Shotgun Law
PUBLIC DOMAIN FYI
Fetch!
Chandu on the Magic Island poster
Public Domain

Chandu on the Magic Island

1935 · Principal Pictures · Dir. Ray Taylor

On the mystic island of Lemuria, the cult of Ubasti seek the Egyptian Princess Nadji to sacrifice so that their goddess Ossana, whose soul resides in Nadji's body, may be resurrected by Black Magic. Nadji is located in the Far East port of Suva, but shielded by the White Magical powers of Frank Chandler, an American raised by Eastern mystics who is also known as Chandu. When Chandu takes a voyage alone, however, the evil Voice of Ubasti is able to magically spirit her to Lemuria, where Black Magic reigns supreme. Chandu sets out in pursuit with his sister Dorothy, niece Betty and nephew Bob; but, shipwrecked on the magic island, Chandu finds his family also held prisoner for sacrifice while he is plunged into an endless maze of caverns beneath the evil temple, where both his mortal and magical strength seem rendered useless.

Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —

Why this status applies

Chandu on the Magic Island (1935) was a feature-length film edited from the final chapters of the 12-chapter serial 'The Return of Chandu' (1934), produced by Sol Lesser's Principal Pictures. Under the 1909 Copyright Act, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing in the 28th year of their copyright term to remain protected. A thorough search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals that while the property was originally registered (LP5244), no renewal was ever filed for this feature version or the parent serial. D. Richard Baer's 'Film Superlist' confirms that the copyright for this production was not renewed, causing it to fall into the public domain in 1963. The film is widely available on public domain collections and on the Internet Archive without restriction.
— Cited Sources —

Supporting facts

  • Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (no renewal record found for LP5244)
  • Hurst, Richard Maurice. Film Superlist: 20,000 Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1939)
  • IMDb - Chandu on the Magic Island (1935)
  • Internet Archive - Chandu on the Magic Island (public domain archive)

Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.