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Pearl White (center).
Photograph: Silent Era image collection.
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The Perils of Pauline
Also known as Os Perigos de Paulina in Brazil; Les exploits d’Elaine in France; Опасные похождения Полины in Russia; Paulines äventyr in Sweden
(1914) United States of America
B&W : Serial / 20 chapters / 40 reels
Directed by Louis J. Gasnier and Donald MacKenzie
Cast: Pearl White [Pauline Marvin], Crane Wilbur [Harry Marvin], Paul Panzer [Raymond Owen], Edward José [Sanford Marvin], Francis Carlisle (Francis Carlyle) [Hicks, Owen’s henchman], Clifford Bruce [the gypsy leader], Donald MacKenzie [‘Blinky Bill’], Jack Standing [Ensign Summers], Eleanor Woodruff [Lucille Sampson; and Mademoiselle de Leongeon (chapter 18)], Sam Ryan (Sam J. Ryan) [Baskinelli], George Daly [the policeman who fights a gorilla (chapter 19)], Milton Berle [a child], Bobbie Arnst, Leroy Baker, Spencer Gordon Bennet, Sidney Blackmer, Floyd Buckley, Joe Cuny, Grace Darling, Thomas Waln-Morgan Draper, Louise Du Pre, Louis J. Gasnier, Oscar Nye, Charles ‘Pitch’ Rebada, Frank Redman, Chief Thunderbird, Harry Duso [horseriding stunt performer]
The Eclectic Film Company production; distributed by The General Film Company, Incorporated. / Scenarios by George B. Seitz, Bertram Millhauser, Basil Dickey and Charles W. Goddard, from a [?] novel? by Charles W. Goddard. Costume design by Lady Duff Gordon. Property master, Frank Redman. Assistant director, Spencer Gordon Bennet. Aerial stunts by A. Leo Stevens. Cinematography by Arthur C. Miller. Camera assistant, Harry Wood. / Premiered 23 March 1914 at Loew’s Broadway Theatre in New York, New York. 20 chapters (two reels each): [1] “Through Air and Fire,” released 23 March 1914; [2] “The Goddess of the Far East,” released 6 April 1914; [3] “The Pirate’s Treasure,” released 20 April 1914; [4] released 4 May 1914; [5] “The Aerial Wire,” released 18 May 1914; [6] “The Broken Wing,” released 1 June 1914; [7] “A Tragic Plunge,” released 15 June 1914; [8] “The Reptile Under the Flowers,” released 29 June 1914; [9] “The Floating Coffin,” released 13 July 1914; [10] released 27 July 1914; [11] released 10 August 1914; [12] released 24 August 1914; [13] released 7 September 1914; [14] released 21 September 1914; [15] released 5 October 1914; [16] released 19 October 1914; [17] released 2 November 1914; [18] released 16 November 1914; [19] released 30 November 1914; [20] released 14 December 1914. Other chapter titles: “Trial by Fire” and “The Deadly Turning”. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format. / Gasnier directed the first ten chapters, MacKenzie the remainder. Attributions to Meridel Le Sueur as Pearl White’s fencing stand-in are in error. The Raymond Owen character’s name was changed to Koerner for the serial’s wartime rerelease in the USA.
Drama.
Survival status: Incomplete prints exist in the Lilly Library of Indiana University [16mm reduction positives (chapters 1-3 and 5-9)]; the chapter entitled “The Deadly Turning” still exists; some chapters are presumed lost.
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Keywords: Barrooms - Boats - Sailors - Serials - Water
Listing updated: 30 April 2020.
References: Ball-Shakespeare pp. 41, 389; Bardèche-History pp. 69; Bohn-Light p. xix; Edmonds-BigU p. 37; Everson-American pp. 86e, 369; Everson-Detective p. 24; Fell-History p. 89; Gallagher-Ford p. 8; Lahue-Bound pp. 49, 52, 53, 54, 55, 59, 77, 81; Lahue-Collecting pp. 22, 42, 50; Lahue-Continued pp. 8-9, 10-12, 13-14, 27, 28, 30a, 159, 287; Lahue-World pp. 52, 92; Leish-Cinema pp. 30, 31; Manchel-Terrors p. 8; Menefee-Bernhardt p. 95; Robinson-Palace pp. 142, 143; Sinyard-Silent pp. 41, 58, 59; Stedman-Serials pp. 11, 12-14, 17; Tarbox-Lost pp. 155, 157, 163; Webb-Hollywood p. 17 : ClasIm-226 p. 43 : Website-IMDb; Website-SerSq : with additional information provided by Theresa LeBaron.
Home video: DVD.
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