A lost film is a 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. Early films were not thought to have value beyond their theatrical run, so many were discarded afterward. Nitrate film used in early pictures was highly flammable and susceptible to degradation. The Library of Congress began acquiring copies of American films in 1909, but not all were kept. Due to improvements in film technology and recordkeeping, few films produced in the 1950s or beyond have been lost.
Herbert Banemann Rawlinson was an English-born stage, film, radio, and television actor. A leading man during Hollywood's silent film era, Rawlinson transitioned to character roles after the advent of sound films.
Thomas B. Ricketts was an English-born American stage and film actor and director who was a pioneer in the film industry. He portrayed Ebenezer Scrooge in the first American film adaptation of A Christmas Carol (1908), and directed one of the first motion pictures ever made in Hollywood. After directing scores of silent films, including the first film to be released by Universal Pictures, Ricketts became a prominent character actor.
The Adventures of Tarzan (1921) is a 15 chapter movie serial which features the third and final appearance of Elmo Lincoln as Tarzan. The serial was produced by Louis Weiss, written by Robert F. Hill and Lillian Valentine, and directed by Robert F. Hill and Scott Sidney. The first chapter was released on December 1, 1921.
A Million Bid is a 1927 silent drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Dolores Costello. It is based on the 1908 play, Agnes, by Gladys Rankin Drew writing under the pseudonym "George Cameron".
Yankee Doodle in Berlin is a 1919 American silent comedy and World War I film from producer Mack Sennett. It was Sennett's most expensive production up to that time. Hiram Abrams was the original State's Rights marketer before the film's release, but producer Sol Lesser bought the rights in March 1919.
Uncle Tom's Cabin is a 1927 American synchronized sound drama film directed by Harry A. Pollard and released by Universal Pictures. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using the Western Electric sound-on-film process. The film is based on the 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe and was the last silent version filmed.
The Dawn of a Tomorrow is a 1915 American silent film starring Mary Pickford, produced by Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company and directed by James Kirkwood. It is based on a 1909 stage play starring Eleanor Robson Belmont, her last stage role. This film was rereleased by Paramount in 1919 under their Success-Series banner and a copy survives in Sweden today. The story was remade in 1924 again as The Dawn of a Tomorrow with Jacqueline Logan in the lead.
Three Faces East is a 1930 American Pre-Code film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Constance Bennett and Erich von Stroheim. Produced by Daryl Zanuck and released by Warner Brothers it is based on a 1918 Broadway play about World War I spies, Three Faces East, by Anthony Paul Kelly. It was filmed as a silent in 1926. A later remake in 1940 starred Boris Karloff and Margaret Lindsay was titled British Intelligence.
The Tongues of Men is a 1916 silent film drama produced by the Oliver Morosco Company and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Frank Lloyd directed and English stage actress Constance Collier stars in her debut film. The story is based on a 1913 Broadway play, The Tongues of Men, by Edward Childs Carpenter and starring Henrietta Crosman.
Leonore Harris was an American stage and screen actress. She appeared in a handful of silent films and preferred the Broadway stage. As a young woman she was one of many young actresses appearing on cigarette packages by Philip Morris.
A Man's Man is a lost 1918 American silent adventure film directed by Oscar Apfel and produced by Paralta Plays. It starred J. Warren Kerrigan and Lois Wilson, the pair famous for appearing in The Covered Wagon.
The Devil's Needle is a 1916 silent film drama directed by Chester Withey and starring Norma Talmadge and Tully Marshall. It was produced by D. W. Griffith's Fine Arts Film Company and distributed by Triangle Films.
Roman Candles is a 1920 silent comedy-drama film directed by Jack Pratt and starring J. Frank Glendon and Edward M. Kimball. The film was released in 1920 as a seven reeler on State's Rights basis. In 1922 two independent distributors rereleased it with a 5 reel running length.
Smashing Barriers is a lost 1919 15-part 1919 American film serial directed by and starring William Duncan. It was produced and distributed by the Vitagraph Company of America.
Vengeance of the Dead is a 1917 silent film drama directed by and starring Henry King. It was produced by the Balboa Amusement Producing Company, and distributed through General Film Company. It survives in the Library of Congress collection
The Still Alarm is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Edward Laemmle and starring Helene Chadwick, William Russell, and Richard Travers, based on the 1887 play of the same name.
Roulette is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Stanner E.V. Taylor and starring Edith Roberts, Norman Trevor, and Maurice Costello.
The Man Who Turned White is a 1919 American silent adventure film directed by Park Frame and starring H. B. Warner as a desert shiek. It was produced by Jesse D. Hampton Productions and distributed by Robertson-Cole Company and Exhibitors Mutual Distributing Company. It was rereleased in 1922 by Robertson-Cole.
The Golden Thought is a 1917 silent short film western directed by and starring Tom Mix. It was produced by the Selig Polyscope Company and released through the General Film Company. A print survives in the George Eastman House.
