Public Domain
Clint Clobber's Cat
1957 · Terrytoons (distributed by Twentieth Century Fox) · Dir. Gene Deitch
Clint Clobber, the superintendent/janitor at an exclusive apartment house kicks out a dog. The dog disguises himself as a cat to fool a kind-hearted, near-sighted old maid tenant, who becomes attached to it and tells off Clint when he wants to toss the dog out again.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Clint Clobber's Cat was a theatrical short film released in July 1957 as part of the Terrytoons series. Under the 1909 Copyright Act, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing with the US Copyright Office during their 28th year of protection to maintain copyright. For a 1957 release, the renewal window occurred in 1984–1985.
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals that while many Terrytoons shorts were renewed by Viacom (the successor in interest to Terrytoons/CBS), several specific entries from the 1957–1958 period, including 'Clint Clobber's Cat' (registration number LP8819), were never renewed. The failure to file a renewal application before the expiration of the first 28-year term resulted in the work entering the public domain in the United States on January 1, 1986.
This film is frequently cited in public domain animation databases and has been included in numerous 'bargain bin' DVD collections and public domain archives (such as the Internet Archive) for decades without legal challenge from Paramount/Viacom, further confirming its status.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (covering 1950–1992)
- Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third Series, Vol. 11, Part 12-13, Motion Pictures and Filmstrips (1957)
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (Hurst/Baer)
- The Big Cartoon DataBase (BCDB)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.