Talk:Associated Artists Productions

	This article is rated Start-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects:
Film: Filmmaking / American This article is supported by the Filmmaking task force. This article is supported by the American cinema task force.

It may be hard to find an Internet source listing exactly all the Warner Bros. cartoons that are in the Public Domain. A trip to the Library of Congress would be the only way to find out for sure what is and isn't Public Domain. The argument that "An Itch in Time" is still under copyright, well, it has appeared on numerous PD releases as far back as the 1980's. While several copyrighted cartoons have appeared on PD releases every once in a while, I find it hard to believe that this is the case with "An Itch in Time". Even the reputable Public Domain video labels have released this short on numerous occasions. And, since it is from 1943, it is very likely to be PD. Looking at a chronological listing of Warner Bros. cartoon releases shows that the five cartoons released before it are Public Domain as well. I propose that designating specific titles as Public Domain should not be done in this article unless someone can give documentation from the Library of Congress.

Response: As you said, copyrighted cartoons often appear on PD videos. I once had A Wild Hare on one of my videos, and that cartoon is still under copyright. And not all 1943 toons are PD, either. Some are still under copyright, such as:

• The Aristo Cat (first Hubie and Bertie cartoon)
• Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs and Tin Pan Alley Cats (both in the Censored Eleven)
• Greetings Bait (Oscar nom)
• Super-Rabbit (a precursor to WB becoming the owner of the Superman character)

FMAFan1990 (talk) 20:34, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

There is a way to know for sure if "An Itch in Time" is still under copyright. It was released on an old VHS compilation bu MGM/UA Home Video in the 1980's. The compilation is titled "Elmer Fudd Cartoon Festival featuring 'An Itch in Time'". In this series of videos, the copyright information for each cartoon is listed on the back cover including its renewal. Until someone gets a hold of a copy of that video and checks the back cover, no one can be 100% on its status. S275ironman (talk) 23:13, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

As for the other two edits, I have this to say. The Private Snafu and Hook cartoons were not part of the package sold to AAP. And, using that link as a source is not enough proof. Those cartoons are Public Domain (as are all works owned by the United States government), so a release on LaserDisc by MGM/UA does not mean that they acquired them from AAP. When Warner Bros. produced these cartoons, it was for the United States government, and therefore the government holds the original negatives and Warner Bros. did not have them to distribute for TV, where they could never air due to content. Back in the 1950's, the decency standards for TV would have banned these cartoons anyway due to profanity and sexual content, so why buy them for TV distribution?

Response: Using "original negatives" as keywords, this does not mean all prints are owned by the government. The respective companies had prints in their vaults somewhere too. FMAFan1990 (talk) 20:21, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I see your point, but is there a better source than that page listing the contents of "The Golden Age of Looney Tunes" LaserDisc sets? I seem a little suspicious myself since only a handful of Snafu shorts appeared on one of these sets. And there is the question about why Warner Bros. would sell them to AAP if TV networks could not air them. Unless any verification can be found, the inclusion of these films on LaserDisc was probably because they were loaned to MGM/UA from private collectors.S275ironman (talk) 23:14, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

As for the Screen Song cartoon "Let's Sing with Popeye", read the article for that short, it says so in the article it was re-released in the 1950's by Official Films. If it was included in the package of cartoons sold to AAP, then that means that Ted Turner would have obtained ownership and aired the short every now and then on his networks. Why wouldn't this short air on TV? It is just a sing-along with no objectionable content. Unless a valid source can be found, "Let's Sing with Popeye" should be treated as the only exception where a Popeye theatrical cartoon was not distributed to AAP.

Response: The "Official Films" release was probably before the sale of the Popeye toons to AAP. At that point, the release was probably discontinued because OF did not have the rights to distribute anymore. Also, many stations probably did not bother airing the short because it was so short. FMAFan1990 (talk) 20:21, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If anyone has seen a print with AAP titles, then it would be proven that AAP did in fact obtain this cartoon as part of the package. Until then, it should be presumed that the ownership of this film is unknown since its re-release by Official Films. Also, although this may be more relevant to the article on Sunset Productions, some believe that "Lady Play Your Mandolin" was one cartoon that Warner Bros. held onto since it was never shown on TV until the "Toonheads: The Lost Cartoons" special.S275ironman (talk) 23:13, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Is there any proof that MGM/UA retained ownership to the 1936-1946 Monogram Pictures library? 71.95.53.89 (talk) 22:51, 25 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

The Warner Archive Collection has a podcast that is hosted by George Feltenstein, a WB archivist. Many of their shows end with the reading of letters, and one particular show had one questioning if the Archive was releasing a particular Monogram title, and that's where the issue came up. I'm looking for this show as we speak. Freshh! (talk) 02:06, 26 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Can someone please stop people claiming that Casablanca (1942) is in the public domain because it's not? The only PD a.a.p.-owned WB feature films that I'm aware of are They Made Me a Criminal (1939), Santa Fe Trail (1940), This Is the Army (1943), Life with Father (1947), and The Inspector General (1949). Also, The Goofy Gophers (1947) is not in the public domain either, people are confusing it for Gopher Goofy (1942), a cartoon that's actually in the public domain. 24.180.56.157 (talk) 19:32, 21 May 2015 (UTC)[reply]