1940s Films
175 films from the 1940s, all public domain and free to watch.
The 1940s collection covers wartime filmmaking and the immediate post-war period. A lot of what is here came from two sources: government-produced documentaries and training films that were never copyrighted, and commercial features whose copyrights lapsed through non-renewal. The collection includes noir-adjacent crime pictures, war dramas, and the first wave of post-war social problem films. The decade is also where you find a lot of serials, which were made cheaply and often poorly tracked for copyright purposes.
Boys of the City
1940 - Comedy - 5.6/10
Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe
1940 - Sci-Fi - 7/10
His Girl Friday
1940 - Comedy - 8.2/10
Midnight Limited
1940 - Mystery - 5.1/10
Misbehaving Husbands
1940 - Comedy - 4.5/10
Our Town
1940 - Drama - 6.8/10
Santa Fe Trail
1940 - Western - 6.9/10
Second Chorus
1940 - Musical - 6.3/10
The Devil Bat
1940 - Horror - 5.2/10
Fire Cheese
1941 - Animation - 5.5/10
Holt of the Secret Service
1941 - Action - 6.4/10
King of the Zombies
1941 - Comedy - 5.3/10
Meet John Doe
1941 - Drama - 7.6/10
Meet John Doughboy
1941 - Animation - 6/10
Pantry Panic
1941 - Animation - 6.5/10
Penny Serenade
1941 - Romance - 7.3/10
Pot o' Gold
1941 - Comedy - 6.4/10
Power Dive
1941 - Drama - 5.8/10
Scrub Me Mama with a Boogie Beat
1941 - Animation - 5/10
Spooks Run Wild
1941 - Comedy - 5.6/10
That Uncertain Feeling
1941 - Comedy - 6.5/10
The Haunted Mouse
1941 - Animation - 6/10
Topper Returns
1941 - Comedy - 6.9/10
A Tale of Two Kitties
1942 - Animation - 7/10
Billion Dollar Limited
1942 - Animation - 7/10
Bowery at Midnight
1942 - Horror - 5.6/10
Eatin' on the Cuff or The Moth Who Came to Dinner
1942 - Animation - 6.5/10
Foney Fables
1942 - Animation - 6.5/10
Fox Pop
1942 - Animation - 6/10
Jungle Book
1942 - Adventure - 6.7/10
Prelude to War
1942 - War - 7/10
Private Buckaroo
1942 - Comedy - 5.5/10
Saps in Chaps
1942 - Animation - 5.5/10
Superman: Electric Earthquake
1942 - Animation - 7/10
Superman: Terror on the Midway
1942 - Animation - 7/10
Superman: The Arctic Giant
1942 - Animation - 7.5/10
Superman: The Magnetic Telescope
1942 - Animation - 7/10
Superman: Volcano
1942 - Animation - 7/10
The Battle of Midway
1942 - War - 7/10
The Corpse Vanishes
1942 - Horror - 5/10
The Dover Boys at Pimento University
1942 - Animation - 7.5/10
The Ducktators
1942 - Animation - 6/10
Wacky Blackout
1942 - Animation - 6.5/10
Coming!! Snafu
1943 - Animation - 5.5/10
December 7th
1943 - War - 6.5/10
Desert Victory
1943 - War - 7.3/10
Divide and Conquer
1943 - War - 7.1/10
Fighting Tools
1943 - Animation - 6/10
Ghosts on the Loose
1943 - Comedy - 5.1/10
Gripes
1943 - Animation - 6/10
Gung Ho!
1943 - War - 6.4/10
Hop and Go
1943 - Animation - 5.5/10
Inside Tibet
1943 - Documentary - 6/10
Japanese Relocation
1943 - War - 5.6/10
Pigs in a Polka
1943 - Animation - 7/10
Puss n' Booty
1943 - Animation - 6.5/10
Report from the Aleutians
1943 - War - 7/10
Rumors
1943 - Animation - 6/10
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon
1943 - Mystery - 7.1/10
Spies
1943 - Animation - 6.5/10
The Battle of Britain
1943 - War - 7.2/10
The Battle of Russia
1943 - War - 7.3/10
The Black Raven
1943 - Mystery - 5.5/10
The Fifth-Column Mouse
1943 - Animation - 6.5/10
The Goldbrick
1943 - Animation - 6/10
The Home Front
1943 - Animation - 6/10
The Infantry Blues
1943 - Animation - 6/10
The Mummy Strikes
1943 - Animation - 6.5/10
The Nazis Strike
1943 - War - 7/10
The Outlaw
1943 - Western - 5.8/10
The Phantom
1943 - Action - 6.6/10
This Is the Army
1943 - Musical - 6.2/10
Tokio Jokio
1943 - Animation - 5.5/10
Two Weeks to Live
1943 - Comedy - 5.5/10
Undercover: How to Operate Behind Enemy Lines
1943 - Documentary - 6.5/10
A Few Quick Facts About Inflation
1944 - Animation - 5/10
A Lecture on Camouflage
1944 - Animation - 6/10
Booby Traps
1944 - Animation - 6.5/10
Boogie-Woogie Dream
1944 - Music - 6.6/10
Censored
1944 - Animation - 6/10
Gas
1944 - Animation - 6/10
Going Home
1944 - Animation - 6/10
Payday
1944 - Animation - 6/10
Private Snafu vs. Malaria Mike
1944 - Animation - 6/10
Resisting Enemy Interrogation
1944 - War - 6.5/10
Snafuperman
1944 - Animation - 6.5/10
Target for Today
1944 - Documentary - 7/10
Target Snafu
1944 - Animation - 7/10
That's My Baby!
1944 - Comedy - 5.5/10
The Battle of China
1944 - War - 7/10
The Chow Hound
1944 - Animation - 6/10
The Fighting Lady
1944 - War - 7/10
The Mark of the Whistler
1944 - Mystery - 6.4/10
The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress
1944 - War - 7.5/10
The Monster Maker
1944 - Horror - 4.9/10
The Negro Soldier
1944 - War - 6.8/10
The Outpost with Private Snafu
1944 - Animation - 6/10
Three Brothers
1944 - Animation - 6/10
Voodoo Man
1944 - Horror - 4/10
With the Marines at Tarawa
1944 - War - 7/10
Yankee Doodle Donkey
1944 - Animation - 6/10
A Few Quick Facts About Fear
1945 - Animation - 5.5/10
A Lamb in a Jam
1945 - Animation - 5.5/10
Blood on the Sun
1945 - Thriller - 6.6/10
Captain Kidd
1945 - Adventure - 6.3/10
Detour
1945 - Noir - 7/10
Health for the Americas: Cleanliness Brings Health
1945 - Animation - 5/10
Hot Spot
1945 - Animation - 6/10
In the Aleutians – Isles of Enchantment
1945 - Animation - 6/10
It's Murder She Says
1945 - Animation - 6/10
Jerky Turkey
1945 - Animation - 6.5/10
Know Your Enemy: Japan
1945 - War - 6.9/10
No Buddy Atoll
1945 - Animation - 6/10
Operation Snafu
1945 - Animation - 6/10
Scarlet Street
1945 - Drama - 7.6/10
Scrappily Married
1945 - Animation - 5.5/10
Seaman Tarfu in the Navy
1945 - Animation - 5.5/10
The Battle of San Pietro
1945 - War - 7.3/10
The Good Egg
1945 - Animation - 5.5/10
The Great Flamarion
1945 - Noir - 6.4/10
The House I Live In
1945 - Drama - 7.2/10
The Return of Mr. Hook
1945 - Animation - 5.5/10
The Southerner
1945 - Drama - 7.2/10
The True Glory
1945 - War - 7.3/10
The White Gorilla
1945 - Adventure - 4/10
Tokyo Woes
1945 - Animation - 6/10
War Comes to America
1945 - War - 7.2/10
Wings for This Man
1945 - War - 6.8/10
Angel on My Shoulder
1946 - Comedy - 6.8/10
Cheese Burglar
1946 - Animation - 6/10
Colonel Effingham's Raid
1946 - Comedy - 6/10
Dick Tracy vs. Cueball
1946 - Crime - 6.3/10
Dressed to Kill
1946 - Mystery - 7/10
Let There Be Light
1946 - War - 7.4/10
Love Laughs at Andy Hardy
1946 - Comedy - 5.9/10
Mysterious Intruder
1946 - Mystery - 6.4/10
The Chase
1946 - Noir - 6.6/10
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
1946 - Noir - 7.3/10
The Stranger
1946 - Drama - 7.5/10
The Trap
1946 - Mystery - 6/10
Till the Clouds Roll By
1946 - Musical - 6.7/10
Angel and the Badman
1947 - Western - 6.9/10
Brideless Groom
1947 - Comedy - 7.3/10
Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome
1947 - Crime - 6.4/10
Dishonored Lady
1947 - Crime - 6/10
Fear in the Night
1947 - Crime - 6.7/10
For You I Die
1947 - Crime - 5.8/10
It's a Joke, Son!
1947 - Comedy - 5/10
Life with Father
1947 - Comedy - 7.3/10
Much Ado About Mutton
1947 - Animation - 5.5/10
My Favorite Brunette
1947 - Comedy - 7.1/10
Naughty but Mice
1947 - Animation - 5.5/10
Reet, Petite, and Gone
1947 - Musical - 5/10
Sing a Song of Six Pants
1947 - Comedy - 7.2/10
The Red House
1947 - Crime - 6.8/10
The Stupidstitious Cat
1947 - Animation - 6/10
The Wee Men
1947 - Animation - 5.5/10
He Walked by Night
1948 - Crime - 7/10
Hector's Hectic Life
1948 - Animation - 5.5/10
My Dear Secretary
1948 - Comedy - 6.2/10
The Amazing Mr. X
1948 - Noir - 6.4/10
The Bored Cuckoo
1948 - Animation - 5.5/10
The Old Shell Game
1948 - Animation - 5.5/10
Africa Screams
1949 - Comedy - 6.4/10
Doggone Tired
1949 - Animation - 7/10
Hep Cat Symphony
1949 - Animation - 5.5/10
Impact
1949 - Crime - 6.8/10
Malice in the Palace
1949 - Comedy - 7.2/10
She Shoulda Said No!
1949 - Exploitation - 4/10
So Much for So Little
1949 - Animation - 6.5/10
The Big Cat
1949 - Adventure - 6.8/10
The Big Wheel
1949 - Drama - 5.8/10
The Inspector General
1949 - Comedy - 7.3/10
The Lost Dream
1949 - Animation - 5.5/10
Too Late for Tears
1949 - Noir - 7.3/10