TUGBOAT ANNIE
"Tugboat Annie" is a well-known character who originated in a series of short stories and later became the subject of several films and a television series.
Origin: The character Annie Brennan (Tugboat Annie) first appeared in a series of short stories written by Norman Reilly Raine in The Saturday Evening Post starting in 1931.
Character: She is the tough, witty, and warm-hearted skipper of the tugboat Narcissus, operating in the Pacific Northwest (often in the fictional port of "Secoma"). She often has a humorous rivalry with the competing tugboat captain, Horatio J. Bullwinkle.
Inspiration: The character is widely believed to be based on the life of Thea Foss (1857-1927), a Norwegian immigrant who founded the Foss Maritime Company, a large tugboat company in Tacoma, Washington, though Thea Foss was not a tugboat captain herself.
Original Film: The most famous adaptation is the 1933 pre-Code film, Tugboat Annie, starring Marie Dressler as Annie and Wallace Beery as her often-troubled husband, Terry Brennan. It was one of the biggest box-office hits of its time.
Other Adaptations: There were two sequels, Tugboat Annie Sails Again (1940) and Captain Tugboat Annie (1945), each with a different actress in the lead role. A Canadian-filmed television series, The Adventures of Tugboat Annie, aired in 1957.
PUBLIC DOMAIN
The Original Short Stories (Literature)
The stories by Norman Reilly Raine began appearing in The Saturday Evening Post in 1931.
In the U.S., works published between 1923 and 1963 were given an initial 28-year copyright term, which could be extended to a total of 95 years only if the copyright was properly renewed in the 28th year.
Likely Status: Many of the earliest short stories, including the one that introduced the character in 1931, may have entered the public domain if their copyrights were not properly renewed.
Caveat: Some of the stories may have been renewed and are still under copyright. If you wish to adapt a specific story, you would need to confirm its individual renewal status with the U.S. Copyright Office.
2. The 1933 Film (Tugboat Annie)
The 1933 film starring Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery is generally believed to be in the public domain in the United States.
Reasoning: Films released between 1929 and 1963 needed to have their copyrights renewed in the 28th year to retain protection. Many older films, including Tugboat Annie, failed to complete this mandatory renewal process, causing them to fall into the public domain.
3. The Character Itself (Tugboat Annie Brennan)
Complex Issue: Even if the first film and some of the earliest stories are in the public domain, the character itself may still be protected if later, copyrighted stories or subsequent works established new, distinct elements of the character.
Practical Use: Since the 1933 movie is widely available and considered public domain, you are generally free to use the specific elements and plot of that movie. You can also use the core idea of an "irascible female tugboat captain" based on the earliest stories.