Welcome to Public Domain Theater, your home for the wonderful world of films that have (in the United States, at least) fallen into the public domain, and are free for everyone to see!

This month, we have a movie that most of you are likely more familiar with as a stage play. It’s Thornton Wilder’s perennially popular Our Town, as adapted for film in 1940 by producer Sol Lesser and director Sam Wood.

How, may you ask, was a play designed so specifically for the stage, to the point where the stage manager encourages audience members to ask questions of the characters, ever made to work as a feature film? Well, the results are . . . interesting. Some of the choices made may be controversial, but they’re never not interesting to watch.

To go with this film, we have another slice of quaint, old-timey Americana with the animated short “Bosko’s Soda Fountain”, featuring the original breakout star of the Looney Tunes series. Yes, before there was Bugs, before there was Daffy, before there was Porky, there was Bosko.

So why don’t you get yourself a seat at the soda shop while I show you a little bit about Our Town . . .

Opening Cartoon:

Feature Presentation: