'' Reported Missing'' is a 1922 American
silent comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
directed by
Henry Lehrman
Henry Lehrman (March 30, 1881 – November 7, 1946) was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. Lehrman was a very prominent figure of Hollywood's silent film era, working with such cinematic pioneers as D. W. Griffith and Mack S ...
and starring
Owen Moore
Owen Moore (12 December 1886 – 9 June 1939) was an Irish-born American actor, appearing in more than 279 movies spanning from 1908 to 1937.
Early life and career
Moore was born in Fordstown Crossroads, County Meath, Ireland. Along with his p ...
,
Pauline Garon
Marie Pauline Garon (September 9, 1900 – August 30, 1965) was a Canadian American silent film, feature film, and stage actress.
Early life
Marie Pauline Garon was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on September 9, 1898, the daughter of Pierre-A ...
, and
Tom Wilson.
[Progressive Silent Film List: ''Reported Missing''](_blank)
at silentera.com
Plot
As described in a film magazine review,
[ ] Richard Boyd comes into possession of the Boyd Shipping Company through inheritance. The company has an option to obtain a huge fleet of ships much sought after by Young, a scheming Asian shipping magnate. Boyd, a habitual idler, is disinterested in the matter until Pauline makes him get down to business and save these ships for America. Young kidnaps Richard and Pauline on a ship and puts out to sea. The ship becomes stranded. Richard's uncle demands that Young return them. Young takes Pauline captive on his ship while Richard is rescued by a battleship and pursues them in a Navy hydroplane. Young wins this race, but Richard goes to his house and rescues the young woman, Young being killed in the fight.
Cast
Production
Consistent with the practice at that time, the comic role of the valet Sam was played by Wilson in
blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person.
In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...
. The use of white actors in blackface for black character roles in
Hollywood film
The cinema of the United States, consisting mainly of major film studios (also known as Hollywood) along with some independent film, has had a large effect on the global film industry since the early 20th century. The dominant style of Ame ...
s did not begin to decline until the late 1930s, and is now considered highly offensive, disrespectful, and racist.
[Clark, Alexis.]
How the History of Blackface Is Rooted in Racism
. ''History''. A&E Television Networks, LLC. 2019.
Preservation
''Reported Missing'' is a
lost film
A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress.
Conditions
During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...
with only a fragment remaining.
References
Bibliography
* Langman, Larry. ''Destination Hollywood: The Influence of Europeans on American Filmmaking''. McFarland & Co., 2000.
External links
*
1922 films
1922 comedy films
1920s English-language films
American silent feature films
Silent American comedy films
American black-and-white films
Films directed by Henry Lehrman
Selznick Pictures films
1920s American films
English-language comedy films
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