The Perils of Pauline is a motion picture serial shown in weekly installments featuring
Pearl WhitePearl Fay White was an American film actress, the so-called "Stunt Queen" of silent films, most notably in The Perils of Pauline.-Early life:...
as the title character. Pauline has often been cited as a famous example of a
damsel in distressThe subject of the damsel in distress, or persecuted maiden, is a classic theme in world literature, art, and film. She is usually a beautiful young woman placed in a dire predicament by a villain or a monster and who requires a hero to dash to her rescue...
, although some analyses hold that her character was more resourceful and less helpless than the classic damsel stereotype.
She is menaced by assorted
villainA villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
s, including pirates and
Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
. Contrary to popular belief, neither
Pauline nor its successor,
The Exploits of ElaineThe Exploits of Elaine is a 1914 film serial in the genre of The Perils of Pauline, and even outgrossed that serial in ticket sales. It tells the story of a young woman named Elaine who, with the help of a detective, tries to find the man, known only as "The Clutching Hand", who murdered her...
, used the so-called "
cliffhangerA cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation...
" format in which a serial episode ends with an unresolved danger that is addressed at the beginning of the next installment.
The Perils of Pauline is a motion picture serial shown in weekly installments featuring
Pearl WhitePearl Fay White was an American film actress, the so-called "Stunt Queen" of silent films, most notably in The Perils of Pauline.-Early life:...
as the title character. Pauline has often been cited as a famous example of a
damsel in distressThe subject of the damsel in distress, or persecuted maiden, is a classic theme in world literature, art, and film. She is usually a beautiful young woman placed in a dire predicament by a villain or a monster and who requires a hero to dash to her rescue...
, although some analyses hold that her character was more resourceful and less helpless than the classic damsel stereotype.
She is menaced by assorted
villainA villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
s, including pirates and
Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
. Contrary to popular belief, neither
Pauline nor its successor,
The Exploits of ElaineThe Exploits of Elaine is a 1914 film serial in the genre of The Perils of Pauline, and even outgrossed that serial in ticket sales. It tells the story of a young woman named Elaine who, with the help of a detective, tries to find the man, known only as "The Clutching Hand", who murdered her...
, used the so-called "
cliffhangerA cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation...
" format in which a serial episode ends with an unresolved danger that is addressed at the beginning of the next installment. Although each episode placed Pauline in a situation that looked sure to result in her imminent death, the end of each installment showed how she was rescued or otherwise escaped the danger.
The serial had 20 episodes, the first being three reels and the rest two reels each. After the original run, it was reshown in theaters a number of times, sometimes in edited, shortened versions, through the 1920s. Today,
The Perils of Pauline is known to exist only in a shortened 9-reel version released in Europe in 1916.
In 2008,
The Perils of Pauline was selected for preservation in the United States
National Film RegistryThe National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
by the
Library of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress and is the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and holds the largest number of books. The head...
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Plot
The premise of the story was that Pauline's wealthy guardian Mr. Marvin, upon his death, has left her inheritance in the care of his secretary Mr. Koerner until the time of her marriage. Pauline wants to wait a while before marrying, as her dream is to go out and have adventures to prepare herself for becoming an author. Mr. Koerner, hoping to ultimately keep the money for himself, tries to turn Pauline's various adventures against her and have her "disappear" to his own advantage.
Behind the scenes
E.A. McManus of the Hearst Chain was the person who proved how successful a serial could be. He co-operated with
PathéThis article deals with the Pathé movie company. For their music business, see Pathé Records.Pathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various French businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France.-History:...
to produce this serial, which was Pathé's first entry into the medium.
William Randolph HearstWilliam Randolph Hearst was an American newspaper magnate and leading newspaper publisher.Hearst was born in San Francisco, California, to millionaire mining engineer George Hearst and Phoebe Apperson. Following preparation at St...
was involved in plot development. He was also present at the premiere at Loew's Broadway Theatre on 23rd March 1914. The general release was approximately on 1st April 1914. The premiere date is given in "The Truth About Pearl White" by Wallace E. Davis. George W. Seitz tried to follow the cliffhanging pattern of Adventures of Kathlyn but each chapter was mostly self contained.
Pearl White performed her own stunts for the serial. Considerable risk was involved. In one incident a balloon carrying White escaped and carried her across New York City into a storm before landing miles away.
In another incident her back was permanently injured in a fall.
Surviving chapters of
Pauline are noteworthy for their unintentionally funny title cards and dialogue captions, filled with misspellings, poor punctuation, terrible grammar, and odd expressions.
PathéThis article deals with the Pathé movie company. For their music business, see Pathé Records.Pathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various French businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France.-History:...
, the theatrical distributor, exported the film to
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
, where it was recut and adapted for home-movie use. All of the printed captions were translated into
FrenchFrench is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
. Later, when the significance of the serial was realised and the American home-movie industry beckoned, the original
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
titles had been scrapped, so the French technicians tried to translate the titles back into English. These errors have also been blamed on
Louis J. GasnierLouis J. Gasnier was a French film director.Born in Paris, Gasnier was working in theatre when Pathé hired him to direct films in the earliest days of cinema. He directed comedian Max Linder in many of his early short comedies...
, director and supervisor of the production. Gasnier, as explained by
Crane WilburCrane Wilbur was an American writer, actor and director for stage, radio and screen. He was born on 17 November 1886 in Athens, New York. He died on 18 October 1973.-Biography:...
, made linguistic mistakes that confused the French-speaking crew. In either case, current prints of
The Perils of Pauline contain these badly re-translated title cards. Thus, in "The Pirate's Treasure" Pauline detects a time-bomb and says, "What is that tic-tac I can hear." In the same episode she spies one of the quaint locals and observes, "Here is an original old man."
The term "
cliffhangerA cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation...
" may have originated with the series, owing to a number of episodes filmed on or around the
New Jersey PalisadesThe Palisades, also called the New Jersey Palisades or the Hudson Palisades are a line of steep cliffs along the west side of the lower Hudson River in northeast New Jersey and southern New York in the United States. The cliffs stretch north from Jersey City approximately 20 mi to near Nyack, New...
. One of the more famous scenes in the serial was filmed on the curved Ingham Run trestle in
New Hope, PennsylvaniaNew Hope, formerly known as Coryell's Ferry, is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 2,252 at the 2000 census.-Geography:New Hope is located at ....
on the Reading Company's New Hope Branch (now the
New Hope and Ivyland RailroadThe New Hope and Ivyland Railroad is a shortline railroad in Pennsylvania. It also operates a heritage railroad, offering passenger excursions....
line). The trestle still stands, just off Ferry Street, and is now referred to as "Pauline's Trestle". The railroad is a tourist attraction and offers rides from New Hope to Lahaska, Pennsylvania, crossing over the original trestle. Contrary to popular myth, though, the scene did not feature Pauline tied to the tracks.
Milton BerleMilton Berle was an Emmy-winning American comedian and actor. As the manic host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater , he was the first major star of US television and as such became known as Uncle Miltie and Mr...
(b.1908) claimed The Perils of Pauline as his first film appearance, playing the character of a young boy, though this has never been independently verified. The serial did mark one of the early credits for the cinematographer
Arthur C. MillerArthur Charles Miller, A.S.C. was an acclaimed American cinematographer and a three-time Academy Award winner.-Early life:...
, who was transferred to the project from the Pathé News department.
PathéThis article deals with the Pathé movie company. For their music business, see Pathé Records.Pathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various French businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France.-History:...
, the France-based company that during the first part of the 20th century was the largest film equipment and production company in the world, established an American factory and studio facility in
Jersey City, New JerseyJersey City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the population of Jersey City was 240,055, making it New Jersey's second-largest city, behind Newark. As of the Census Bureau's 2007 estimate, the population had grown to 242,389...
in 1910 and also established the Eclectic Film Company as a subsidiary distribution company for both its American and European product. Although the Jersey City plant produced moderately popular comedies, dramas, and newsreels largely directed at the US market,
Pauline was the first American-made Pathé effort to achieve worldwide success under the Eclectic banner.
The final peril has Pauline sitting in a target boat as the Navy opens fire. The idea was also used in
To the Shores of TripoliTo the Shores of Tripoli is a Technicolor 1942 film starring John Payne, Maureen O'Hara, Randolph Scott, and Nancy Kelly. The movie was directed by H...
(1942, Fox).
Reception
The Perils of Pauline was an "Excellent serial" according to the Motion Picture Herald.
Sequels and remake
This successful serial was quickly followed by
The Exploits of ElaineThe Exploits of Elaine is a 1914 film serial in the genre of The Perils of Pauline, and even outgrossed that serial in ticket sales. It tells the story of a young woman named Elaine who, with the help of a detective, tries to find the man, known only as "The Clutching Hand", who murdered her...
, also starring White. Many imitations and
parodiesA parody , in contemporary usage, is a work created to mock, comment on, or poke fun at an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
followed, heralding the first golden age of the American film serial.
The title
The Perils of Pauline was reused by
Universal StudiosUniversal Studios , a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is one of the six major American movie studios. Its main motion picture production/distribution arm is called Universal Pictures. Its production studios are located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California...
for a
1933 sound serialThe Perils of Pauline is a movie serial, and sound film remake, of the Pathé original. The 1933 12-chapter "cliffhanger" was produced by Universal Studios. Evalyn Knapp, herself a graduate of silent Pathé short subjects, starred as heroine Pauline Hargrave...
with a different plot and an
updated 1967 comedyThe Perils of Pauline is a 1967 comedy film, which enjoyed neither the commercial nor critical success of the earlier Paulines. Inspired by the Batman TV series, with the same kind of florid villainy and dauntless heroics, this TV pilot starred Pamela Austin as Pauline and Pat Boone as her staunch...
.
Parodies
TerrytoonsTerrytoons was an animation studio founded by Paul Terry. The studio, located in suburban New Rochelle, New York, operated from 1929 to 1968...
produced a
Mighty MouseMighty Mouse is an animated superhero mouse character created by the Terrytoons studio for 20th Century Fox.- History :The character was created by story man Izzy Klein as a super-powered housefly named "Superfly." Studio head Paul Terry changed the character into a toon mouse instead...
animated short entitled
The Perils of Pearl Pureheart. References to
Perils appear in 1960s
animated cartoonAn animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
television shows
Dudley Do-RightDudley Do-Right was the eponymous hero of a segment on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show which parodied early 20th century melodrama and silent film in the form of the Northern genre...
and
The Perils of Penelope PitstopThe Perils of Penelope Pitstop is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera that premiered on CBS on September 13, 1969...
.
Cast
- Pearl White
Pearl Fay White was an American film actress, the so-called "Stunt Queen" of silent films, most notably in The Perils of Pauline.-Early life:...
as Pauline. Pearl White was dubious of the idea but signed up for $250/week and lots of publicity.
- Crane Wilbur
Crane Wilbur was an American writer, actor and director for stage, radio and screen. He was born on 17 November 1886 in Athens, New York. He died on 18 October 1973.-Biography:...
as Harry Marvin
- Paul Panzer
Paul Panzer , was a German silent film actor. He appeared in 333 films between 1905 and 1952.He was born in Würzburg, Bavaria, and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:...
as Koerner / Raymond Owen
- Edward José
Edward José was a Belgian film director and actor of the silent era. He directed 42 films between 1915 and 1925...
as Sanford Marvin
- Francis Carlyle as Owen's Henchman, Hicks
- Clifford Bruce as Gypsy Leader
- Donald MacKenzie as Blinky Bill
- Jack Standing as Ensign Summers
- Eleanor Woodruff as Lucille
External links