The Perils of Pauline (1947)

Director:

George Marshall

Writers:

P.J. Wolfson (screenplay) and
Frank Butler (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

4 July 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy

Plot:

The real life story of actress Pearl White during her rise to fame in silent serials.

Plot Keywords:

Sweatshop | Silent Film Star | Audition | Spinal Injury | Actor

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Betty Hutton	...	Pearl White
John Lund	...	Michael Farrington
Billy De Wolfe	...	Mr. Timmy Timmons
William Demarest	...	George 'Mac' McGuire
Constance Collier	...	Julia Gibbs
Frank Faylen	...	Mr. Joe Gurt
William Farnum	...	Western Saloon Set Hero
Chester Conklin	...	Comic Chef
Paul Panzer	...	Drawing Room Gent
'Snub' Pollard	...	Western Saloon Set Propman (as Snub Pollard)
James Finlayson	...	Comic Chef
Creighton Hale	...	Marcelled Leading Man
Hank Mann	...	Comic Chef
Francis McDonald	...	Western Saloon Set Heavy
Bert Roach	...	Western Saloon Set Bartender
Heinie Conklin	...	Studio Cop
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jean Acker	...	Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
Ernie Adams	...	Western Saloon Set Cowboy (uncredited)
Eric Alden	...	Officer (uncredited)
Bea Allen	...	Farrington Player (uncredited)
Florence Allen	...	Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
George Anderson	...	Western Saloon Set Director (uncredited)
Myrtle Anderson	...	Black Maid (uncredited)
Gordon Arnold	...	Song-and-Dance Man (uncredited)
Sam Ash	...	Poster Man (uncredited)
Max Asher	...	Comic (uncredited)
Dorothy Barrett	...	Girl (uncredited)
Stanley Blystone	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Eugene Borden	...	French Doctor #1 (uncredited)
Monte Brice	...	(uncredited)
Harlan Briggs	...	Jake (uncredited)
Anita Brown	...	Black Maid (uncredited)
Frances Budd	...	Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
George M. Carleton	...	Businessman (uncredited)
Kit Carson	...	Song-and-Dance Man (uncredited)
Louise Clark	...	Black Maid (uncredited)
Ethel Clayton	...	Lady Montague in Show (uncredited)
James Clemens	...	Poster Man (uncredited)
Chester Clute	...	Willie Millick (uncredited)
Helen Crozier	...	Black Maid (uncredited)
Sidney D'Albrook	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Hal K. Dawson	...	Exhibitor (uncredited)
Ray De Ravenne	...	Callboy (uncredited)
John Deauville	...	Assistant Director / Song-and-Dance Man (uncredited)
Lester Dorr	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Tom Dugan	...	Balloonist (uncredited)
Jimmie Dundee	...	Camera-Car Driver (uncredited)
Jay Eaton	...	Press Party Guest (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Friar John in Show (uncredited)
Julia Faye	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Charles Ferguson	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Frank Ferguson	...	Movie Theatre Owner (uncredited)
Eddie Fetherston	...	Jungle Set Cameraman (uncredited)
Margaret Field	...	Juliet in Show (uncredited)
Jac Fisher	...	Song-and-Dance Man (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Reporter at Reception (uncredited)
William Forrest	...	Bonds Barker (uncredited)
Buddy Gorman	...	Tomato-Thrower (uncredited)
Kit Guard	...	(uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton	...	Policeman at Switchboard (uncredited)
Harry Hayden	...	Stage Manager (uncredited)
Len Hendry	...	Assistant Director (uncredited)
Al Hill	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Betty Hill	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes	...	Audience Member (uncredited)
Shep Houghton	...	Song-and-Dance Man (uncredited)
Jerry James	...	Poster Man / Assistant Cameraman (uncredited)
Eddie Johnson	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Myra Jones	...	Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
Eddie Kane	...	Jungle Set Director (uncredited)
Edward Keane	...	Bond Buyer (uncredited)
Ethan Laidlaw	...	Stagehand (uncredited)
Richard LaMarr	...	Western Saloon Set Cowboy (uncredited)
Louise Lane	...	Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
Eddie Laughton	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Rex Lease	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Peggy Leon	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Stella LeSaint	...	Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
George Marshall Jr.	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Vera Martin	...	Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
Frank Mayo	...	Reporter at Reception (uncredited)
William Meader	...	Assistant Director (uncredited)
John 'Skins' Miller	...	Drawing Room Set Cameraman (uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse	...	Kitchen Set Cameraman (uncredited)
Frances Morris	...	McGuire's Secretary (uncredited)
William Moss	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Ross Murray	...	Song-and-Dance Man (uncredited)
John Mylong	...	French Doctor (uncredited)
Noreen Nash	...	(uncredited)
Laura R. Parrish	...	Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
Byron Poindexter	...	(uncredited)
Albert Pollet	...	Stage Manager (uncredited)
Hal Rand	...	Song-and-Dance Man (uncredited)
Renee Randall	...	Country Girl (uncredited)
Paula Ray	...	Reporter at Reception (uncredited)
Georges Renavent	...	French Doctor #2 (uncredited)
John S. Roberts	...	Song-and-Dance Man (uncredited)
Max 'Slapsie Maxie' Rosenbloom	...	Maxie (uncredited)
Elmer Serrano	...	French Chauffeur (uncredited)
Lucille Shamburger	...	Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
Jack Shea	...	Workman (uncredited)
Hal Taggart	...	Man in Audience (uncredited)
Arthur Tovey	...	Troupe Actor (uncredited)
Peter Trado	...	Poster Man (uncredited)
John Tyrrell	...	Assistant Director (uncredited)
Ernö Verebes	...	Drawing Room Set Director (uncredited)
Emmett Vogan	...	Exhibitor (uncredited)
Ray Walker	...	Armastice Day Set Technician (uncredited)
Bill Wallace	...	Cop at Switchboard (uncredited)
Lillian West	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Max Willenz	...	Johnny Millick (uncredited)
Gloria Williams	...	Fainting Woman (uncredited)
Emil Zarak	...	Song-and-Dance Man (uncredited)

Directed by
George Marshall

Writing credits
P.J. Wolfson		(screenplay) and
Frank Butler		(screenplay)
P.J. Wolfson		(story)

Produced by
Sol C. Siegel	....	producer

Original Music by
Robert Emmett Dolan

Cinematography by
Ray Rennahan		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Arthur P. Schmidt		(as Arthur Schmidt)

Art Direction by
Roland Anderson
Hans Dreier

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Ray Moyer

Costume Design by
Waldo Angelo		(chorus number)
Edith Head		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles C. Coleman	....	assistant director
Herbert Coleman	....	assistant director (as William H. Coleman)

Art Department
Gene Lauritzen	....	construction coordinator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Gene Merritt	....	sound recordist
Walter Oberst	....	sound recordist

Visual Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	process photography
Gordon Jennings	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Polly Burson	....	stunt double: Betty Hutton
Polly Burson	....	stunts (uncredited)

Music Department
Joseph J. Lilley	....	vocal arranger
Troy Sanders	....	musical associate
Charles Bradshaw	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
John Leipold	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
George Parrish	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Andrea Setaro	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Robert Brower	....	associate technicolor color director
Billy Daniel	....	dance stager (as Billy Daniels)
Louis J. Gasnier	....	technical advisor (as Louis Gasnier)
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor color director
Lieutennant J.J. Leonard	....	balloonist (uncredited)

Thanks
Charles W. Goddard	....	dedicatee: writer of original serial

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1947) (USA) (theatrical)
• Hollywood Classics (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Bridgestone Multimedia (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Roan Group, The (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Brentwood Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (VHS)
• VCI Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Bach Films (2009) (France) (DVD)
• Critics' Choice Video (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Mega Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #12134) | Sweden:15 | Spain:T | Australia:G | Canada:G (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

There never was any scene with the heroine tied to railroad tracks in the original The Perils of Pauline (1914). The scene like that in this film is actually a recreation of a scene in a Keystone comedy called Teddy at the Throttle (1917). A similar scene also occurred in an earlier Keystone comedy called Barney Oldfield's Race for a Life (1913).

Goofs:

Factual errors: In real life, Pearl began making films for Powers Pictures, then went to Pathé, where she made most of her serials, and to Crystal, where she made a long succession of comedy shorts; in the film, she works for Artcraft, which did not even exist when Pearl began in 1910.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Heart & Soul: The Life and Music of Frank Loesser (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

I Wish I Didn't Love You So

Any movie with Betty Hutton in it is worth watching.

Don't expect ‘The Perils of Pauline' to cast much truth on the real Pearl White. In line with similar movies of the period, it's entertainment first and truth a distant second. What you do get is the irrepressible Betty Hutton, a kind of female Mickey Rooney. You also get Billy DeWolfe and William Demarest and those three make this movie worth the price of admission. Betty may bear a resemblance to other blondes of the period but it would take a hard hearted viewer not to like her. She's that kind of girl and rarely has an actress worked so hard in a part.

There are some good scenes; the movie factory gets my vote. This has been done both before and since but rarely so effectively. Bill Demarest overacts superbly as her manager, as does Billy DeWolfe as her best pal. The weak link is John Lund. Okay, maybe he's supposed to be that way. I just didn't think he was effective. The movie falls away in the last third but despite that, it's worth viewing. Betty belts out ‘I Wish I Didn't Love Him So' but it's not a particularly memorable song from Frank Loesser.

Five years after this movie, Betty would walk out on her Paramount contract and destroy her career. Like a number of memorable actresses of the great studio period, her star burnt brightly before going out forever. If you see her name in a cast list, on a movie long-forgotten, don't miss it.