The Perils of Pauline was a silent movie serial which debuted in 1914. A second serial of this name ran in the 1930s. There is also a 1947 feature movie which makes reference to the earlier serial.

The Silent Serial

The very popular silent Perils of Pauline was a cliffhanger serial shown in weekly instalments featuring Pearl White as the title character, a perpetual damsel in distress. She was menaced by assorted villains, including pirates and Indians. At the end of each installment she was generally placed in a situation that looked sure to result in her imminent death. The start of the next episode showed how she was rescued or othewise escaped the danger, only to face fresh peril again.

The serial had 20 episodes. After the original run it was reshown in theaters a number of times, sometimes in edited down shortened versions, through the 1920s.

The successful serial was quickly followed by The Exploits of Elaine, also starring White. Many imitations and parodies followed.

References to it appear in 1960s animated cartoon television shows Dudley Do-Right (where the villain often tied Nell to a railroad track), and The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop.

The 1930s Serial

A sound film remake of the famous silent serial appeared in 1934, starring Evalyn Knapp as Pauline. It was made by Universal Studios.

The 1947 Feature Film

The 1947 feature is a fictionalized Hollywood account of silent star Pearl White's rise to fame, starring Betty Hutton as White.

The film also stars William Demarest, Frank Faylen , Constance Collier , Billy De Wolf , and John Lund . It was directed by George Marshall, and featured songs by Frank Loesser.

The 1967 Film

A 1967 comedy The Perils of Pauline staring Pat Boone and Pamela Austin enjoyed neither the commercial or critical success of earlier films of this title.

External links

On the Internet Movie Database site:

• 1914 "Perils"
• 1934 "Perils"
• 1947 "Perils"
• 1967 "Perils"