Public Domain
Along Came Love
1936 · Paramount Pictures · Dir. Bert Lytell
The shop girl Emmy Grant meets the handsome doorman John Patrick O'Ryan outside of a theater and she is convinced that he is her true love. O'Ryan is a zealous medical student, soon to be a pediatrician, and is oblivious to Emmy's frantic attempts to gain his attention. O'Ryan is totally focused on babies. Undaunted, she 'borrows' a baby and a buggy, determined to catch O'Ryan.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing with the US Copyright Office during their 28th year of protection to extend copyright into a second term. 'Along Came Love' was originally registered for copyright by Paramount Pictures on November 6, 1936, under registration number LP6731.
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) confirms that no renewal was filed for this motion picture. For a 1936 publication, the renewal window would have been in 1963 or 1964. Because the copyright was not renewed, the film entered the public domain in the United States upon the expiration of its first 28-year term on December 31, 1964. This status is corroborated by the film's inclusion in several public domain film catalogs and its availability through distributors specializing in lapsed-copyright titles.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (tested title search 'Along Came Love')
- Catalog of Copyright Entries 1936 Motion Pictures, Volume 9, Part 12-13, Page 5
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1900-1939), Volume 1, ed. D. Richard Baer
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (1931-1940), Entry 3481
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.