The Port of Missing Girls is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Irving Cummings. It stars Barbara Bedford and Hedda Hopper, making it one of the rare occasions when Hopper actually starred in a film.The American Film Institute Catalog 1921-30; published by The American Film Institute, c. 1971
Plot
Cast Barbara Bedford as Ruth King Malcolm McGregor as Buddie Larkins Natalie Kingston as Catherine King Hedda Hopper as Mrs. C. King George Irving as Cyrus King Wyndham Standing as Mayor McKibben Charles K. Gerrard as DeLeon (credited as Charles Gerrard) Paul Nicholson as George Hamilton Edith Yorke as Mrs. Blane Bodil Rosing as Elsa Rosemary Theby as School Matron Lotus Thompson as Anne Amber Norman as Marjorie
Reception In the July 31, 1928 issue of the New York Daily News, the newspaper's film critic Irene Thirer began grading movies on a scale of zero to three stars. "Three stars meant 'excellent,' two 'good,' and one star meant 'mediocre.' And no stars at all 'means the picture's right bad,'" wrote Thirer. The Port of Missing Girls received one star; Carl Bialik speculates that this may have been the first time a film critic used a star-rating system to grade movies.
Censorship When The Port of Missing Girls was released, many states and cities in the United States had censor boards that could require cuts or other eliminations before the film could be shown. The Kansas censor board ordered a cut of an intertitle that stated, "Is there anything else you like to do except dance?"
Preservation A print of The Port of Missing Girls is preserved in the Library of Congress.The Library of Congress / FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: The Port of Missing Girls.Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress, p. 144, c.1978 the American Film Institute.
References
External links
Allmovie synopsis Lobby card for The Port of Missing Girls 1928