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The Perils of Pauline (1914 serial)
Encyclopedia
The Perils of Pauline is a motion picture serial shown in weekly installments featuring Pearl White
as the title character. Pauline has often been cited as a famous example of a damsel in distress
, although some analyses hold that her character was more resourceful and less helpless than the classic damsel stereotype.
She is menaced by assorted villain
s, including pirates and Native Americans
. Neither Pauline nor its successor, The Exploits of Elaine
, used the so-called "cliffhanger
" 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 (30 minutes) and the rest two reels (20 minutes) 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 chapter version (approximately 214 minutes) released in Europe in 1916.
In 2008, The Perils of Pauline was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry
by the Library of Congress
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
to produce this serial, which was Pathé's first entry into the medium.
William Randolph Hearst
was involved in plot development. He was also present at the premiere at Loew's Broadway Theatre on 23 March 1914. The general release was approximately on 1 April 1914. The premiere date is given in "The Truth About Pearl White" by Wallace E. Davis. George B. Seitz
tried to follow the cliffhanging pattern of The Adventures of Kathlyn
but each chapter was mostly self contained.
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. This happened when Pathé
, the theatrical distributor, exported the film to France
, where it was recut and adapted for home-movie use. All of the printed captions were translated into French
. Later, when the American home-movie industry beckoned, the original English
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. Gasnier
, director and supervisor of the production. Gasnier, as explained by Crane Wilbur
, 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 new title cards also renamed the villain's character: "Raymond Owen" was now called "Koerner," in reference to German "villainy" during World War I
.
Much of the film was shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey
when many early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based there at the beginning of the 20th century. The term "cliffhanger
" may have originated with the series, owing to a number of episodes filmed on or around the New Jersey Palisades
-- though it is also likely to refer to situations in stories of this type where the hero or heroine is hanging from a cliff, seemingly with no way out, until the next episode or last-minute resolution.
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 the Hudson River
into a storm before landing miles away. In another incident her back was permanently injured in a fall.
One of the more famous scenes in the serial was filmed on the curved Ingham Run trestle in New Hope, Pennsylvania
on the Reading Company's New Hope Branch (now the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad
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.
Milton Berle
(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. Miller
, who was transferred to the project from the Pathé News department.
Pathé
, 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 Jersey
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 Tripoli
(1942, Fox).
, also starring White. Many imitations and parodies
followed, heralding the first golden age of the American film serial.
The title The Perils of Pauline was reused by Universal Studios
for a 1933 sound serial
with a different plot, by Paramount Pictures
as the Betty Hutton
vehicle The Perils of Pauline
(1947), and by Universal again in 1967 as an updated comedy
.
produced a Mighty Mouse
animated short entitled The Perils of Pearl Pureheart. References to Perils appear in 1960s animated cartoon
television shows Dudley Do-Right
and The Perils of Penelope Pitstop
as well as 1980s sitcom Punky Brewster
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 the title character. Pauline has often been cited as a famous example of a damsel in distress
Damsel in distress
The 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 monster and who requires a hero to achieve her rescue. She has become a stock character of fiction,...
, although some analyses hold that her character was more resourceful and less helpless than the classic damsel stereotype.
She is menaced by assorted villain
Villain
A 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 Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. Neither Pauline nor its successor, The Exploits of Elaine
The Exploits of Elaine
The Exploits of Elaine is a film serial in the genre of The Perils of Pauline.The Exploits of Elaine 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 father. The Clutching Hand was the first...
, used the so-called "cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A 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 at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
" 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 (30 minutes) and the rest two reels (20 minutes) 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 chapter version (approximately 214 minutes) released in Europe in 1916.
In 2008, The Perils of Pauline was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The 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 Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and 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...
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 PathéPathé
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 Hearst
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
was involved in plot development. He was also present at the premiere at Loew's Broadway Theatre on 23 March 1914. The general release was approximately on 1 April 1914. The premiere date is given in "The Truth About Pearl White" by Wallace E. Davis. George B. Seitz
George B. Seitz
George Brackett Seitz was an American playwright, screenwriter, film actor and director. He was known for his screenplays for action serials, including:*The Perils of Pauline *The Exploits of Elaine...
tried to follow the cliffhanging pattern of The Adventures of Kathlyn
The Adventures of Kathlyn
The Adventures of Kathlyn is an American motion picture serial released on December 29, 1913 by the Selig Polyscope Company. An adventure serial filmed in Chicago, Illinois, its thirteen episodes were directed by Francis J. Grandon from a story by Harold MacGrath and Gilson Willets and starred...
but each chapter was mostly self contained.
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. This happened when Pathé
Pathé
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 France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where it was recut and adapted for home-movie use. All of the printed captions were translated into French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. Later, when the American home-movie industry beckoned, the original English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
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. Gasnier
Louis J. Gasnier
Louis 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 Wilbur
Crane Wilbur
Crane Wilbur was an American writer, actor and director for stage, radio and screen. He was born in Athens, New York...
, 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 new title cards also renamed the villain's character: "Raymond Owen" was now called "Koerner," in reference to German "villainy" during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Much of the film was shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 35,345. Located atop the Hudson Palisades, the borough is the western terminus of the George Washington Bridge...
when many early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based there at the beginning of the 20th century. The term "cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A 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 at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
" may have originated with the series, owing to a number of episodes filmed on or around the New Jersey Palisades
New Jersey Palisades
The 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 northeastern New Jersey and southern New York in the United States. The cliffs stretch north from Jersey City approximately 20 mi to near...
-- though it is also likely to refer to situations in stories of this type where the hero or heroine is hanging from a cliff, seemingly with no way out, until the next episode or last-minute resolution.
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 the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
into a storm before landing miles away. In another incident her back was permanently injured in a fall.
One of the more famous scenes in the serial was filmed on the curved Ingham Run trestle in New Hope, Pennsylvania
New Hope, Pennsylvania
New Hope, formerly known as Coryell's Ferry, is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 2,528 at the 2010 census. The borough lies on the west bank of the Delaware River at its confluence with Aquetong Creek. A two-lane bridge carries automobile and foot traffic across the...
on the Reading Company's New Hope Branch (now the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad
New Hope and Ivyland Railroad
The 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.
Milton Berle
Milton Berle
Milton Berlinger , better known as Milton Berle, was an American comedian and actor. As the manic host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater , in 1948 he was the first major star of U.S. 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. Miller
Arthur C. Miller
Arthur Charles Miller, A.S.C. was an acclaimed American cinematographer.-Early life:Born in Roslyn, New York, Arthur Miller began his career at the age of 13, working as an assistant to filmmaker Fred J. Balshofer...
, who was transferred to the project from the Pathé News department.
Pathé
Pathé
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 Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
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 Tripoli
To the Shores of Tripoli
To the Shores of Tripoli is a Technicolor 1942 film starring John Payne, Maureen O'Hara, Randolph Scott, Nancy Kelly and Minor Watson. The film 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
The Exploits of Elaine is a film serial in the genre of The Perils of Pauline.The Exploits of Elaine 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 father. The Clutching Hand was the first...
, also starring White. Many imitations and parodies
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise 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 Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
for a 1933 sound serial
The Perils of Pauline (1933 serial)
The 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, by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
as the Betty Hutton
Betty Hutton
Betty Hutton was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedienne and singer.-Early life:Hutton was born Elizabeth June Thornburg, daughter of a railroad foreman, Percy E. Thornburg and his wife, the former Mabel Lum . While she was very young, her father abandoned the family for...
vehicle The Perils of Pauline
The Perils of Pauline (1947 film)
The Perils of Pauline is a 1947 American film directed by George Marshall and released by Paramount Pictures. The movie is a fictionalized Hollywood account of silent film star Pearl White's rise to fame, starring Betty Hutton as White....
(1947), and by Universal again in 1967 as an updated comedy
The Perils of Pauline (1967 film)
The 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, best known for her appearances in Dodge...
.
Parodies
TerrytoonsTerrytoons
Terrytoons was an animation studio founded by Paul Terry. The studio, located in suburban New Rochelle, New York, operated from 1929 to 1968. Its most popular characters included Mighty Mouse, Gandy Goose, Sourpuss, Dinky Duck, Deputy Dawg, Luno and Heckle and Jeckle; these cartoons and all of its...
produced a Mighty Mouse
Mighty Mouse
Mighty 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 cartoon mouse instead...
animated short entitled The Perils of Pearl Pureheart. References to Perils appear in 1960s animated cartoon
Animated cartoon
An 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-Right
Dudley Do-Right
Dudley Do-Right, created by Alex Anderson, is 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 Pitstop
The Perils of Penelope Pitstop
The Perils of Penelope Pitstop is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that premiered on CBS on September 13, 1969. The show lasted two full seasons, with a total of 17 half-hour episodes produced and released, the last first-run episode airing on January...
as well as 1980s sitcom Punky Brewster
Punky Brewster
Punky Brewster was an American sitcom about a girl named Punky Brewster being raised by her foster parent...
Cast
- Pearl WhitePearl 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 Pauline (Pearl White was dubious of the idea but signed up for $250/week and lots of publicity.) - Crane WilburCrane WilburCrane Wilbur was an American writer, actor and director for stage, radio and screen. He was born in Athens, New York...
as Harry Marvin - Paul PanzerPaul PanzerPaul Panzer was a German-American silent film actor. He appeared in 333 films between 1905 and 1952. Panzer was best known for playing Koerner/Raymond Owen in The Perils of Pauline....
as Koerner / Raymond Owen - Edward JoséEdward JoséEdward 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