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SALT LAKE CITY — Popeye and Tintin, as well work from several literary classics, are now a part of the public domain.
New Year's Day isn't just the start of the new year, but it's also "Public Domain Day" in the world of copyright law. It's a day when countless works of literature, songs, films and other creative works lose their copyright, opening them to new uses and new interpretations.
The world wouldn't have the 2000 classic "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" nor the chaotic and poorly reviewed recent horror flicks featuring Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse without the public domain.
However, the public domain can also open old art to newer audiences.
As noted by the Library of Congress, "It's a Wonderful Life" only became a Christmas classic after Republic Pictures let its copyright run out under the old set of copyright laws. The decision sent it to the public domain in the 1970s, and it became one of the few options for television stations to run during the holidays, altering its place in history.
Today, most new items are at least 95 years old when their copyrights expire. Only time will tell which old works will find new life in 2025 or beyond, but these are 25 classics that stand out from this year's public domain class.
Books and other printed works
- "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway. The Modern Library ranked this as the 74th-best novel of all time.
- "All Quiet on the Western Front" translated by Arthur Wesley Wheen. Erich Maria Remarque's original German version, "Im Westen nichts Neues," went into the domain last year.
- "A Room of One's Own" by Virginia Woolf. Modern Library ranked this as the fourth-best nonfiction book of all time.
- "Cup of Gold" by John Steinbeck. This was Steinbeck's first novel.
- "Gobs of Work" by Elzie Crisler Segar. This is where the character of Popeye the Sailor is first introduced in Segar's "Thimble Theatre" comic strip. Popeye would later be spun off for cartoon shorts in the 1930s while becoming the lead character in the comic strips.
- "Les Aventures de Tintin" by Hergé. This piece from the magazine Le Petit Vingtième introduced the world to the character Tintin and "The Adventures of Tintin," a subsequent comic series that became wildly successful.
- "Red Harvest" by Dashiell Hammett. Time Magazine, in 2005, rated this as the 58th-best novel of all time.
- "The Seven Dials Mystery" by Agatha Christie.
- "The Sound and The Fury" by William Faulkner. It was ranked No. 31 on Time's 2005 list.
Film
- "Blackmail," directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This was the legendary director's first film with sound.
- "On With the Show!" directed by Alan Crosland. This is recognized as the first feature film with both sound and color all the way through.
- "The Broadway Melody," directed by Harry Beaumont and winner of "Outstanding Picture" at the 2nd Academy Awards.
- "The Cocoanuts," directed by Robert Florey and Joseph Santley. The first feature film with The Marx Brothers from vaudeville fame.
- "The Karnival Kid," directed by Walt Disney. This film, one of about a dozen new "Mickey Mouse" animations now in the domain, features the first time audiences heard Mickey Mouse talk.
- "The Skeleton Dance," directed by Walt Disney.
- "The Wild Party," directed by Dorothy Arzner. This film features Clara Bow's first speaking role.
- "Spite Marriage," directed by Edward Sedgwick and Buster Keaton. This marked the end of an era, as Keaton's last silent film.
Music and recordings
Musical compositions from 95 years ago and sound recordings from 101 years ago both enter the domain this year through differing laws.
- "Am I Blue?" by Grant Clarke and Harry Akst. This song would go on to be featured in dozens of movies and covered by many notable artists like Ray Charles, Judy Garland and Willie Nelson.
- "An American in Paris" by George Gershwin.
- "Happy Days Are Here Again" by Jack Yellen and Milton Ager. This would go on to become Franklin D. Roosevelt's campaign theme song during his successful 1932 presidential election.
- "Crooked Blues" recorded by King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band feat. Louis Armstrong.
- "Rhapsody in Blue" as recorded by George Gershwin. A recording of one of Gershwin's biggest hits after its composition already landed in the domain.
- "Singin' in the Rain" by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown. Written for the movie, "The Hollywood Revue of 1929," which is also in the public domain now.
- "Waiting for a Train," written and sung by Jimmie Rodgers, the "father of country music."
- "What's This Thing Called Love?" written by Cole Porter. Written for the musical "Wake Up and Dream," this song would go on to be covered by many influential artists, including Dave Brubeck, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra.
Correction: In an earlier version, Ernest Hemingway's name was incorrectly spelled Hemmingway in the headline.
