The Port of Missing Girls

Not to be confused with the 1938 film The Port of Missing Girls.

The Port of Missing Girls
Film poster
Directed by	Irving Cummings
Written by	Howard Estabrook (story & scenario) Viola Brothers Shore (intertitles)
Produced by	Brenda Pictures Corporation
Starring	Barbara Bedford Hedda Hopper Malcolm McGregor
Cinematography	Charles Van Enger
Edited by	George Nichols Jr.
Distributed by	Brenda Pictures Corporation and or Columbia Pictures
Release date	March 1928 (1928-03)
Running time	8 reels; (7,250 feet)
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

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. ^[1]

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. ^[2]

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?" ^[3]

Preservation

A print of The Port of Missing Girls is preserved in the Library of Congress. ^{[4] [5]}

References

1. The American Film Institute Catalog 1921-30; published by The American Film Institute, c. 1971
2. Bialik, Carl (January 23, 2009). "Let's Rate the Ranking Systems of Film Reviews: The Stars, Grades and Thumbs Applied to Movies Suffer From Lackluster Performance, Low Production Values". Wall Street Journal.
3. "Eliminations Ordered in 1928 by Kansas Censor Board with Woman Members". Variety . 94 (6). New York City: Variety, Inc.: 5 February 20, 1929. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
4. The Library of Congress / FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: The Port of Missing Girls.
5. 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.

External links

• The Port of Missing Girls at IMDb
• Allmovie synopsis
• Lobby card for The Port of Missing Girls 1928