Public Domain
Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome
1947 · RKO Radio Pictures · Dir. John Rawlins
A gang of criminals, which includes a piano player and an imposing former convict known as 'Gruesome', has found out about a scientist's secret formula for a gas that temporarily paralyzes anyone who breathes it. When Gruesome accidentally inhales some of the gas and passes out, the police think he is dead and take him to the morgue, where he later revives and escapes. This puzzling incident attracts the interest of Dick Tracy, and when the criminals later use the gas to rob a bank, Tracy realizes that he must devote his entire attention to stopping them.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome was released in 1947 and was originally protected by a 28-year copyright term from the date of publication. Under the 1909 Copyright Act, works from this era required a formal renewal with the US Copyright Office during the 28th year of the initial term to extend protection.
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database, the U Penn Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), and the Film Superlist (Hurst/Baer) reveals no renewal registration for this specific title. While RKO Radio Pictures renewed many of its A-list features, many of its B-movie serials and series entries, such as the Dick Tracy films, were allowed to lapse into the public domain.
The film is widely recognized as public domain by film historians and legal researchers. It is frequently distributed by public domain labels such as Alpha Video and Mill Creek Entertainment, and is hosted on the Internet Archive without copyright challenge from any successor rightsholder.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1940-1949)
- U Penn Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (1941-1950)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.