'' Reported Missing'' is a 1922 American silent

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Henry Lehrman Henry Lehrman (30 March 1881 – 7 November 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 Sen ...

and starring

Owen Moore Owen Moore (12 December 1886 – 9 June 1939) was an Irish people, 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. A ...

Pauline Garon Marie Pauline Garon (September 9, 1900 – August 30, 1965) was a Canadian 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-Auguste Ga ...

, and Tom Wilson.Progressive Silent Film List: ''Reported Missing''
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 A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, ''valet de chambre'' was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "va ...

Sam was played by Wilson in

blackface Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...

. The use of white actors in blackface for black character roles in

Hollywood film The cinema of the United States, primarily associated with major film studios collectively referred to as Hollywood, has significantly influenced the global film industry since the early 20th century. Classical Hollywood cinema, a filmmakin ...

s did not begin to decline until the late 1930s, although it is now considered highly offensive.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 film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...

with only a fragment remaining.

References

Bibliography

* Langman, Larry. ''Destination Hollywood: The Influence of Europeans on American Filmmaking''. McFarland & Co., 2000.

External links

* {{Henry Lehrman 1922 films 1922 comedy films 1922 lost films 1920s American films 1920s English-language films American black-and-white films American silent feature films English-language comedy films Films directed by Henry Lehrman Lost action drama films Lost American action adventure films Lost American adventure drama films Selznick Pictures films Silent American comedy films English-language action adventure films English-language action drama films