▶ Free on demand · streams from Starlite TV's own storage

The Emperor Jones (1933)

Name: The Emperor Jones
Genre: Classic Drama
Released: 1933
Duration: 1 h 12 min
Cast: Billie Holiday, Paul Robeson, Rex Ingram, Fritz Pollard, Dudley Digges

193373 minClassic DramaStrong rights evidence

The Emperor Jones (1933) is a 73-minute classic film that airs free on Starlite TV's Silver Screen (CH 2) channel. Our rights research indicates it is in the U.S. public domain (evidence below). Directed by Dudley Murphy.

Tune in live on Silver Screen TV Guide

About The Emperor Jones (1933)

The Emperor Jones is a 1933 American pre-Code film adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's 1920 play of the same title, directed by iconoclast Dudley Murphy, written for the screen by playwright DuBose Heyward and starring Paul Robeson in the title role (a role he played onstage, both in the US and UK), and co-starring Dudley Digges, Frank H. Wilson, Fredi Washington and Ruby Elzy.

At a Baptist prayer meeting, the preacher leads a prayer for Brutus Jones, who has just been hired as a Pullman porter. Jones proudly shows off his uniform to his girlfriend Dolly before joining the congregation for a spiritual. But Jones is quickly corrupted by the lures of the big city, taking up with fast women and gamblers. One boisterous crap game leads to a fight in which he inadvertently stabs Jeff, the man who had introduced him to the fast life and from whom he had stolen the affections of the beautiful Undine. Jones is imprisoned and sent to do hard labor on a chain gang.

Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article The Emperor Jones (film) (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0).

Upcoming showtimes

Loading schedule…

You can play this title on demand above any time. It also airs on Starlite TV's live channels on a schedule; times are shown in your local time zone.

Credits

Directed by: Dudley Murphy
Cast includes: Billie Holiday, Paul Robeson, Rex Ingram, Fritz Pollard, Dudley Digges, Brandon Evans
Country: United States
Based on: The Emperor Jones

Credits from Wikidata · Wikipedia article

Airs on

Silver Screen - CH 2, Classic Cinema

Rights & source

Basis: Documented as U.S. public domain (e.g. copyright not renewed / no notice)
Evidence: Listed in Wikipedia 'List of films in the public domain in the United States' (cites Pierce 2007 / Fishman / trade sources). O'Neill play 1920 PD.
License on source: creativecommons.org/licenses/publicdomain
Music: Film soundtrack falls with the film; separately published songs (if any) not individually cleared.
Underlying rights: O'Neill play 1920 PD.
Source: Internet Archive

How we check every title: Content & Rights.