-Lion International Corp. | 1962 | Missing copyright notice[23] | |
Carnival Story | 1954 | Kurt Neumann | RKO Radio Pictures | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][24] | |
Charade | 1963 | Stanley Donen | Universal Pictures | 1963 | Missing full copyright notice.[25] | Original music still in copyright.[26]Original story by Peter Stone still in copyright.[25][27]Film remade in 2006 as The Truth About Charlie. |
Check and Double Check | 1930 | Melville W. Brown | RKO Radio Pictures | 1958 | Failure to renew copyright.[28] | |
Colonel Effingham's Raid | 1946 | Irving Pichel | 20th Century Fox | 1973 | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][29] | |
Combat America | 1943 | Clark Gable | Office of War Information | 1943 | Work of the United States Government[G] | |
Conspiracy | 1930 | Christy Cabanne | RKO Radio Pictures | 1958 | Failure to renew copyright.[15] | |
The Dance of Life | 1929 | John Cromwell | Paramount Pictures | 1957 | Failure to renew copyright.[12] | |
Danger Lights | 1930 | George B. Seitz | RKO Radio Pictures | 1958 | Failure to renew copyright.[15] | |
Darling, How Could You! | 1951 | Mitchell Leisen | Paramount Pictures | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][30] | Based on theJames Barrieplay Alice Sit-By-The-Fire. |
The Deadly Companions | 1961 | Sam Peckinpah | Pathé-America | 1961 | Missing copyright notice[31] | |
Debbie Does Dallas | 1978 | Jim Clark | VCX | 1981 | Missing copyright notice[32] | Dallas Cowboys hold veto power on commercial publication due to unauthorized use of theircheerleaders' trademarks.[33] |
Delightfully Dangerous | 1945 | Arthur Lubin | United Artists | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][34] | |
Dementia 13 | 1963 | Francis Ford Coppola | American International Pictures | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][13] | Also Known asThe Haunted and the Hunted. |
Detour | 1945 | Edgar G. Ulmer | Producers Releasing Corporation | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | Failure to renew copyright.[35] | |
The Devil Bat | 1940 | Jean Yarbrough | Producers Releasing Corporation | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][19] | |
Disorder in the Court | 1936 | Preston Black | Columbia Pictures | 1960s[21] | Failure to renew copyright.[21] | |
Dixiana | 1930 | Luther Reed | RKO Radio Pictures | 1958 | Failure to renew copyright.[28] | |
D.O.A. | 1950 (copyright notice: 1949) | Rudolph Maté | United Artists | 1977 | Failure to renew copyright.[36] | Remade in 1969 and 1988 |
Father's Little Dividend | 1951 (copyright notice: 1950) | Vincente Minnelli | MGM | 1978 | Failure to renew copyright.[37] | |
A Farewell to Arms | 1932 | Frank Borzage | Paramount Pictures | 1960 | Failure to renew copyright.[38] | Based on copyrighted (R177406) novel by Ernest Hemingway. |
The Fight for the Sky | 1946 | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | Office of War Information | 1946 | Work of the United States Government[G] | |
The First Legion | 1951 | Douglas Sirk | Sédif Productions | 1978 | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][39] | |
The General | 1927 | Clyde Bruckman Buster Keaton | United Artists | 1955 | Failure to renew copyright.[40] | |
Glen or Glenda | 1953 | Ed Wood | Columbia Classics | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][41] | |
God's Little Acre | 1958 | Anthony Mann | United Artists | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][42] | Based on theNovel of the same name byErskine Caldwell. The black and white version is Public Domain, the colorized version is Copyright.[43] |
The Gold Rush | 1925 | Charlie Chaplin | United Artists | 1953 | Failure to renew copyright.[40] | 1942 revised version in copyright. Original 1925 version possibly copyrighted.[44] |
The Gorilla | 1939 | Allan Dwan | 20th Century Fox Film Corporation | 1976 | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][45] | |
Go for Broke! | 1951 (copyright notice: 1950) | Robert Pirosh | MGM | 1978 | Failure to renew copyright.[37] | |
Gulliver's Travels | 1939 | Dave Fleischer | Paramount Pictures | 1967 | Failure to renew copyright.[46][47] | |
Half Shot at Sunrise | 1930 | Paul Sloane | RKO Radio Productions | 1958 | Failure to renew copyright.[15] | |
Hemp for Victory | 1942 | Raymond Evans | U.S. Department of Agriculture | 1942 | Work of the United States Government[G] | |
His Girl Friday | 1940 (copyright date: 1939) | Howard Hawks | Columbia Pictures | 1967 | Failure to renew copyright.[40] | Source material (stage play The Front Page) rights copyright until 2024.[40] |
Hook, Line and Sinker | 1930 | Edward F. Cline | RKO Radio Pictures | 1958 | Failure to renew copyright.[15] | |
The Hunchback of Notre Dame | 1923 | Wallace Worsley | Universal Pictures | 1951 | Failure to renew copyright.[12] | |
Indestructible Man | 1956 | Jack Pollexfen | Allied Artists | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][48] | |
Inside the Lines | 1930 | Roy Pomeroy | RKO Radio Productions | 1958 | Failure to renew copyright.[15] | |
It's a Wonderful Life | 1946 (copyright notice: 1947) | Frank Capra | Liberty Films RKO Pictures | 1975 | Failure to renew copyright.[49] | While the film images are public domain, under rulings ofStewart v. Abend, the film text (script) is based on the copyrighted short story "The Greatest Gift".[49][50][51]Republic also purchased exclusive rights to the movie’s copyrighted music to further shore up its rights.[52] |
Japanese Relocation | 1942 | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | Office of War Information | 1942 | Work of the United States Government[G] | |
Kept Husbands | 1931 | Lloyd Bacon | RKO Radio Productions | 1959 | Failure to renew copyright.[15] | |
Kit Carson | 1940 | George B. Seitz | United Artists | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | "Reissued by PRC Pictures"[53] | |
The Lady Refuses | 1931 | George Archainbaud | RKO Radio Productions | 1959 | Failure to renew copyright.[15] | |
A Lady to Love | 1930 | Victor Sjöström | MGM | 1958 | Failure to renew copyright.[12] | Based on the play They Knew What They Wanted. See also the film The Secret Hour (1928) based on the same play.[12] |
Last Clear Chance | 1959 | Robert Carlisle | Union Pacific Railroad | 1959 | Not registered for copyright.[54] | |
The Last Man on Earth | 1964 | Ubaldo Ragona,Sidney Salkow | American International Pictures, 20th Century Fox | 1992[55] | Failure to renew copyright.[55] | |
The Last Time I Saw Paris | 1954 (copyright notice: 1944) | Richard Brooks | MGM | 1972 | Failure to renew copyright.[56] | Music score still protected by copyright.[57] |
Lawful Larceny | 1930 | Lowell Sherman | RKO Radio Productions | 1958 | Failure to renew copyright.[15] | |
Leathernecking | 1930 | Edward F. Cline | RKO Radio Productions | 1958 | Failure to renew copyright.[15] | It is a lost film. |
Letter of Introduction | 1938 | John M. Stahl | Universal Pictures | 1966 | Failure to renew copyright.[58] | |
Life with Father | 1947 | Michael Curtiz | Warner Bros. | 1975 | Failure to renew copyright.[59] | |
Little Men | 1940 | Norman Z. McLeod | RKO Radio Pictures | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][60] |
The Little Princess | 1939 | Walter Lang | Twentieth Century Fox | 1967 | Failure to renew copyright.[49] | |
The Little Shop of Horrors | 1960 | Roger Corman | Filmgroup | 1988 | Failure to renew copyright.[40][61] | |
Lonely Wives | 1931 | Russell Mack | RKO Radio Pictures | 1959 | Failure to renew copyright.[15] | |
Love Affair | 1939 | Leo McCarey | RKO Radio Pictures | 1967 | Failure to renew copyright.[12] | |
Love Laughs at Andy Hardy | 1946 | Willis Goldbeck | MGM | 1974 | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][62] | Also known asUncle Andy Hardy. |
Malice in the Palace | 1949 | Jules White | Columbia Pictures | 1960s[21] | Failure to renew copyright.[21] | |
Maniac | 1934 | Dwain Esper | Roadshow Attractions | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][63] | Also known asSex Maniac. |
Manos: The Hands of Fate | 1966 | Harold P. Warren | Emerson Film Enterprises | 1968 | Failure to display copyright notice.[64] | Original script may have been copyrighted.[64] |
March of the Wooden Soldiers | 1948 | Gus Meins | MGM | 1948 | Failure to display copyright notice.[25] | This is a later abridgement ofBabes in Toyland(1934), which is still in copyright. Public domain status unclear.[25] |
McLintock! | 1963 | Andrew V. McLaglen | United Artists | 1991 | Failure to renew copyright.[65][66] | Music score still under copyright.[65] |
Meet John Doe | 1941 | Frank Capra | Warner Bros. | 1969 | Failure to renew copyright.[49] | |
Millie | 1931 | John Francis Dillon | RKO Radio Pictures | 1959 | Failure to renew copyright.[15] | |
Mr. Imperium | 1951 (copyright notice: 1950) | Don Hartman | MGM | 1978 | Failure to renew copyright.[37] | |
My Dear Secretary | 1949 | Charles Martin | United Artists | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][67] | |
My Favorite Brunette | 1947 | Elliott Nugent | Paramount Pictures | 1975 | Failure to renew copyright.[11] | |
My Japan | 1945 | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | Office of War Information | 1945 | Work of the United States Government[G] | |
The Negro Soldier | 1944 | Frank Capra | United States Army Pictorial Services | 1944 | Work of the United States Government[G] | |
Night of the Living Dead | 1968 | George A. Romero | Walter Reade | 1968 | Missing copyright notice and errors from the distributor[68] | Remade in1990 and 2006 |
Nothing Sacred | 1937 | William A. Wellman | Selznick United Artists | 1965 | Failure to renew copyright.[40] | |
Of Human Bondage | 1934 | John Cromwell | RKO Radio Pictures | 1962 | Failure to renew copyright.[12] | |
The Outlaw | 1943 | Howard Hughes | Howard Hughes Prod. | 1971 | Failure to renew copyright.[15] | |
The Painted Hills | 1951 | Harold F. Kress | MGM | 1979 | Failure to renew copyright.[37] | |
The Pay-Off | 1930 | Lowell Sherman | RKO Radio Pictures | 1958 | Failure to renew copyright.[15] | |
Penny Serenade | 1941 | George Stevens | Columbia Pictures | 1968 | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][69] | Though the film was released by Columbia Pictures, it was OWNED by Stevens production firm, putting its Public Domain status into question.[69] |
The Phantom of the Opera | 1925 | Rupert Julian | Universal Studios | 1953 | Failure to renew copyright.[61] | |
Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor | 1936 | Dave Fleischer | Paramount Pictures | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][70] | First of 3PopeyeTechnicolor Two-Reel Specials. |
Private Snafu Series | 1943-1946 | Various | Warner Bros.,MGM, UPA,Harman-Ising Studio | 1943-1946 | Work of the United States Government[G] | |
Rage at Dawn | 1955 | Tim Whelan | RKO Radio Pictures | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][71] | |
Rain | 1932 | Lewis Milestone | United Artists | 1960 | Failure to renew copyright.[11] | |
Reefer Madness | 1936 | Louis J. Gasnier | Motion Picture Ventures | 1936 | Improper copyright notice.[72][73] | Also called The Burning Question, Dope Addict, and Tell Your Children. |
Roberta | 1935 | William A. Seiter | RKO Radio Pictures | Early 1980s[74] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][74] | |
Rock, Rock, Rock! | 1956 | Will Price | Distributors Corporation of America | 1984 | Failure to renew copyright.[61] | The Chuck Berry soundtrackmay not be in the public domain. |
The Royal Bed | 1931 (copyright notice: 1930) | Lowell Sherman | RKO Radio Pictures | 1958 | Failure to renew copyright.[15] | |
Royal Wedding | 1951 (copyright notice: 1950) | Stanley Donen | MGM | 1978 | Failure to renew copyright.[37] | |
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians | 1964 | Nicholas Webster | Embassy Pictures Corporation | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][75] | |
Santa Fe Trail | 1940 | Michael Curtiz | Warner Bros. | 1968 | Failure to renew copyright.[76][77] | |
The Screaming Skull | 1958 | Alex Nicol | American International Pictures | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][13] | |
Second Chorus | 1940 | H.C. Potter | Paramount Pictures | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][78] | |
The Secret Hour | 1928 | Rowland V. Lee | Paramount Pictures | 1956 | Failure to renew copyright.[12] | Based on the play They Knew What They Wanted. See also the film A Lady to Love (1930) based on the same play.[12] |
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon | 1942 | Roy William Neill | Universal Studios | 1969 | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][79] | |
The Silver Horde | 1930 | George Archainbaud | RKO Radio Pictures | 1958 | Failure to renew copyright.[15] | |
Sin Takes a Holiday | 1930 | Paul L. Stein | RKO Radio Pictures | 1958 | Failure to renew copyright.[15] | |
Sing a Song of Six Pants | 1947 | Jules White | Columbia Pictures | 1960s[21] | Failure to renew copyright.[21] | |
Sinners in Paradise | 1938 | James Whale | Universal Pictures | 1966 | Failure to renew copyright.[58] | |
Smouldering Fires | 1925 | Clarence Brown | Universal Pictures | 1953 | Failure to renew copyright.[61] | |
The Snows of Kilimanjaro | 1952 | Henry King | 20th Century Fox | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][80] | |
A Star Is Born | 1937 | William A. Wellman | SIP United Artists | 1965 | Failure to renew copyright.[38][40] | Re-made in1954 and 1976 |
The Stork Club | 1945 | Hal Walker | B.G. Desylva Productions Inc. | 1982 | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][81] | |
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers | 1946 | Lewis Milestone | Paramount Pictures | 1974 | Failure to renew copyright.[11] | |
The Stranger | 1946 | Orson Welles | International Pictures | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | Failure to renew copyright.[82] | |
Street Scene | 1931 | King Vidor | United Artists | Early 1980s[83] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][83] | |
Suddenly | 1954 | Lewis Allen | United Artists | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][84] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][84] | |
Superman (1940s cartoons) | 1941-1943 | Dave Fleischer, Various | Paramount Pictures | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][85] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][85] | Although all entries are in the public domain,ancillary rightssuch as merchandising contract rights, as well as the original 35mm master elements, are owned today byWarner Bros. Animation. Warner has owned Superman publisher DC Comics since 1969. |
Swing High, Swing Low | 1937 | Mitchell Leisen | Paramount Pictures | 1965 | Failure to renew copyright.[12] | |
Target for Today | 1941 | William Keighley | First Motion Picture Unit | 1941 | Work of the United States Government[G] | |
Teenagers from Outer Space | 1959 | Tom Graeff | Warner Bros. | 1987 | Failed to renew copyright.[40] | |
Terror by Night | 1946 | Roy William Neill | Universal Studios | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][86] | |
The Terror | 1963 | Roger Corman | American International Pictures,Filmgroup | 1963 | Missing copyright registration [87] | In the early 90's, Corman asked Mark Griffiths to shoot 12 minutes of additional footage starring Dick Miller, thus making a new film titled The Return of the Terror (1991)so Corman could claim his copyright.[88] |
That Justice Be Done | 1945 | George Stevens | Office of War Information | 1942–44 | Work of the United States Government[G] | |
This is the Army | 1943 | Michael Curtiz | Warner Bros. | Mid-1970s[89] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][89] | |
Three Came Home | 1950 | Jean Negulesco | 20th Century Fox | 1977 | Failure to renew copyright.[90] | |
Three Guys Named Mike | 1951 (copyright notice: 1950) | Charles Walters | MGM | 1978 | Failed to renew copyright.[37] | |
Till the Clouds Roll By | 1946 | Richard Whorf | MGM | 1974 | Failed to renew copyright.[37] | |
Topper Returns | 1941 | Roy Del Ruth | United Artists | 1969 | Failure to renew copyright.[61] | |
Vengeance Valley | 1951 (copyright notice: 1950) | Richard Thorpe | MGM | 1978 | Failure to renew copyright.[37] | |
Waldo's Last Stand | 1940 | Edward L. Cahn | MGM | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][91] | |
Wings for This Man | 1945 | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | Office of War Information | 1945 | Work of the United States Government[G] | |
White Zombie | 1932 | Victor Halperin | United Artists | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing.You can help!][92] | Source material in the film may not be in the public domain.[93] |
Why We Fight | 1942–1944 | Frank Capra | United States Army Pictorial Services | 1942–44 | Work of the United States Government[G] | |
Wives Under Suspicion | 1938 | James Whale | Universal Pictures | 1966 | Failure to renew copyright.[58] |