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The Thin Man poster
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The Thin Man

1934 · Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) · Dir. W.S. Van Dyke

Former detective Nick Charles has retired from police work, preferring a life of cocktails, parties, and relaxation with his wealthy wife, Nora. Their holiday is interrupted when the daughter of Nick’s former client asks for help finding her missing father, eccentric inventor Clyde Wynant. When Wynant’s body is discovered, Nick is drawn back into the investigation, with Nora eagerly joining him. As the couple questions Wynant’s family, friends, and business associates, a tangled web of greed, deception, and murder begins to unravel. Directed by W. S. Van Dyke and adapted from Dashiell Hammett’s novel, The Thin Man combines witty dialogue, sophisticated comedy, romance, and classic mystery. William Powell and Myrna Loy are perfectly matched as Nick and Nora Charles, whose playful banter and effortless chemistry made them one of Hollywood’s most beloved screen couples. This stylish 1934 mystery remains a landmark of classic American cinema.

Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —

Why this status applies

The Thin Man, directed by W.S. Van Dyke and starring William Powell and Myrna Loy, was released by MGM in 1934. Under the US Copyright Act of 1909, works from this era required a registration and a subsequent renewal in their 28th year to maintain protection. The film was originally registered for copyright on May 18, 1934, under registration number LP4711 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. According to the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), the copyright was successfully renewed on May 1, 1961, under renewal number R275338. The renewal was filed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., the successor in interest to the original claimant. Because the copyright was properly renewed, the film's protection was extended to a total of 95 years from the date of publication under the 1976 Copyright Act and the 1998 Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act. The copyright is currently held by Warner Bros. (via Turner Entertainment), which acquired the pre-1986 MGM library. It will not enter the public domain in the United States until January 1, 2030. Note: generated without live web grounding (the grounded research engine was unavailable). Verify the cited sources independently before relying on this determination.
— Cited Sources —

Supporting facts

  • U.S. Copyright Office Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE), Motion Pictures 1912–1939 (LP4711)
  • Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (R275338)
  • Hurst, D. Richard Baer, Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (Vol 1)
  • AFI Catalog of Feature Films (The Thin Man, 1934)

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