Public Domain
Alibi Bye Bye
1935 · RKO Radio Pictures · Dir. Ben Holmes
The story, if you want to call it that is about a husband who tells his wife he's going hunting but actually sneaks off to fool around in Atlantic City. While the wife, says she's going to Washington D.C. but is also sneaking off the Atlantic City. once there the husband goes to a scenic photographer who fakes pictures to cover for straying spouses. Later the pictures are delivered to the hotel where all parties literally run into each other!
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Alibi Bye Bye is a comedy short film starring Clark & McCullough, released by RKO Radio Pictures in 1935. 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 first copyright term to remain protected for a second term.
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals no renewal registration for this specific title. While the film was originally registered (LP5625, June 14, 1935), the failure to renew in 1962 or 1963 caused the film to enter the public domain in the United States upon the expiration of its initial 28-year term. This is consistent with the status of many RKO shorts from this period which are frequently found in public domain collections and on the Internet Archive without challenge from the successor-in-interest (Warner Bros./Turner).
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- U Penn Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) - Motion Pictures 1912-1939
- Hurst, Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1939)
- IMDb: Alibi Bye Bye (1935)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.