Protected
The Gun and the Pulpit
1974 · Danny Thomas Productions · Dir. Daniel Petrie
In the days of the "Wild West," a gunslinger, with a price on his head, discovers the body of a traveling minister who has been killed in an ambush. Fearing those who are following him, he assumes the dead minister's identity.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The Gun and the Pulpit is a US television movie first broadcast on ABC on April 3, 1974. Under the US Copyright Act of 1909 (as amended by the Copyright Renewal Act of 1992), any work first published or registered between 1964 and 1977 is subject to automatic renewal. This means that even if a renewal filing was never made in the 28th year, the copyright is secured for a full 95-year term from the date of publication/registration.
A search of the US Copyright Office records confirms a primary registration was filed on April 3, 1974, under the number LP44463 by Danny Thomas Productions. Because it falls within the 1964–1977 window, the copyright automatically extended for a second term. The work remains under protection in the United States and is currently commercially exploited and licensed by Paramount/CBS (the successor to the Danny Thomas/Spelling-Goldberg library).
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- U.S. Copyright Office Catalog of Copyright Entries: Motion Pictures and Filmstrips (Jan-Jun 1975), Page 27, Reg LP44463
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (Online Database)
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (Search for 1974 titles)
- 17 U.S.C. § 304(a) - Copyright Renewal Act of 1992
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.