Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, and the Charade Copyright Mistake

How one missing symbol turned the Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant blockbuster, Charade, into public domain from the moment the opening credits rolled.

Every now and then, a tiny, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it detail can have enormous consequences. Like, say, forgetting a copyright symbol. On a major studio film. Starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant.

Yep, Charade—that charming, twisty, genre-mashing 1963 thriller—entered the public domain the moment it hit theaters. Not because it aged out. Not because it was gifted to the public. Because someone, somewhere, forgot to put a copyright notice in the opening credits. Whoops.

Charade is My Favorite Movie – by Summer Brennan

Back then, under the 1909 Copyright Act, that little © symbol wasn’t optional. If you didn’t include it in the opening titles of a film, the copyright was immediately null and void. No protection, no royalties, no take-backs, even if you registered the work properly. And for Universal Pictures, one of the biggest studios in the world, it meant their blockbuster film was suddenly fair game. Anyone could duplicate it, screen it, sell it, remix it, or throw it on late-night TV—all without paying a dime.

The movie Charade (1963) was the last film starring Cary Grant as a romantic lead. He was 59 years old, and felt awkward that his character was flirting with his co-star Audrey Hepburn, who was 33. So the dialogue was rewritten to make Audrey’s character the flirt with a preference for older men. : r/MovieDetails

A Glamorous Whodunnit with a Twist

So what is Charade, and why should you care?

Audrey Hepburn is a stylish widow whose husband is murdered under mysterious circumstances. Cue the discovery of a hidden WWII treasure, some very bad men (Walter Matthau and friends) who want it back, and Cary Grant playing a maybe-hero-maybe-conman. Toss it all into the streets of Paris and you’ve got a romantic thriller mixed with a screwball comedy.

It’s glamorous, clever, and it’s got one hell of a jazzy title sequence. And thanks to that copyright goof, it’s free to everyone in the world.

Charade (Original photograph of Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, and Stanley Donen on the set of the 1963 film) by Stanley Donen (director); Peter Stone (screenwriter); Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn (starring) | 1963 | Universal Studios | Biblio

From Big Screen to Bargain Bin—and Beyond

Here’s the thing: Charade didn’t become a cult classic just because it was good (though it is good). It became beloved because it was everywhere. TV reruns, bargain bin VHS tapes, classroom screenings, DVD box sets, early streaming uploads—you name it. Accessibility bred affection. Without corporate gatekeepers deciding who could see it, Charade found new generations of fans again and again.

Which makes you wonder: how many movies might’ve been forgotten without their wide availability? Would It’s a Wonderful Life be so iconic if it hadn’t also slipped through a copyright crack for a time? Would Charade be remembered if Universal had locked it in a vault and slapped a price tag on it?

A Mistake We’ll Likely Never See Again

Of course, those days are mostly over. Copyright now lasts 95 years (at least in the U.S.) and kicks in the moment a work is created. No symbol required. No second chances either. But that also means we may never get another happy accident like Charade—a studio gem accidentally handed over to the public for safekeeping.

Find out more about the great copyright mistake in the video below: