The Moving picture world (May 1922)

May 6, 1922 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 17 EXHIBITORS TRADE REVIEW April 22, 1922 Reported Missing fSelznick Photoplay in Eight Parts. Written and Directed by Henry Lehrman under the Personal Supervision of Myron Selznick. Scenario by Louis Allen Browne. Photographed by Louis Cronjager. Titles by H. I. Phillips, John ^Medbury, W. B. Johnson, E. V. Durling and Tom Bret. CAST AND SYNOPSIS BIchhrd Boyd, Owen Moore; Pauline Blake, Panline Garon : Sam, Twm Wilson J. Younp. Togo Yainainoto. Other characters by Nita Naldi, Pranli Wonderly and Robert Cain. Richard Boyd, a ne'er-do-well, becomes head of the Boyd Shipping Comimny, by lulieritance. Pauline, a flapper, determines tliat Itichard shall do something big, so she iirges him to exercise the company's option on a huse tleet of ships which J. Young, a Chinese merchant king, has his eye on. Young is aided by Andrew Dunn, genetal manager of the Boyd concern, whom he has bribed. To get Richard out of tile way, Young'bas him and Pauline shanghaied. The shipj is wrecked. There is a rescue. Then a race Iretween a hydroplane and a sea-sled,' a light in Young's stronshold. and Richard, who has been aided by his faithful colored servant throngliout the proceedings, gets the ships and the girl. The introductory title says this picture is designed as entertainment and nothing else. And that's just -what it is — entertainment to the nth deof com gree, a mixture ed.v, slapstick melodrama so cleverly "put together that it is absolutely sure-tirc. A certain cure for box-ottice blues — bur that's Rep Accorilino; rtcd Miss^ TTT our wav thinking all the exhi'ntor has to do \vitii this picture adil the proper cxploitatio patrons" do the rest A combination of thrills and eccentric comedy — 'we use the word eccentric because it has a very apt meaning here — and some of the cleverest titles ever put on the screen — that's the essence of Reported Missing.. It gives the audience a chance to laugh and laugh hartTT which we vhat ino"sT lerstand it, P^'OP' do nowadays in prefer ence to weepingT ■ There is just enough plot in Reported Missing upon which to hang a series of incidents, ranging from a realistic storm at sea to a remarkably wellstaged fight in the stronghold of an Oriental. This latter incident will no doubt come a classic on the screen. It is screamingly funn> and yet it thrills. And it is built around the adroit use of the razor by the hero's massive colored servant, who, incidentally, is one of the finestj ieccentric comedy-characters ever given to pictures. The cast is excellent. Owen Moore, in the role of the hero, (plays one of those helpless young men, at the mercy of everything and everybody that come along — for a -while. Then, inspired by the girl, he proves himself a man. It is a neat and jsympathetic bit of -work. Tom Wilson, as the huge servant, scores heavily, and is ideal for the part. He is the life of the picture. The heroine, as presented by Pauline Garon, is pretty and effective, and the rest of the players contribute their share, in excellent fashion. A little boy who appears in one sequence must be described as a 'find." Who is he, we wonder? Though he was on the screen for only a few minutes he registered em: phatically as a wonderful type and a remarkably natural actor. The direction, staging and technical details are ^dniirahlv • handled. The continuity runs smoothly and the total effect is., well managed^ keported Missin at the Dox-omce. g is a "pep" picture. And that means "pep" W7 ASK HARRY DAVIS OF PITTSBURGH