Copyright renewals of 1924 films
Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2019 4:57 pm
As another New Year's Day approaches, so does the likelihood that another batch of 95-year-old copyrights will expire. Below is a compilation of films copyrighted in 1924 that were renewed in 1951 or 1952. They will, prima facie, enter the public domain on the first day of 2020, barring further copyright extensions.
Usual disclaimers: the list is not intended as legal advice. It doesn't address the copyright of underlying works (especially by European authors). There may be errors or omissions in the renewal indices I consulted, as well as errors made by this compiler. Note that some films that premiered in late 1924 were copyrighted in early 1925 and will remain protected until 2021 (Greed and Isn't Life Wonderful are examples of this category).
There were a couple of European films renewed in 1951-52 that are omitted below because their copyrights are governed by different laws. Also, I make no distinction between minor changes in corporate names; Metro-Goldwyn Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn Distributing, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures are all grouped together, as are C.B.C. and Columbia.
Works consulted can be found at: http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/cce/
Copyrighted by (Associated) First National Pictures Inc.; renewed by Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.
Born Rich
Flirting with Love
Flowing Gold
For Sale
Frivolous Sal [also copyrighted 05 Jan 1925 and renewed]
If I Marry Again
Inez from Hollywood
Lilies of the Field
Painted People
The Perfect Flapper
Sandra
The Sea Hawk
A Self Made Failure
The Silent Watcher
Single Wives
So Big [also copyrighted 05 Jan 1925 and renewed]
A Son of the Sahara
Sundown
The Woman on the Jury
Copyrighted by C.B.C Film Sales Corp. [and Columbia Pictures Corp.]; renewed by Columbia Pictures Corp.
The Barefoot Boy
The Battling Fool
The Beautiful Sinner
Discontented Husbands
The Fight for Honor
The Foolish Virgin
Forgive and Forget
Innocence
The Marriage Market
The Midnight Express
One Glorious Night
Pal o’ Mine
The Price She Paid
Racing for Life
Traffic in Hearts
Yesterday’s Wife
Copyrighted by Fox Film Corp.; renewed by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp.
Against All Odds
The Arizona Express
The Arizona Romeo
The Brass Bowl
The Circus Cowboy
Curlytop
The Cyclone Rider
Dante’s Inferno
Darwin Was Right
Daughters of the Night
The Deadwood Coach
The Desert Outlaw
Flames of Desire
Gerald Cranston’s Lady
The Great Diamond Mystery
The Heart Buster
Hearts of Oak
Honor Among Men
In Love with Love
The Iron Horse
It Is the Law!
Just Off Broadway
Ladies to Board
The Last Man on Earth
The Last of the Duanes
The Lone Chance
Love Letters
The Man Who Came Back
The Man Who Played Square
A Man’s Mate
My Husband’s Wives
Not a Drum Was Heard
Oh, You Tony!
The Painted Lady
The Plunderer
Ports of Call
Romance Ranch
The Roughneck
The Shadow of the East
Teeth
That French Lady
The Trouble Shooter
Troubles of a Bride
The Vagabond Trail
The Warrens of Virginia
Western Luck
Winner Take All
The Wolf Man
Wolves of the Night [reissue of 1919 film]
Copyrighted by Famous Players-Lasky Corp.; renewed by Paramount Pictures Corp.
The Alaskan
Argentine Love
The Bedroom Window
Bluff
The Border Legion
The Breaking Point
Changing Husbands
The City That Never Sleeps
The Code of the Sea
The Confidence Man
Dangerous Money
The Dawn of a Tomorrow
Empty Hands
Fair Week
The Fast Set
Feet of Clay
The Female
The Fighting Coward
Flaming Barriers
The Garden of Weeds
The Guilty One
Her Love Story
The Humming Bird
Icebound
Lily of the Dust
Locked Doors
A Man Must Live
The Man Who Fights Alone
Manhandled
Manhattan
Men
Monsieur Beaucaire
The Moral Sinner
The Next Corner
North of 36
Open All Night
Pied Piper Malone
A Sainted Devil
Shadows of Paris
The Side Show of Life
Sinners in Heaven
A Society Scandal
The Story without a Name
The Stranger
Tiger Love
Tongues of Flame
The Top of the World
Triumph
Unguarded Women
Wages of Virtue
Wanderer of the Wasteland
West of the Water Tower
Worldly Goods
Copyrighted by Goldwyn Pictures Corp., renewed by Loew’s Inc.
Name the Man
Nellie, the Beautiful Cloak Model
The Recoil
Three Weeks
True as Steel
Wild Oranges
Copyrighted by Metro Pictures Corp.; renewed by Loew’s Inc.
A Boy of Flanders
Don’t Doubt Your Husband
A Fool’s Awakening
Happiness
The Heart Bandit
The Shooting of Dan McGrew
Copyrighted by Metro-Goldwyn(-Mayer) Pictures Corp. [and Distributing Corp.]; renewed by Loew’s Inc.
Along Came Ruth
The Arab
The Beauty Prize
Bread
Broken Barriers
He Who Gets Slapped
His Hour
Married Flirts
The Navigator
One Night in Rome
The Red Lily
Revelation
The Silent Accuser
Sinners in Silk
The Snob
So This Is Marriage
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Wine of Youth
The Wife of the Centaur
Copyrighted by Pathé Exchange; renewed by Columbia Pictures Corp. [all serials]
Galloping Hooves*
Into the Net
Ten Scars Make a Man
*The first three episodes were registered in 1924 and the last seven were registered in 1925. Accordingly, only the first three will enter the public domain in January.
Copyrighted by R-C Pictures Corp.; renewed by RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Alimony
The Dangerous Flirt
Fools in the Dark
Thundering Hoofs
Untamed Youth
Yankee Madness
Copyrighted by Vitagraph Company of America; renewed by Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.
Behold This Woman
The Beloved Brute
Between Friends
Borrowed Husbands
Captain Blood
The Clean Heart
The Code of the Wilderness
Let No Man Put Asunder
My Man
Copyrighted and renewed by Warner Bros. Pictures (Inc.)
Babbitt
Broadway After Dark
Cornered
Daddies
The Dark Swan
Find Your Man
Her Marriage Vow
How to Educate a Wife
The Lighthouse by the Sea
A Lost Lady
The Lover of Camille
Lovers’ Lane
The Narrow Street
The Tenth Woman
This Woman
Three Women
Other
America (© by D. W. Griffith, Inc.; renewed by 10 heirs)
Classmates (© by Inspiration Pictures; renewed by Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.)
The Fatal Mistake (© by Perfection Pictures Inc.; renewed by Columbia Pictures Corp.)
Girl Shy (© by S. Taylor, T. Wilde, T. Gray, T. Whelan; renewed by Harold Lloyd Corp.)
The Great White Way (© by William Randolph Hearst; renewed by Loew’s Inc.)
Hot Water (© by S. Taylor, J. Gray, T. Whelan, T. Gray; renewed by Harold Lloyd Corp.)
In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter (© by Samuel Goldwyn; renewed by Frances Howard Goldwyn)
Love’s Wilderness (© by Corinne Griffith Productions; renewed by Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.)
Madonna of the Streets (© by First National Pictures; renewed by Columbia Pictures Corp.)
Oh, Doctor! (© and renewed by Universal Pictures Corp.)
Peter Pan (© by Famous Players-Lasky Corp; renewed by Walt Disney Productions)
The Rejected Woman (© by Distinctive Pictures Corp.; renewed by Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.)
Secrets (© by Joseph M. Schenck; renewed by Samuel Goldwyn Productions, Inc.)
Sherlock Jr. (© by Joseph M. Schenck; renewed by Loew’s Inc.)
Tarnish (© by Samuel Goldwyn; renewed by Frances Howard Goldwyn)
A Thief in Paradise (© and renewed by Samuel Goldwyn)
Those Who Dance (© by Thomas H. Ince; renewed by Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.)
Through the Dark (© by William Randolph Hearst; renewed by Loew’s Inc.)
Thy Name Is Woman (© by Louis B. Mayer Productions; renewed by Loew’s Inc.)
Torment (© by M. C. Levee; renewed by Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.)
Under the Red Robe (© by William Randolph Hearst; renewed by Loew’s Inc.)
The White Moth (© by M. C. Levee; renewed by Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.)
Women First (© by Perfection Pictures Inc.; renewed by Columbia Pictures Corp.)
Women Who Give (© by Louis B. Mayer Productions; renewed by Loew’s Inc.)
Short films
Alexander Hamilton (Allen Johnson / Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
Be Yourself (Fox / 20th)
Blows and Dynamite (Fox / 20th)
The Burglar (Fox / 20th)
Children Wanted (Fox / 20th)
The Cowboys (Fox / 20th)
Dangerous Curves (Fox / 20th)
The Declaration of Independence (Carl Becker / Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
A Deep Sea Panic (Fox / 20th)
A Diving Fool (Fox / 20th)
Dixie (copyrighted & renewed by Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
Dumb and Daffy (Fox / 20th)
The Electric Elopement (Fox / 20th)
Etiquette (Fox / 20th)
The Eve of the Revolution (George Pierce Baker & James P. Munroe / Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
The Fight (Fox / 20th)
The Gateway to the West (George M. Wrong / Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
The Go-Getters (R-C / RKO; series of short films)
He’s My Pal (Fox / 20th)
Her Ball and Chain (Fox / 20th)
Highly Recommended (Fox / 20th)
His Bitter Half (Fox / 20th)
The Hunt (Fox / 20th)
In-Bad the Sailor (Fox / 20th)
The Jazz Weekly (Fox / 20th)
The Masked Marvel (Fox / 20th)
The Milk Bandits (Fox / 20th)
The Monkey Romeo (Fox / 20th)
A Movie Mad Maid (Fox / 20th)
The Nickel Plated West (Fox / 20th)
A Nip of Scotch (Fox / 20th)
On the Job (Fox / 20th)
The Orphan (Fox / 20th)
Pain as You Enter (Fox / 20th)
Paul Jones Jr. (Fox / 20th)
Peter Stuyvesant (William Basil Courtney & Dixon Ryan Fox / Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
The Pilgrims (Charles M. Andrews / Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
The Pinhead (Fox / 20th)
The Puritans (Evangeline W. Andrews / Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
The Race (Fox / 20th)
A Radio Riot (Fox / 20th)
Roaring Lions at Home (Fox / 20th)
Sad but True (Fox / 20th)
The Scenario School (Fox / 20th)
Stretching the Truth (Fox / 20th)
Sweet Papa (Fox / 20th)
The Telephone Girl (R-C / RKO; series of 12 two-reelers)
Unreal News Reel No. 3 (Fox / 20th)
Unreal News Reel No. 4 (Fox / 20th)
Up on the Farm (Fox / 20th)
The Weakling (Fox / 20th)
Westward Whoa (Fox / 20th)
When Wise Ducks Meet (Fox / 20th)
Wolfe and Montcalm (George M. Wrong / Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
Yorktown (Nathaniel Wright Stevenson / Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
Note: Some of the "Chronicles of America" series were 4-reelers and thus qualify as features per the AFI's standards, but I included them all under the short films heading for consistency.
--HA
Usual disclaimers: the list is not intended as legal advice. It doesn't address the copyright of underlying works (especially by European authors). There may be errors or omissions in the renewal indices I consulted, as well as errors made by this compiler. Note that some films that premiered in late 1924 were copyrighted in early 1925 and will remain protected until 2021 (Greed and Isn't Life Wonderful are examples of this category).
There were a couple of European films renewed in 1951-52 that are omitted below because their copyrights are governed by different laws. Also, I make no distinction between minor changes in corporate names; Metro-Goldwyn Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn Distributing, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures are all grouped together, as are C.B.C. and Columbia.
Works consulted can be found at: http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/cce/
Copyrighted by (Associated) First National Pictures Inc.; renewed by Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.
Born Rich
Flirting with Love
Flowing Gold
For Sale
Frivolous Sal [also copyrighted 05 Jan 1925 and renewed]
If I Marry Again
Inez from Hollywood
Lilies of the Field
Painted People
The Perfect Flapper
Sandra
The Sea Hawk
A Self Made Failure
The Silent Watcher
Single Wives
So Big [also copyrighted 05 Jan 1925 and renewed]
A Son of the Sahara
Sundown
The Woman on the Jury
Copyrighted by C.B.C Film Sales Corp. [and Columbia Pictures Corp.]; renewed by Columbia Pictures Corp.
The Barefoot Boy
The Battling Fool
The Beautiful Sinner
Discontented Husbands
The Fight for Honor
The Foolish Virgin
Forgive and Forget
Innocence
The Marriage Market
The Midnight Express
One Glorious Night
Pal o’ Mine
The Price She Paid
Racing for Life
Traffic in Hearts
Yesterday’s Wife
Copyrighted by Fox Film Corp.; renewed by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp.
Against All Odds
The Arizona Express
The Arizona Romeo
The Brass Bowl
The Circus Cowboy
Curlytop
The Cyclone Rider
Dante’s Inferno
Darwin Was Right
Daughters of the Night
The Deadwood Coach
The Desert Outlaw
Flames of Desire
Gerald Cranston’s Lady
The Great Diamond Mystery
The Heart Buster
Hearts of Oak
Honor Among Men
In Love with Love
The Iron Horse
It Is the Law!
Just Off Broadway
Ladies to Board
The Last Man on Earth
The Last of the Duanes
The Lone Chance
Love Letters
The Man Who Came Back
The Man Who Played Square
A Man’s Mate
My Husband’s Wives
Not a Drum Was Heard
Oh, You Tony!
The Painted Lady
The Plunderer
Ports of Call
Romance Ranch
The Roughneck
The Shadow of the East
Teeth
That French Lady
The Trouble Shooter
Troubles of a Bride
The Vagabond Trail
The Warrens of Virginia
Western Luck
Winner Take All
The Wolf Man
Wolves of the Night [reissue of 1919 film]
Copyrighted by Famous Players-Lasky Corp.; renewed by Paramount Pictures Corp.
The Alaskan
Argentine Love
The Bedroom Window
Bluff
The Border Legion
The Breaking Point
Changing Husbands
The City That Never Sleeps
The Code of the Sea
The Confidence Man
Dangerous Money
The Dawn of a Tomorrow
Empty Hands
Fair Week
The Fast Set
Feet of Clay
The Female
The Fighting Coward
Flaming Barriers
The Garden of Weeds
The Guilty One
Her Love Story
The Humming Bird
Icebound
Lily of the Dust
Locked Doors
A Man Must Live
The Man Who Fights Alone
Manhandled
Manhattan
Men
Monsieur Beaucaire
The Moral Sinner
The Next Corner
North of 36
Open All Night
Pied Piper Malone
A Sainted Devil
Shadows of Paris
The Side Show of Life
Sinners in Heaven
A Society Scandal
The Story without a Name
The Stranger
Tiger Love
Tongues of Flame
The Top of the World
Triumph
Unguarded Women
Wages of Virtue
Wanderer of the Wasteland
West of the Water Tower
Worldly Goods
Copyrighted by Goldwyn Pictures Corp., renewed by Loew’s Inc.
Name the Man
Nellie, the Beautiful Cloak Model
The Recoil
Three Weeks
True as Steel
Wild Oranges
Copyrighted by Metro Pictures Corp.; renewed by Loew’s Inc.
A Boy of Flanders
Don’t Doubt Your Husband
A Fool’s Awakening
Happiness
The Heart Bandit
The Shooting of Dan McGrew
Copyrighted by Metro-Goldwyn(-Mayer) Pictures Corp. [and Distributing Corp.]; renewed by Loew’s Inc.
Along Came Ruth
The Arab
The Beauty Prize
Bread
Broken Barriers
He Who Gets Slapped
His Hour
Married Flirts
The Navigator
One Night in Rome
The Red Lily
Revelation
The Silent Accuser
Sinners in Silk
The Snob
So This Is Marriage
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Wine of Youth
The Wife of the Centaur
Copyrighted by Pathé Exchange; renewed by Columbia Pictures Corp. [all serials]
Galloping Hooves*
Into the Net
Ten Scars Make a Man
*The first three episodes were registered in 1924 and the last seven were registered in 1925. Accordingly, only the first three will enter the public domain in January.
Copyrighted by R-C Pictures Corp.; renewed by RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Alimony
The Dangerous Flirt
Fools in the Dark
Thundering Hoofs
Untamed Youth
Yankee Madness
Copyrighted by Vitagraph Company of America; renewed by Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.
Behold This Woman
The Beloved Brute
Between Friends
Borrowed Husbands
Captain Blood
The Clean Heart
The Code of the Wilderness
Let No Man Put Asunder
My Man
Copyrighted and renewed by Warner Bros. Pictures (Inc.)
Babbitt
Broadway After Dark
Cornered
Daddies
The Dark Swan
Find Your Man
Her Marriage Vow
How to Educate a Wife
The Lighthouse by the Sea
A Lost Lady
The Lover of Camille
Lovers’ Lane
The Narrow Street
The Tenth Woman
This Woman
Three Women
Other
America (© by D. W. Griffith, Inc.; renewed by 10 heirs)
Classmates (© by Inspiration Pictures; renewed by Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.)
The Fatal Mistake (© by Perfection Pictures Inc.; renewed by Columbia Pictures Corp.)
Girl Shy (© by S. Taylor, T. Wilde, T. Gray, T. Whelan; renewed by Harold Lloyd Corp.)
The Great White Way (© by William Randolph Hearst; renewed by Loew’s Inc.)
Hot Water (© by S. Taylor, J. Gray, T. Whelan, T. Gray; renewed by Harold Lloyd Corp.)
In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter (© by Samuel Goldwyn; renewed by Frances Howard Goldwyn)
Love’s Wilderness (© by Corinne Griffith Productions; renewed by Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.)
Madonna of the Streets (© by First National Pictures; renewed by Columbia Pictures Corp.)
Oh, Doctor! (© and renewed by Universal Pictures Corp.)
Peter Pan (© by Famous Players-Lasky Corp; renewed by Walt Disney Productions)
The Rejected Woman (© by Distinctive Pictures Corp.; renewed by Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.)
Secrets (© by Joseph M. Schenck; renewed by Samuel Goldwyn Productions, Inc.)
Sherlock Jr. (© by Joseph M. Schenck; renewed by Loew’s Inc.)
Tarnish (© by Samuel Goldwyn; renewed by Frances Howard Goldwyn)
A Thief in Paradise (© and renewed by Samuel Goldwyn)
Those Who Dance (© by Thomas H. Ince; renewed by Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.)
Through the Dark (© by William Randolph Hearst; renewed by Loew’s Inc.)
Thy Name Is Woman (© by Louis B. Mayer Productions; renewed by Loew’s Inc.)
Torment (© by M. C. Levee; renewed by Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.)
Under the Red Robe (© by William Randolph Hearst; renewed by Loew’s Inc.)
The White Moth (© by M. C. Levee; renewed by Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.)
Women First (© by Perfection Pictures Inc.; renewed by Columbia Pictures Corp.)
Women Who Give (© by Louis B. Mayer Productions; renewed by Loew’s Inc.)
Short films
Alexander Hamilton (Allen Johnson / Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
Be Yourself (Fox / 20th)
Blows and Dynamite (Fox / 20th)
The Burglar (Fox / 20th)
Children Wanted (Fox / 20th)
The Cowboys (Fox / 20th)
Dangerous Curves (Fox / 20th)
The Declaration of Independence (Carl Becker / Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
A Deep Sea Panic (Fox / 20th)
A Diving Fool (Fox / 20th)
Dixie (copyrighted & renewed by Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
Dumb and Daffy (Fox / 20th)
The Electric Elopement (Fox / 20th)
Etiquette (Fox / 20th)
The Eve of the Revolution (George Pierce Baker & James P. Munroe / Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
The Fight (Fox / 20th)
The Gateway to the West (George M. Wrong / Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
The Go-Getters (R-C / RKO; series of short films)
He’s My Pal (Fox / 20th)
Her Ball and Chain (Fox / 20th)
Highly Recommended (Fox / 20th)
His Bitter Half (Fox / 20th)
The Hunt (Fox / 20th)
In-Bad the Sailor (Fox / 20th)
The Jazz Weekly (Fox / 20th)
The Masked Marvel (Fox / 20th)
The Milk Bandits (Fox / 20th)
The Monkey Romeo (Fox / 20th)
A Movie Mad Maid (Fox / 20th)
The Nickel Plated West (Fox / 20th)
A Nip of Scotch (Fox / 20th)
On the Job (Fox / 20th)
The Orphan (Fox / 20th)
Pain as You Enter (Fox / 20th)
Paul Jones Jr. (Fox / 20th)
Peter Stuyvesant (William Basil Courtney & Dixon Ryan Fox / Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
The Pilgrims (Charles M. Andrews / Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
The Pinhead (Fox / 20th)
The Puritans (Evangeline W. Andrews / Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
The Race (Fox / 20th)
A Radio Riot (Fox / 20th)
Roaring Lions at Home (Fox / 20th)
Sad but True (Fox / 20th)
The Scenario School (Fox / 20th)
Stretching the Truth (Fox / 20th)
Sweet Papa (Fox / 20th)
The Telephone Girl (R-C / RKO; series of 12 two-reelers)
Unreal News Reel No. 3 (Fox / 20th)
Unreal News Reel No. 4 (Fox / 20th)
Up on the Farm (Fox / 20th)
The Weakling (Fox / 20th)
Westward Whoa (Fox / 20th)
When Wise Ducks Meet (Fox / 20th)
Wolfe and Montcalm (George M. Wrong / Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
Yorktown (Nathaniel Wright Stevenson / Chronicles of America Picture Corp.)
Note: Some of the "Chronicles of America" series were 4-reelers and thus qualify as features per the AFI's standards, but I included them all under the short films heading for consistency.
--HA