Public Domain
Ask Father
1919 · Hal Roach Studios / Rolin Film Company · Dir. Hal Roach
Lloyd is a serious young middle-class guy on the make who wants to marry the boss’ daughter. The problem is getting in to see the boss so that he can ask for her hand in marriage as the office is guarded by a bunch of comic, clumsy flunkies who throw everyone out who tries to get in.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'Ask Father' is a short comedy starring Harold Lloyd, originally released on February 9, 1919. Under the Copyright Act of 1976 and subsequent extensions like the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, all works published in the United States prior to January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain.
Because this film was published and copyrighted in 1919, its maximum term of protection (95 years from publication) expired on December 31, 2014, at the latest. However, as it predates the 1928 cutoff for all current extensions, it is definitively in the public domain regardless of whether the copyright was originally renewed at the 28-year mark.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress: Catalog of Copyright Entries (Motion Pictures 1912–1939)
- IMDb: Ask Father (1919)
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (Short Film Records)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.