Motion pictures, 1940-1949

by Library of Congress. Copyright Office

How To Use This Catalog

This catalog consists of three parts: Motion Pictures, 1940–1949, which is a list of main entries under title; an Index of names; and a Series List. Each part is arranged alphabetically.

Motion Pictures, 1940–1949

The items which constitute each entry in this section are given below in the order in which they appear. The title, name of the claimant, copyright date, and registration number are always given; other items are included if applicable to the motion picture and available.

1. Title. Main title, followed by subtitle, translated title, and alternate title. Cross-references are made for alternate and translated titles. When motion pictures are based on the lives of real persons or when such persons are mentioned in the titles in connection with specific episodes in their lives, such as musical performances or athletic events, their names are included in the Index.

2. Production statement. The name of the producing company, i.e., the company responsible for the existence of the picture, follows the title. In some instances two companies or organizations are concerned with the production of a film, one with the physical production, i.e., photographing, editing, sound recording, etc., the other with planning, distributing, and sponsoring the motion picture. In such case the company concerned with physical production is named first, followed by the preposition for and the name of the other company. The name of a foreign producing company is followed by the name of the city or country in which it is located. When the name of a person or organization is given in the records of the Copyright Office preceded by the phrase presented by, the name, together with the phrase, follows the date (see item 3 below).

3. Date. For published works, the year date of copyright (see item 10 below) preceded by a lower case c, (e.g., c1941) follows the production statement. If a production date different from the copyright year date is given in the records, this information follows the copyright date. For unpublished works, no date is given in this position in the entry.

4. Physical description. A full physical description contains information relating to 1) the length of the film, given in running time, footage, number of reels or frames; 2) color or black and white versions; 3) sound or silent versions; 4) width of the film. Few of the entries in this catalog for the period prior to 1946 contain full physical descriptions because information on these points was not included in the records of the Copyright Office.

5. Notes. Certain information which helps to identify the motion picture more exactly is given in the form of notes:

a. The title of the series to which a motion picture belongs is given immediately following the physical description.

b. Phrases further identifying persons or organizations connected with the production of a motion picture, such as Warner Bros.-First National picture, Frank Capra production, etc., are given in a note following the series note.

c. Information relating to other titles by which the motion picture is known, to other versions, to related material to be used in connection with the showing of the motion picture, or to the source material on which the motion picture is based, is given in the order named.

6. Summary. A brief statement describing or characterizing the motion picture is included whenever it has been printed previously in an issue of the Catalog of Copyright Entries.

7. Credits. This paragraph contains, when available, the names of persons associated with the production of the film in the capacity of producers, directors, writers, narrators, commentators, creators of animation, composers, music directors and other persons responsible for the music, photographers or cameramen for travelogs and other pictures of similar type, and film editors. In a few instances other credits have been included. In the case of each person, a term indicative of the contribution precedes the name. For films in color, the name of the process is given, if available, at the end of the credits statement.

8. Cast. The principal actors are named in the order of their billing if the information has been printed previously in an issue of the Catalog of Copyright Entries.

9. Copyright claimant, date, and registration number. This paragraph begins with the copyright symbol ©. The symbol is followed by:

a. The name of the claimant as it is given in the application.

b. The date of the beginning of the term of copyright: for published works, the date of publication as cited in the application; for unpublished works, the date or dates of receipt in the Copyright Office of the title, description, and required prints.

c. The registration number, preceded by the respective class symbol (L, motion picture photoplays; M, motion pictures other than photoplays) and, also, immediately after the class symbol, the letter P to designate a published work or U, an unpublished work.

In the case of motion pictures produced as serials, information relating to the entire serial precedes that relating to the individual numbers or episodes in the serial. More than one entry of a serial is made whenever the descriptive information varies for different parts of the serial. Individual issues of a serial are listed in numerical sequence or by date; in those cases where the name or form of name of the claimant has changed, the issues claimed under a specific name are listed below it. The copyright symbol © always appears immediately before the name of the copyright claimant and the copyright date whenever they are in separate statements. When duplicate numbers appear in a sequence of issues, arrangement of the duplicates is by copyright date. Omission of an item in a sequence does not necessarily mean that the item has not been registered in the Copyright Office, since it may be included in the catalog under its specific title.