Baldwin's One Day, When I Was Lost: A Scenario was published as a screenplay in text form but was never produced as a movie. In a collaborated form, co-written by Arnold Perl, a similar screenplay was produced as a documentary in 1972. Also, in 1995, Spike Lee very loosely based his famous adaptation, Malcolm X, on Baldwin's screenplay. However, since the play was only published as text, it has received very little critical attention.

Patsy Brewington Perry's article "One Day, When I was Lost, Baldwin's Unfulfilled Obligation" is an exception. The title of her essay foreshadows her attitudes about Baldwin's dramatic adaptation of Alex Haley's The Autobiography of Malcolm X, as well as Baldwin's own obligation to write truthfully and fairly about his friend Malcolm. Perry concludes that Baldwin fell short of the duty and trust that Baldwin claimed. "Does Baldwin fulfill his obligation, or does 'lost' of...