1929 Books, Films, More to Enter Public Domain Next Month
2024-12-28
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1Popeye the Sailor and the Belgian boy reporter Tintin lead the class of characters and works of art to enter public domain in 2025.
2On January 1, 2025, the U.S. copyright ends on creations from 1929.
3That means the early versions of the comic characters can be used without permission or payment.
4They will be joined by the books A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway and The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner.
5Other works coming into the public domain include songs from American artist Cole Porter, early films from Alfred Hitchcock and the Marx Brothers, and several more films starring Mickey Mouse, whose earliest version became public domain last year.
6"It's a trove! There are a dozen new Mickey cartoons - he speaks for the first time and dons the familiar white gloves," said Jennifer Jenkins, director of the Center for the Study of the Public Domain, part of Duke University Law School in North Carolina.
7"There are masterpieces from Faulkner and Hemingway, the first sound films from Alfred Hitchcock, Cecil B. DeMille, and John Ford, and amazing music from Fats Waller, Cole Porter, and George Gershwin. Pretty exciting," she added.
8Here is a closer look from the Associated Press at this year's crop of public domain works:
9Popeye the Sailor, with his big arm muscles and fighting spirit, was created by E.C. Segar and made his first appearance in the newspaper comic strip Thimble Theater in 1929.
10His first words were, "'Ja think I'm a cowboy?" when asked if he was a sailor.
11It was supposed to be a one-time appearance for the character. Instead, he became the main character, and the strip would be renamed Popeye.
12But as with Mickey Mouse last year and Winnie the Pooh in 2022, only the earliest version is free for reuse.
13Popeye did not become a film character until 1933 and that version remains under copyright.
14The 1929 version of the character Tintin, the creation of Belgian artist Hergé, will also come into the public domain.
15The simply drawn teenager with dots for eyes and hair shaped like an ocean wave, was among the most popular characters in Europe for much of the 20th century.
16However, in much of the world, Tintin will not become public property until 70 years after the 1983 death of his creator.
17The books entering the public domain this year read like a list for an American literature class.
18The Sound and the Fury is arguably William Faulkner's most famous book.
19Its special style of expression was a big hit although the book was widely considered difficult to read and understand.
20The story is set in the southern state of Mississippi, where Faulkner was born and lived most of his life.
21It tells about the ruin of a leading family there.
22And Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms joins his earlier The Sun Also Rises in the public domain.
23The story about an ambulance driver is set in Italy during World War I.
24It was based in part on Hemingway's real life.
25It has been made into film, TV, and radio versions, and now can be done anew without permission.
26American John Steinbeck's first novel, A Cup of Gold, will also enter the public domain.
27Filmmaking was changing from silent to sound production during the late 1920s.
28The famous moviemaker Alfred Hitchcock was still living in Britain when he made the film Blackmail.
29The movie began as a silent film but was turned to sound film during production.
30Two versions of Blackmail were released. One of the versions became Britain's and Hitchcock's first sound film.
31American John Ford is probably best remembered for making the kind of films called Westerns.
32Those movies remain protected. But, Ford's first sound film, 1929's The Black Watch, enters the public domain next month.
33The action movie includes a young John Wayne who appears in a small part.
34Years later, Wayne was the star of many Ford films.
35Another notable director, Cecil B. DeMille, already a Hollywood leader in silent films, made Dynamite his first sound film in 1929.
36Groucho, Harpo, and the other Marx Brothers humor group had their first starring parts in 1929's The Cocoanuts.
37The brothers went on to make the popular comedies, Animal Crackers and Duck Soup.
38And The Broadway Melody will also enter the public domain on January 1.
39It became the first sound film and the second film ever to win the Oscar for best picture - then called "outstanding production."
40Songs from the last year of the 1920s are also about to become publicly available for use.
41Cole Porter's compositions What Is This Thing Called Love?
42and Tiptoe Through the Tulips are among the highlights, as is the jazz classic Ain't Misbehavin' written by Fats Waller and Harry Brooks.
43Different laws cover sound recordings.
44Those newly in the public domain date to 1924.
45They include a recording of Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen from star and civil rights icon Marian Anderson, and Rhapsody in Blue performed by its composer George Gershwin.
46I'm Caty Weaver. And I'm Dorothy Gundy.
1Popeye the Sailor and the Belgian boy reporter Tintin lead the class of characters and works of art to enter public domain in 2025. 2On January 1, 2025, the U.S. copyright ends on creations from 1929. That means the early versions of the comic characters can be used without permission or payment. 3They will be joined by the books A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway and The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. Other works coming into the public domain include songs from American artist Cole Porter, early films from Alfred Hitchcock and the Marx Brothers, and several more films starring Mickey Mouse, whose earliest version became public domain last year. 4"It's a trove! There are a dozen new Mickey cartoons - he speaks for the first time and dons the familiar white gloves," said Jennifer Jenkins, director of the Center for the Study of the Public Domain, part of Duke University Law School in North Carolina. 5"There are masterpieces from Faulkner and Hemingway, the first sound films from Alfred Hitchcock, Cecil B. DeMille, and John Ford, and amazing music from Fats Waller, Cole Porter, and George Gershwin. Pretty exciting," she added. 6Here is a closer look from the Associated Press at this year's crop of public domain works: 7Comics characters 8Popeye the Sailor, with his big arm muscles and fighting spirit, was created by E.C. Segar and made his first appearance in the newspaper comic strip Thimble Theater in 1929. His first words were, "'Ja think I'm a cowboy?" when asked if he was a sailor. It was supposed to be a one-time appearance for the character. Instead, he became the main character, and the strip would be renamed Popeye. 9But as with Mickey Mouse last year and Winnie the Pooh in 2022, only the earliest version is free for reuse. Popeye did not become a film character until 1933 and that version remains under copyright. 10The 1929 version of the character Tintin, the creation of Belgian artist Hergé, will also come into the public domain. The simply drawn teenager with dots for eyes and hair shaped like an ocean wave, was among the most popular characters in Europe for much of the 20th century. 11However, in much of the world, Tintin will not become public property until 70 years after the 1983 death of his creator. 12Important American books 13The books entering the public domain this year read like a list for an American literature class. 14The Sound and the Fury is arguably William Faulkner's most famous book. Its special style of expression was a big hit although the book was widely considered difficult to read and understand. The story is set in the southern state of Mississippi, where Faulkner was born and lived most of his life. It tells about the ruin of a leading family there. 15And Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms joins his earlier The Sun Also Rises in the public domain. The story about an ambulance driver is set in Italy during World War I. It was based in part on Hemingway's real life. It has been made into film, TV, and radio versions, and now can be done anew without permission. 16American John Steinbeck's first novel, A Cup of Gold, will also enter the public domain. 17Movies 18Filmmaking was changing from silent to sound production during the late 1920s. 19The famous moviemaker Alfred Hitchcock was still living in Britain when he made the film Blackmail. The movie began as a silent film but was turned to sound film during production. Two versions of Blackmail were released. One of the versions became Britain's and Hitchcock's first sound film. 20American John Ford is probably best remembered for making the kind of films called Westerns. Those movies remain protected. But, Ford's first sound film, 1929's The Black Watch, enters the public domain next month. The action movie includes a young John Wayne who appears in a small part. Years later, Wayne was the star of many Ford films. 21Another notable director, Cecil B. DeMille, already a Hollywood leader in silent films, made Dynamite his first sound film in 1929. 22Groucho, Harpo, and the other Marx Brothers humor group had their first starring parts in 1929's The Cocoanuts. The brothers went on to make the popular comedies, Animal Crackers and Duck Soup. 23And The Broadway Melody will also enter the public domain on January 1. It became the first sound film and the second film ever to win the Oscar for best picture - then called "outstanding production." 24Music 25Songs from the last year of the 1920s are also about to become publicly available for use. 26Cole Porter's compositions What Is This Thing Called Love? and Tiptoe Through the Tulips are among the highlights, as is the jazz classic Ain't Misbehavin' written by Fats Waller and Harry Brooks. 27Different laws cover sound recordings. Those newly in the public domain date to 1924. They include a recording of Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen from star and civil rights icon Marian Anderson, and Rhapsody in Blue performed by its composer George Gershwin. 28I'm Caty Weaver. And I'm Dorothy Gundy. 29The Associated Press' Andrew Dalton reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 30_____________________________________________ 31Words in This Story 32character - n. a person who appears in a book, movie, play or other artwork 33public domain - n. (law) when a creative product is outside of legal copyright protection and can freely be used and copied by the public 34trove - n. a valuable collection 35dozen - n. twelve of something 36cartoon -n. a series of simple pictures that tell a story or a movie made from similar simple pictures 37don -v. to put on (a piece of clothing) 38comic strip -n. a short series of simple pictures that tell a story that is often funny and that is published in a newspaper regularly 39style -n. a way of doing something that has recognizable, distinctive elements 40composition -n. a written musical work 41classic -adj. something that is considered among the best examples of the group to which it belongs 42icon -n. a person who is the representation of an idea or ideal