Public Domain
A Shriek in the Night
1933 · Allied Pictures Corp. · Dir. Albert Ray
Rival newspaper reporters Pat Morgan and Ted Rand find themselves unraveling the mystery behind the death of a millionaire philanthropist who fell from his penthouse balcony. When it is discovered that the plunge was not an accident, the building's residents come under suspicion. Soon, the body count begins to mount as three more murders occur by strangulation.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
A Shriek in the Night (1933) is in the public domain in the United States because its initial 28-year copyright term expired and was never renewed with the US Copyright Office. Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a formal renewal filing during the 28th year of the first term to maintain protection.
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals no renewal registration for this title or its producer, Allied Pictures Corp. While the original registration was filed on July 24, 1933 (LP3998), the window for renewal (1960-1961) passed without a filing. Consequently, the film entered the public domain in 1961. The film is widely available on public domain aggregators such as Alpha Video and the Internet Archive without legal challenge, further confirming its status.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), Motion Pictures 1912-1939
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (Hurst/Baer)
- IMDb: A Shriek in the Night (1933)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.