Author Archive: Retro

AFFAIRS OF CAPPY RICKS ****************

(1937, BW, 58 MIN) Walter Brennan, Mary Brian. A crotchety old man banishes his family to a desert island for a

lesson in minding one’s own business.

BASHFUL BACHELOR, THE ****************

(1942, BW, 76 MIN) Zazu Pitts, Grady Sutton, Oscar O’Shea, Louise Currie, directed by Malcom St. Clair Lum and

Abner of early radio fame are confirmed old bachelor store clerks who are quite content with their lot until the widow

Abernathy traps Lum into a marriage proposal. Or does she?

BEDSIDE MANNER ****************

(1945, BW, 76 MIN) John Carroll, Ruth Hussey, Charles Ruggles, Ann Rutherford, Claudia Drake, directed by

Andrew L. Stone. Ruggles plays the part of an overworked doctor who wants his reluctant niece (Hussey) to practice

medicine with him. She’d rather not but gets conned into it through the manipulations of her uncle and a willing test

pilot.

 

BEST OF W.C. FIELDS ****************

BW, 100 MIN)

How Films Enter the Public Domain
In the United States a film goes into the Public Domain if:

1. The film was never registered for copyright. Years ago, producers were required by the Library of Congress (LOC) to send in a 35 mm print for registration. This was too expensive for some producers. Many of the producers just forgot to file for copyright, went out of business, or deliberately chose not to file for copyright as the movie was done as a tax write-off. After a “reasonable time” the film fell into the Public Domain.

2. Until the law was changed in 1992, the copyright holder was required to renew the copyright in the 28th year. On January 1st of the 29th year, if a renewal wasn’t filed with the LOC, the film fell into the Public Domain. After the law changed in 1992, any film that had fallen into the Public Domain (which

Trailers for movies released before 1964 are in the Public Domain because they were never separately copyrighted. The law at the time granted the owner 28 years to file a copyright registration.
1963 + 28 = 1991

Clearly, time has run out to register this material. Some might argue that since the trailers frequently contain the same material that’s in the movie, and the movie is presumably copyrighted, that this would cover the trailer as well. However, the trailer is published (run in a theater) before the movie itself is published. Thus, the trailer requires a separate copyright, and the scenes contained in the trailer are in Public Domain.

Note that all trailers, regardless of year, until the late 80’s, are O.K. to use if they contain no copyright notice. This does occur, although infrequently. For example, the trailer for “The Shootist” (John Wayne, 1976) contains no notice. It is therefore O.K. to use.

"Andy Griffith Show" 16 Classic Half.hours in Black and White Starring Andy Grifith, Don Knotts, Ron Howard ANDY DISCOVERS AMERICA AUNT BEA'S MEDICINE MAN BARNEY'S FIRST CAR BIG HOUSE CLASS REUNION THE DARLINGS ARE COMING DOGS, DOGS, DOGS THE GREAT FILLING STATION ROBBERY HIGH NOON IN MAYBERRY THE LOADED GOAT MOUNTAIN WEDDING OPIE AND THE SPOILED KID RAFE HOLLISTER SINGS THE RIVALS WIFE FOR ANDY

"Lucy Show" 26 Classic Half.hours in Color 2 in black and white Starring Lucile Ball, with many guest celebrities # 1 Lucy Meets George Bums # 2 Lucy Meets The Berles # 3 Lucy's Substitute Secretary # 4 Lucy and the French Movie Star # 5 The Starmaker # 6 Lucy and Robert Goulet # 7 Lucy and Paul Winchell # 8 Lucy Flies To London # 9 Lucy Gets Trapped # 10 Lucy The Babysitter # 11 Tennessee Ernie Ford # 12 Caught In The Draft # 13 Viv Visits Lucy # 14 The Submarine # 15 Main Street U.S.A. # 16 Lucy Meets Sheldon Leonard # 17 Lucy's Barbarshop Quartet # 18 Lucy and Viv Put In A Shower # 19 Lucy Gets A Room-mate # 20 Lucy and Carol in Palm Springs # 21 The Monkey # 22 Ring-A-Ding-Ding # 23 The Bean Queen # 24 Lucy Meets The Law # 25 Lucy And Pat Collins # 26 Little Old Lady # 27 Lucy And Phil Silvers # 28 Lucy Gets Jack Benny's Account   See Also,Public Domain Comedy Films

"Dick Van Dyke" This innovative and critically acclaimed series debuted on CBS October 3, 1961 and ran until September 7, 1966. The Dick Van Dyke Show centers around the life of a New York comedy writer who lives in suburban New Rochelle with his attractive wife, their cute son and a pair of brash next-door neighbors. Coinciding with the Kennedy era which heralded a new age of youthfulness, The Dick Van Dyke Show reflected a break from the old-fashioned sensibility of previous television families. Unlike most '60s sitcoms, The Dick Van Dyke Show allows the viewer to spend an equal amount of time with the father at home and at work. (The show was created at a time when it was often unclear what many TV dads did for a living.) Another unique feature of the series is its keenly insightful behind-the-scenes glimpse at a television comedy show. Carl Reiner, the show's creator and original writer, based many of the episodes on his experience as a writer for the comedy series Your Show of Shows. In fact, Reiner played the part of Rob Petrie in the pilot episode of the show (called Head of the Family). But Broadway star Dick Van Dyke so impressed the network brass that he was cast as the lead an [...]

"BONANZA" One-hour Western. 31 episodes Thirty-one episodes from the classic western series that made television history. The show is about three sons, the Cartwrights, who live with their father on their large ranch, called "The Ponderosa", located in Nevada. Each episode is a dramatic story about how the family deals with various problems in the American West of the 1880’s. Extremely well-acted and well-written. Stars Lorne Green as father Ben Cartwright, Michael Landon as "Little Joe", Dan Blocker as "Hoss", and Pernell Roberts as "Adam". EPISODES: THE GUNMEN Henry Hull and Ellen Corby THE FEAR MECHANISM Gene Evans THE SPANISH GRANT Sebastion Cabot and Patricia Medina BLOOD ON THE LAND Everette Slone DESERT JUSTICE Claude Akins THE STRANGER Loyd Nelan ESCAPE TO THE PONDEROSA Grant Williams, Gloria Talbott THE AVENGER Vic Morrow THE LAST TROPHY Hazel Court SAN FRANCISCO HOLIDAY Grant Williams, O.Z. Whitehead BITTER WATER Don Dubbins and Merry Anders FEET OF CLAY David Lad DARK STAR Hugo Hann DEATH AT DAWN Robert Middleton and Greg [...]

Popular Public Domain Television Shows Alfred Hitchcock Presents Andy Griffith Show Beverly Hillbillies Bonanza Burns and Allen Dick Van Dyke Dragnet Jack Benny Show The Lucy Show Martin and Lewis Colgate Comedy Hour