Public Domain
A Close Shave
1937 · Educational Pictures / Twentieth Century-Fox · Dir. Mannie Davis
Farmer Al Falfa runs a tonsorial parlor, but he's not very good at it. A big, hairy, bullying character is alternately shaved and hair restored by way of powerful hair tonic.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
A Close Shave (1937) is a short film produced by Educational Pictures and released by Twentieth Century-Fox on July 2, 1937. Under the 1909 Copyright Act, works published in the United States between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal of copyright with the Library of Congress during their 28th year of existence to secure a second term of protection.
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals no record of a renewal filing for this title. Educational Pictures filed for bankruptcy in the late 1930s shortly after this film's release, and while Fox distributed the film, the renewal obligation fell to the copyright claimant. Because no renewal was filed in the 28th-year window (approx. 1964–1965), the film's copyright expired, and it entered the public domain.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford University Copyright Renewal Database
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries: Motion Pictures 1912–1939
- David Pierce, Motion Picture Copyrights and Renewals, 1950–1959
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (Short Film Records)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.