The Port of Missing Girls

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.

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
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 Film censorship in [the United States|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.