Public Domain
Arizona Stage Coach
1942 · Republic Pictures · Dir. S. Roy Luby
In the midst of some friendly horseplay on their "Flying R" ranch, the Range Busters, Crash Corrigan, Dusty King and Alibi Terhune, are sobered by the arrival of a buckboard bearing their old friend Larry Meadows and his niece Dorrie Willard. Meadows seeks their aid against a gang of outlaws terrorizing his town. Ernie Willard, Dorrie's brother, has been taken in by Tex Laughlin who is using the Willard ranch as an undercover for his real occupation as a member of a gang of outlaws led by Tim Douglas, a supposed friend of the Willards.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Arizona Stage Coach is a US-produced Western film released on September 4, 1942, as part of the 'The Range Busters' series produced by Monogram Pictures (often later associated with Republic/NTA for television distribution). Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a manual renewal during their 28th year of protection to extend copyright to the second 28-year 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 title. While most major studio films of this era were renewed, many independent Westerns and B-pictures from Monogram and PRC were allowed to lapse into the public domain. The Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (Hurst/Baer) specifically confirms that this title was not renewed. Consequently, the film entered the public domain in the United States in 1971 at the expiration of its initial term.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain 1940-1949 (Hurst/Baer)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.