List of Warner Bros. lost films
This is a list of a lost film is defined as one of which no part of a silent/sound print is known to have survived, produced and distributed by Warner Bros. for the years 1918-1931 and its subsidiary First National for the years 1928-1931 and 1933. WARNING: For films for which no footage (such as trailers) is known to have survived.
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- DirectorsJack HarveyCliff SaumStarsEarl SchenckClaire WhitneyPercy StandingDuring World War I, an illegitimate son of the German Kaiser, who had been raised in the US--and is a double for the the Kaiser's son, the Crown Prince--is sent to Germany as a spy in order to kill both the Kaiser and his son.World War I drama film, directed by Jack Harvey (John Joseph Harvey).
- DirectorGilbert P. HamiltonStarsHelen HolmesJack MowerT.D. CrittendenThis is the first "lost" serial of Warner Brothers.
- DirectorsBertram BrackenJames C. BradfordStarsHenry B. WalthallMary AldenWilliam CliffordA young man just released from prison can't find work because no employer will hire an ex-convict. Broke and hungry, he steals money off of a painter. The painter, however, takes pity on him and decides to help him get his life back together.Warner re-release in 1921.
- DirectorWilliam NighStarsAnna Q. NilssonMaurine PowersJulia Swayne GordonBecause her father has strict ideas about what clothing she should wear and with whom she should associate, Anna Hedder leaves home and takes up residence with two girl friends. She meets Madeline Wallace, whose father is extremely lenient, but he soon discovers that she is becoming too indiscriminate in her associates; Madeline rebels, and she is enticed to Anna's apartment by Reynolds, an old roué, while the girls are out. Anna and her friends return in time to save Madeline's reputation. Madeline, having learned her lesson, returns to her father; and Anna's father, having softened his attitude, persuades her to return home too.1926's Why Girls Go Back Home is a sequel to the film that was also produced by Warner Bros (is not early sound films). The poster for the film was featured in the 1962 film Gypsy.
- DirectorHorace G. PlymptonStarsCharles EldridgeJack Lionel BohnEdith StocktonA poor shoemaker struggles to send his son to college, where he becomes a football star.A poor shoemaker struggles to send his son to college, where he becomes a football star.
- DirectorWilliam NighStarsVera GordonHarry BenhamStanley PriceA Jewish mother in New York finds herself at odds with her son's new wife, a pretty Gentile girl.A Jewish mother in New York finds herself at odds with her son's new wife, a pretty Gentile girl.
- DirectorWallace WorsleyStarsWesley BarryNiles WelchRuth RenickA rich young boy has to prove his worth to the gang he has just joined by enduring all sorts of hardships, including a kidnap attempt, before they'll accept him.
- DirectorsJack L. WarnerSam WarnerStarsGrace DarmondPhilo McCulloughJack RichardsonThe thrilling adventures of the daughters of Professor Stanton, scientist and explorer, in their search for hidden treasure in the Central African jungles.
- DirectorWilliam A. SeiterStarsMarie PrevostKenneth HarlanHarry MyersGloria, the daughter in a wealthy family, has finally spent most of her father's money. She marries Tony, whose as much of a reckless spendthrift as she is, and they continue indulging themselves. Tony's wealthy grandfather Adam Patch dies, but to their surprise he leaves Tony nothing. The couple try their hands at actually working for a living, but they don't like it and return to their spendthrift ways. Something has to give, and it soon does.Based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel The Beautiful and Damned, starred Kenneth Harlan and Marie Prevost. The film's survival status is currently unknown, and it is now presumed lost.
- DirectorHarry BeaumontStarsFlorence VidorMonte BlueHarry MyersThe arrival of pretty Carol Milford in the staid Midwestern town of Gopher Prairie really shakes up the locals.A Broadway play version of the novel was produced in 1921. This film is lost, as no print exists. The first known distributed by Warner Bros. (and his first logo as "Classics of the screen"), founded in April 4, 1923.
- DirectorsJohnny HinesArthur RossonStarsJohnny HinesWyndham StandingMargaret SeddonJockey Johnny Jones is hired to ride The Earl of Bloomsburg's horse at the English Derby. Crooked gambler Robert Anstead frames Johnny as a thief and kidnaps his sweetheart to make him throw the race. Will he succeed?Adapted from a Broadway musical starring George M. Cohan. "Little Johnny Jones" opened at the Liberty Theatre in New York on Nov. 7, 1904 and ran for 52 performances. Later remade as an early sound film, Little Johnny Jones (1929) by First National.
- DirectorWilliam BeaudineStarsWesley BarryHarry MyersKathryn McGuireBrick Hubbard, a "printer's devil", convinces his friend Sid Fletcher to invest in "The Gazette", a local newspaper. Sid pens an editorial that infuriates Ira Gates, a local banker and a power in the town--and who also happens to be the father of Vivian Gates, whom Sidney is in love with. To complicate matters, the bank is robbed and Sidney is suspected of the crime.
- DirectorHarry BeaumontStarsHope HamptonWyndham StandingLouise FazendaStephen Lee doesn't want his nephew Wally Sanders to marry chorus girl Violet Dayne, because he believes all chorus girls to be ruthless gold diggers, always chasing after the men's money. Violet's friend Jerry La Mar decides to 'gold dig' Stephen, to show him what a nice and unselfish girl Violet is, but then she realizes that she's really in love with Stephen Lee....The story of The Gold Diggers was filmed again as a talkie in 1929 as Gold Diggers of Broadway, which is now lost, and also in 1933 as Gold Diggers of 1933, with musical numbers created by Busby Berkeley. Three other sequels followed: Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935), Gold Diggers of 1937 (1936), and Gold Diggers in Paris (1938), based on the play The Gold Diggers by Avery Hopwood which ran for 282 performances on Broadway in 1919 and 1920.
According to the NitrateVille website, in May 2021, a collector found an incomplete nitrate 35mm Belgian print in England, which has been uploaded to YouTube. However, only 2, 3, 7 and 8 reels are still missing. - DirectorMalcolm St. ClairStarsWesley BarryGertrude OlmsteadLéon BaryA senator is trying to get his niece to marry a foreign count. The senator's teenage son finds out that the count is not only a phony, but an international criminal. The boy sets out to break up the impending marriage and save his father from ruin and his cousin from marrying a man she doesn't love.
- DirectorMonta BellStarsMarie PrevostMonte BlueClaude GillingwaterA businessman looking to improve sales takes the advice of a friend and uses the services of the friend's wife to help build the business. Unfortunately, it isn't long before jealousy rears its ugly head, and the wife finds herself accused of "stepping out" with prospective clients.
- DirectorMonta BellStarsAdolphe MenjouNorma ShearerAnna Q. NilssonA brash young man-about-town is attracted to a Broadway actress, but her flirtatious ways turn him off and make him want to change his life. He takes a room in a quite boarding-house that caters to theatrical people. He soon meets Rose, a working girl who has just been fired because of a previous jail sentence, and decides to help her.
- DirectorHarry BeaumontStarsWillard LouisMary AldenCarmel MyersGeorge F. Babbitt--middle-aged, respectable, a prosperous real estate man--tired of the routine of family life, finds he has let life slip by. In an attempt to renew his youth he begins an affair with an alluring young woman.Based on novel by Sinclair Lewis. The first adaptation was a silent film released in 1924 and starring Willard Louis as George F. Babbitt. Better known is the 1934 talkie starring Guy Kibbee. That version, while remaining somewhat true to Lewis's novel, takes liberties with the plot, exaggerating Babbitt's affair and a sour real estate deal. Both films were Warner Bros. productions.
- DirectorPhil RosenStarsMarie PrevostMonte BlueLouise FazendaWealthy young Charles Carpenter is pressured by his family to marry Suzanne, even though he is really in love with young "flapper" Valerie. He gives in to his family's pressure, however, and marries Suzanne, after which Valerie leaves town. Years later, after Charles and Suzanne have had a child, Valerie comes back to town and Charles realizes he is still in love with her, and she with him. Complications ensue.
- DirectorWilliam BeaudineStarsMarie PrevostRockliffe FellowesRaymond HattonA pair of professional thieves discovers that their accomplice, Mary Brennan, is a dead-ringer for wealthy heiress Margaret Waring. They wait until Margaret is absent from the house, then place Mary there to make their heist easier. Unfortunately, Margaret returns before they've finished the job and gets shot. When the police get there, both women claim to be Margaret Waring and accuse the other of being the thief--and they look so much alike that no one can tell the difference.
- DirectorsWilliam BeaudinePhil RosenStarsRobert EllisGertrude OlmsteadCrauford KentA doctor in a small town is being pursued by a wealthy young woman who just won't give up, even after he repeatedly rejects her advances. His main concern is taking care of the health of the people in his town; hers is just to have a good time. Complications ensue.
- DirectorWesley RugglesStarsEdith RobertsElliott DexterWillard LouisNewland Archer is engaged to May Mingott of a prominent New York family. Shortly after the engagement is announce, Newland finds himself attracted to May's older married cousin Countess Ellen Olenska.It is the first film adaptation of Edith Wharton’s novel The Age of Innocence.
- DirectorMillard WebbStarsMarie PrevostMonte BlueHelene ChadwickClever vamp Eve Quinn has generally had her way with men, while her quiet, deep-thinking sister Cornelia cannot bring herself to deliberately pursue them. So Eve wins Lewis Dike, whom Cornelia loves. Immediately after her wedding Eve beings a series of dangerous adventures with Wilfred Meadows. Lewis learns of them and endeavors to reason with his wife, but she will not listen. As Cornelia is sailing for Europe, Lewis meets her at the dock, tells her that he made a mistake in marrying Eve and that they will be divorced--and that he loves Cornelia. They part with mutual assurances of a future meeting. - Moving Picture World, 1924.
- DirectorHarry BeaumontStarsIrene RichMatt MooreJune MarloweA spoiled young girl manages to snag a wealthy older man as her husband, but soon becomes bored. She finally leaves him, but doesn't really know what she wants. A young man who is a friend--and, unbeknownst to her, an admirer--takes her in.
- DirectorWilliam BeaudineStarsMatt MooreDorothy DevoreDavid ButlerSimon Haldane works in the office of the Faulkner Iron Works, but he has been raised by his two maiden aunts in an extremely sheltered manner, and is basically afraid of everyone and everything. One morning he finds a strange girl shivering in his bedroom, and although he's terrified of her, he manages to call a doctor for her. This starts a rumor that Simon is married. Complications ensue.
