Fetch!
His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz poster
Public Domain

His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz

1914 · The Oz Film Manufacturing Company · Dir. L. Frank Baum

A wicked king has taken over the Emerald City, and wants his daughter, Princess Gloria to marry the horrid courtier Googly-Goo, though she loves Pon, the Gardener's Boy. The camera follows two farmers placing a Scarecrow upon a pole in a cornfield. Pon rescues a Kansas girl named Dorothy from the evil witch Mombi, whom Princess Gloria has been taken to by King Krewl to freeze her heart so she will no longer love Pon. An Indian princess has a ceremony to bring the Scarecrow to life. Pon rescues the cold-hearted princess and they flee for help, discovering the Scarecrow, who promptly falls in love with the princess, and Button-Bright, a lost boy from America. They come to the castle of the Tin Emperor, Nick Chopper, and after oiling him, he falls in love with Gloria. After a bit of a chase aided by the Sawhorse and the Wizard, Mombi turns Pon into a Kangaroo, and a slough of Fred Woodward's animals battle it out.

Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —

Why this status applies

Under current US copyright law, all works published or registered before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain. 'His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz' was written and produced by L. Frank Baum and released in October 1914. Because it was published well before the 1928 cutoff, its copyright protection has expired by operation of law. Even under the previous copyright regime (the 1909 Act), the film would have required a renewal 28 years after its 1914 registration (approx. 1942). However, for films of this era, the 1928 rule is the definitive threshold for public domain status in the United States. The film is widely available in public domain collections and on the Internet Archive due to its expired status.
— Cited Sources —

Supporting facts

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