Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
Copy

List of films in the public domain in the United States (Old 2011)

by SelfCloak • Created 13 years ago • Modified 11 years ago
This is a list of films that certain cited sources believe are in the public domain in the United States. Being in the public domain refers to cinematic, dramatic, literary, musical and artistic works that no government, organization, or individual owns, and as such is common property. Note: Films in this list may incorporate elements from other works that are still under copyright, even though the film itself is out of copyright. (Wikipedia)
(This list was made in 2011. See "List of films in the public domain in the United States (New 2012)" for a newer list)
List activity
360K views
• 77 this week
Create a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
  • 1 - 250
  • 284 titles
  • Walter Huston in Abraham Lincoln (1930)

    1. Abraham Lincoln

    19301h 36mApproved
    5.7 (1.8K)
    An episodic biography of the 16th President of the United States.
    DirectorD.W. GriffithStarsWalter HustonUna MerkelWilliam L. Thorne
  • Noah Beery Jr., John 'Dusty' King, and Jean Rogers in Ace Drummond (1936)

    2. Ace Drummond

    19364h 15mApproved
    6.1 (431)
    This 13 chapter serial is based on the comic strip character Ace Drummond created by Eddie Rickenbacker. Ace is a 'G-Man of the sky' working out of Washington D.C. He is sent to Mongolia to find out why a mysterious villain known only as 'The Dragon' is trying to prevent the newly formed International Airways from setting up an airport there. Ace meets Peggy Trainor (Jean Rogers) who is searching for her archaeologist father who has disappeared. Together they search for answers to the puzzles.
    DirectorsFord BeebeClifford SmithStarsJohn 'Dusty' KingJean RogersNoah Beery Jr.
  • Tom Brown and Sidney Toler in The Adventures of Smilin' Jack (1943)

    3. The Adventures of Smilin' Jack

    19434h 25mApproved
    6.4 (370)
    Just before World War II, the Chinese and American governments mount a joint operation to prevent the Germans and Japanese from taking over the strategic island of Mandon.
    DirectorsLewis D. CollinsRay TaylorStarsTom BrownRose HobartEdgar Barrier
  • Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Africa Screams (1949)

    4. Africa Screams

    19491h 19mApproved
    6.0 (4.2K)
    Two booksellers search for diamonds in Africa, along the way meeting a visually-impaired gunner, a hungry lion, and a tribe of cannibals.
    DirectorCharles BartonStarsBud AbbottLou CostelloClyde Beatty
  • Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (1939)

    5. Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp

    193922mApprovedShort
    7.5 (876)
    Working in the story department of Surprise Pictures, Olive Oyl writes a script based on the story of Aladdin, casting Popeye as the thief and herself as the Princess.
    DirectorsDave FleischerDave TendlarStarsMargie HinesJack MercerCarl Meyer
  • Charles Boyer and Hedy Lamarr in Algiers (1938)

    6. Algiers

    19381h 36mApproved
    6.6 (3.5K)
    A wanted jewel thief ensconced in the Casbah meets a beautiful woman who makes him long for an escape.
    DirectorJohn CromwellStarsCharles BoyerHedy LamarrSigrid Gurie
  • All This and Rabbit Stew (1941)

    7. All This and Rabbit Stew

    19417mApprovedShort
    6.1 (1.2K)
    Bugs heckles a black hunter and escapes from a bear.
    DirectorTex AveryStarsMel BlancDarrell Payne
  • Turhan Bey, Lynn Bari, and Cathy O'Donnell in The Amazing Mr. X (1948)

    8. The Amazing Mr. X

    19481h 18mApproved
    6.4 (2.5K)
    On the beach one night, Christine Faber, two years a widow, thinks she hears her late husband Paul calling out of the surf; then meets a tall dark man Alexis, who seems to know all about such things.
    DirectorBernard VorhausStarsTurhan BeyLynn BariCathy O'Donnell
  • Marguerite Chapman, James Griffith, Douglas Kennedy, and Ivan Triesault in The Amazing Transparent Man (1960)

    9. The Amazing Transparent Man

    196058mApproved
    4.2 (2.9K)
    A crazed scientist invents an invisibility formula. He plans to use the formula to create an army of invisible zombies.
    DirectorEdgar G. UlmerStarsMarguerite ChapmanDouglas KennedyJames Griffith
  • Judith Anderson, Mischa Auer, June Duprez, Barry Fitzgerald, Richard Haydn, Louis Hayward, Walter Huston, C. Aubrey Smith, and Roland Young in And Then There Were None (1945)

    10. And Then There Were None

    19451h 37mApproved
    7.4 (18K)
    Seven guests, a newly hired secretary and two staff are gathered at a manor house on an isolated island by an unknown absentee host and are killed off one-by-one. They work together to determine who the killer is before it's too late.
    DirectorRené ClairStarsBarry FitzgeraldWalter HustonLouis Hayward
  • John Wayne and Gail Russell in Angel and the Badman (1947)

    11. Angel and the Badman

    19471h 40mApproved
    6.8 (7.1K)
    Quirt Evans, an all round bad guy, is nursed back to health and sought after by Penelope Worth, a Quaker girl. He eventually finds himself having to choose between his world and the world Penelope lives in.
    DirectorJames Edward GrantStarsJohn WayneGail RussellHarry Carey
  • Anne Baxter, Claude Rains, and Paul Muni in Angel on My Shoulder (1946)

    12. Angel on My Shoulder

    19461h 40mApproved51Metascore
    6.8 (3.3K)
    The Devil arranges for a deceased gangster to return to Earth as a well-respected judge to make up for his previous life.
    DirectorArchie MayoStarsPaul MuniAnne BaxterClaude Rains
  • Angels Hard as They Come (1971)

    13. Angels Hard as They Come

    19711h 27mR
    4.7 (577)
    Sex, violence, and bikers on an action filled ride, in this film produced and co-written by Jonathan Demme.
    DirectorJoe ViolaStarsScott GlennCharles DierkopJames Iglehart
  • Boris Karloff, Ray Corrigan, Gene O'Donnell, and Maris Wrixon in The Ape (1940)

    14. The Ape

    19401h 2mApproved
    4.7 (2.2K)
    Dr. Bernard Adrian is a kindly mad scientist who seeks to cure a young woman's polio. He needs spinal fluid from a human to complete the formula for his experimental serum.
    DirectorWilliam NighStarsBoris KarloffMaris WrixonGene O'Donnell
  • Bela Lugosi, Henry Hall, and Emil Van Horn in The Ape Man (1943)

    15. The Ape Man

    19431h 4mApproved
    4.4 (1.6K)
    A crazed scientist accidentally turns himself into a half ape, half human creature, and scrambles to find a cure.
    DirectorWilliam BeaudineStarsBela LugosiLouise CurrieWallace Ford
  • Assassin of Youth (1938)

    16. Assassin of Youth

    19381h 20mNot Rated
    4.6 (482)
    A high-school girl gets involved with a ring of teenage marijuana smokers and starts down the road to ruin. A reporter poses as a soda jerk to infiltrate the gang of teen dope fiends.
    DirectorElmer CliftonStarsLuana WaltersArthur GardnerDorothy Short
  • Polly Bergen, Jerry Lewis, and Dean Martin in At War with the Army (1950)

    17. At War with the Army

    19501h 33mApproved
    5.5 (2.8K)
    Alvin Corwin is low man on the totem pole, and goes from one mishap to another at an army training camp in World War II.
    DirectorHal WalkerStarsDean MartinJerry LewisMike Kellin
  • Atom Age Vampire (1960)

    18. Atom Age Vampire

    19601h 27mUnrated
    3.9 (1.8K)
    An exotic dancer is disfigured in a car accident. A scientist develops a treatment that restores her beauty. To preserve her appearance the doctor must give her additional treatments using glands taken from murdered women.
    DirectorAnton Giulio MajanoStarsAlberto LupoSusanne LoretSergio Fantoni
    Alternate title: Atom Age Vampire
  • Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959)

    19. Attack of the Giant Leeches

    19591h 2mApproved
    3.7 (5.1K)
    A backwoods game warden and a local doctor discover that giant leeches are responsible for disappearances and deaths in a local swamp, but the local police don't believe them.
    DirectorBernard L. KowalskiStarsKen ClarkYvette VickersJan Shepard
  • Vincent Price in The Bat (1959)

    20. The Bat

    19591h 20mApproved
    6.1 (6.7K)
    A crazed killer known as "The Bat" is on the loose in a mansion full of people.
    DirectorCrane WilburStarsVincent PriceAgnes MooreheadGavin Gordon
  • Battleship Potemkin (1925)

    21. Battleship Potemkin

    19251h 6mNot Rated97Metascore
    7.9 (63K)
    In the midst of the Russian Revolution of 1905, the crew of the battleship Potemkin mutiny against the brutal, tyrannical regime of the vessel's officers. The resulting street demonstration in Odessa brings on a police massacre.
    DirectorSergei EisensteinStarsAleksandr AntonovVladimir BarskiyGrigoriy Aleksandrov
  • Alaska Sweepstakes (1936)

    22. Beachcombers

    19369mApprovedShort
    7.2 (74)
    Oswald Rabbit, his dog and a duck family are going to the beach. While Oswald goes fishing, his dog and the unattended little ducklings are teasing each other with pranks and high jinks ensue.
    DirectorsWalter LantzManuel MorenoStarBernice Hansen
  • Norman 'Chubby' Chaney, Jackie Cooper, Allen 'Farina' Hoskins, Bobby 'Wheezer' Hutchins, Mary Ann Jackson, Leon Janney, and Pete the Dog in Bear Shooters (1930)

    23. Bear Shooters

    193020mApprovedShort
    6.2 (332)
    While on a camping trip, the gang comes across poachers.
    DirectorRobert F. McGowanStarsNorman 'Chubby' ChaneyJackie CooperAllen 'Farina' Hoskins
  • Beat the Devil (1953)

    24. Beat the Devil

    19531h 29mApproved
    6.4 (11K)
    On their way to Africa are a group of rogues who hope to get rich there, and a seemingly innocent British couple. They meet and things happen...
    DirectorJohn HustonStarsHumphrey BogartJennifer JonesGina Lollobrigida
  • Bela Lugosi, Charlita, Ray Corrigan, Martin Garralaga, Duke Mitchell, and Sammy Petrillo in Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952)

    25. Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla

    19521h 14mApproved
    3.6 (2.7K)
    Two goofy entertainers meet a mad scientist on a jungle island.
    DirectorWilliam BeaudineStarsBela LugosiDuke MitchellSammy Petrillo

More to explore

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
Get the IMDb app
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
Follow IMDb on social
Get the IMDb app
For Android and iOS
Get the IMDb app
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • License IMDb Data
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.