'' 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 o ...

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 ...

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 Pierr ...

, 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 Sam was played by Wilson in

blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people, 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 ...

. 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 Amer ...

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 ...

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 {{1920s-US-film-stub