The Perils of Pauline (1947)

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

Director:

George Marshall

Writers:

P.J. Wolfson (screenplay), Frank Butler (screenplay)

Stars:

Betty Hutton, John Lund, Billy De Wolfe

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Fun loving Pearl White, working in a garment sweatshop, gets her big chance when she "opens" for a delayed Shakespeare play...with a comic vaudeville performance. Her brief stage career leads her into those "horrible" moving pictures, where she comes to love the chaotic world of silent movies, becoming queen of the serials. But the consequences of movie stardom may be more than her leading man can take.

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Plot Keywords:

actor | fame | sweatshop | damsel in distress | tied to railroad tracks | 

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Taglines:

The Untold Story of the Life and Loves of the First Great Thrill Star of the Screen!

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 July 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los peligros de Paulina

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

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).

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Goofs

In real life, Pearl White was married and divorced twice; her second husband committed suicide in 1928, 7 years after their 1921 divorce. In the film, she never marries, although a forthcoming marriage to the fictitious Michael Farrington is implied at the finale, which takes sometime in the mid-1920's.

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Quotes

George 'Mac' McGuire: [on learning that the war is over] How do you like that? Everything happens to me! I just get the war going good, and now they they call it off! Get the writers. We gotta write the war out.

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Connections

References The Perils of Pauline (1914)

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Soundtracks

Poor Pauline
(1914) (uncredited)
Written by Charles McCarron and Raymond Walker

User Reviews

MAINTAINS BETTY HUTTON'S REPUTATION FOR ENERGY

Enthusiastically ambulating throughout this charming and funny story of silent-film Hollywood, Betty Hutton depicts a mythlike Pearl White, framed by fascinating shots of prototypical movie-making. A romantic plot involving Betty and her princely co-star, John Lund, is developed in a leisurely fashion until the rather frenetic ending. Hutton's singing is often spectacular, as with her opening number, and enjoyment is developed as the viewer identifies early stars in this fine example of 40's cinema.