Public Domain
A Wicky-Wacky Romance
1939 · Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp · Dir. Mannie Davis
In the land of Wicky Whacky a muscular young mouse takes heroic efforts to rescue his favorite hula-dancer from the attentions of a ruffian band buccaneering cats. The hero and his lady friend are disporting themselves in the ocean with the aid of a friendly swordfish when the pirates sight the enchanted island, and he has many difficulties in scuttling the ship of the villainous pirate crew.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
A Wicky-Wacky Romance is a Terrytoons animated short (distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox) released in 1939. Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing with the US Copyright Office during the 28th year of their initial term to maintain protection. If no renewal was filed, the work entered the public domain after its first 28-year term.
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals that while the film was originally registered for copyright on November 17, 1939 (registration number LP9414), no evidence of a renewal filing exists. Most Terrytoons shorts from this specific period were allowed to lapse into the public domain by the successor in interest (Viacom/Paramount) or were never renewed by Fox. Because the 28-year renewal window (circa 1966-1967) passed without a filing, the film is now in the public domain in the United States.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries, Motion Pictures 1912-1939 (LP9414)
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (No renewal found for LP9414)
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (Hurst/Baer)
- IMDb: A Wicky-Wacky Romance (1939)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.