Public Domain
The Constant Woman
1933 · World Wide Pictures / Tiffany Productions · Dir. Victor Schertzinger
When a wife and mother abandons her family for the footlights of Broadway, then dies in a tragic accident, revealing long-held secrets, the husband turns to alcohol to cope. But an actress from his traveling theatre troupe sees his pain and stands by him and the boy through benders, financial difficulties, and misunderstandings until the three begin to present as a functional family.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The Constant Woman was released in March 1933 and was registered for copyright by World Wide Pictures, Inc. on March 3, 1933 (LP3702). Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works registered between 1928 and 1963 required a manual renewal filing in the 28th year of their first term to maintain protection. For a 1933 release, this renewal window was in 1960-1961.
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) shows no renewal record for this title. The film's original distributor, World Wide Pictures (a subsidiary of Tiffany Productions), went defunct during the mid-1930s, and its catalog often fell into the public domain due to the lack of a successor in interest to file renewals. Because the copyright was not renewed within the statutory timeframe, the work entered the public domain in the United States in 1961.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) 1933, Motion Pictures, Page 22
- Stanford University Copyright Renewal Database (no renewal found for LP3702)
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1939) by D. Richard Baer
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The Constant Woman (1933)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.