Public Domain
The Devil on Wheels
1947 · PRC (Producers Releasing Corporation) · Dir. Crane Wilbur
A teenager is involved in running from the police in his hot rod hits a car in a hit-and-run case where the victims turn out to be his mother and his best friend in another hot rod.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The Devil on Wheels was released in 1947 and registered for copyright by PRC (Producers Releasing Corporation) on January 21, 1947 (LP836). Under the Copyright Act of 1909, works registered between 1928 and 1963 required a manual renewal filing with the U.S. Copyright Office during the 28th year of their first term to maintain protection. For a 1947 release, this renewal window occurred in 1974 or 1975.
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database, the U Penn online Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), and the 'Film Superlist' (Hurst/Baer) shows no record of renewal for this title. PRC was a 'Poverty Row' studio that went through various mergers (eventually absorbed by Eagle-Lion and United Artists), and many of its titles fell into the public domain due to administrative oversight during these transitions.
The film is widely recognized as public domain by film historians and is frequently included in public domain collections from distributors such as Alpha Video and Mill Creek Entertainment. It is also legally hosted on the Internet Archive without copyright challenges.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (no renewal found for LP836)
- Hurst, Richard Maurice. Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain 1940-1949
- U Penn online Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The Devil on Wheels (1947)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.