Public Domain
The Painted Hills
1951 · Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer · Dir. Harold F. Kress
After years of prospecting, Jonathan finally strikes gold. He returns to town only to discover that his partner has since died and left Tommy fatherless. He decides to leave Shep with Tommy to cheer him up. Meanwhile, Jonathan's new partner isn't interested in sharing the gold, and lures Jonathan to his death.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The Painted Hills was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1951. Under the US Copyright Act of 1909, works published between 1928 and 1963 required a renewal filing with the US Copyright Office during the 28th year of their first copyright term to extend protection.
A search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) reveals that MGM failed to file a renewal for this specific title. While MGM was diligent in renewing most of its library, this film (along with other Lassie films of the era like 'The Sun Comes Up') was notably missed. Per Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1950-1959) and David Pierce's 'Motion Picture Copyrights and Renewals', the copyright expired at the end of its first 28-year term.
Because the film entered the public domain due to non-renewal before the 1992 Automatic Renewal Act took effect, its status is permanent. It is widely circulated by public domain distributors such as Alpha Video and is available on the Internet Archive without takedown claims, further confirming its status.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- David Pierce, Motion Picture Copyrights and Renewals (1950–1959)
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1950-1959) by David Pierce and D. Richard Baer
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) 1978/1979 renewal search
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.