Oregon Movies, A to Z

We’re taking a detour here, to spotlight an historic lost film which was not made in Oregon, not made with any Oregon talent, was not based on a book by an Oregon author, nor based on the life of a real Oregonian.

The Oregon connection to Human Wreckage is this: it was made by the grieving widow of Wallace Reid, after Reid died of the morphine addiction he acquired while shooting a film in Oregon.

Dorothy Davenport, aka Mrs. Wallace Reid, starred as the concerned wife of a respectable, but addicted, lawyer. Bessie Love co-starred, as a young mother with a drug habit. This film’s sensational imagery helped solidify Hollywood’s decision to self regulate content via the Hays Code.

To read more about Human Wreckage, visit last year’s Bioscope Festival of Lost Films. Next year’s festival is coming up in January.