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’re going all-in on rollicking laughs, rollicking adventure, and all-around rollicking good times!
Our feature film is the 1953 comedy-adventure Beat the Devil, starring Humphrey Bogart as part of a gang of crooks hatching a real estate scheme in the heart of Africa. But it’s all they can do to get on the boat to Africa without killing each other – if their own greed, stupidity, and paranoia doesn’t do them in, they’re sunk for sure once an eccentric American tourist (played by a deliriously fun Jennifer Jones) inserts themself into the goings on.
It’s a thoroughly delightful comic crime caper, conceived by director John Huston as a spoof of their own The Maltese Falcon – to the point of having Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre face off onscreen one last time. Do yourself a favor and give it a gander.
Our opening cartoon is no slouch in terms of laughs or adventure, either. It’s the Mickey Mouse short “The Barnyard Battle”, where Mickey enlists in an army of mice, who are then attacked by an army of cats, led by Pete.
(Yes, Pete is supposed to be a cat – hence being the archenemy of a mouse. That’s a detail that’s kinda been lost as the character design has evolved over the decades.)
Full of wacky and outrageous slapstick warfare, it’s a good reminder that Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies didn’t invent cartoon violence – in the old days, Mickey could do it with the best of ’em.
So buckle up, fellows, and guard your funny bones, as we enjoy some thrills, chills, and LOLs from the public domain!
Opening Cartoon:
Feature Presentation:
