The Perils of Pauline (1947) starring Betty Hutton, John Lund, William Demarest, Billy De Wolfe, Constance Collier
Perils of Pauline is the musical biography of Pearl White, popular star of silent movie serials.
Review
As I’ve said a great many times, if there’s one genre that Hollywood’s terrible at, it’s the biography. That’s completely true in The Perils of Pauline. If you ignore the gross inaccuracies (see Trivia), it’s a very enjoyable musical. The entire cast gives good performances, especially Betty Hutton at the title character. Billy de Wolfe is very likable in his role as well. The songs are enjoyable, the pace is good, costuming & sets all look faithful to the time period, etc.
Product Description
Featuring Frank Loesser’s Oscar nominated song, “I Wish I Didn’t Love You So,” The Perils of Pauline is about the rise to fame of silent screen star Pearl White (Betty Hutton). Directed by George Marshall (The Blue Dahlia, Houdini), the cast includes such stars as Billy De Wolfe, John Lund, and William Demarest, plus appearances by silent screen aces Snub Pollard and Chester Conklin. Still, it’s Hutton’s movie all the way — her energy and charisma highlight this tribute to the golden age of moviemaking!
Songs
- Poor Pauline (1914)
- Written by Charles McCarron and Raymond Walker
- I Wish I Didn’t Love You So (1947)
- Written by Frank Loesser
- Played during the opening credits and often as background music
- Sung by Betty Hutton at Millick’s
- The Sewing Machine (1947)
- Written by Frank Loesser
- Sung by Betty Hutton in Joe Gurt’s sweat shop
- Rumble, Rumble, Rumble (1947)
- Written by Frank Loesser
- Sung by Betty Hutton in a theater
- Poppa, Don’t Preach To Me (1947)
- Written by Frank Loesser
- Sung by Betty Hutton at her Paris nightclub
Trivia
- Many actors who were in Pearl White‘s movies had roles in this film: Paul Panzer played the villain in the original serial, The Perils of Pauline (1914); Creighton Hale was the hero in White’s serial The Exploits of Elaine (1914); William Farnum came out of retirement to play himself, appearing in the same costume he wore in Riders of the Purple Sage (1918). In addition, Louis J. Gasnier, who directed the original film (The Perils of Pauline (1914)), was a technical advisor on this film.
- In real life, after sustaining a back injury as a result of an accident while filming The Perils of Pauline, Pearl White used a stunt-double, although this was never publicized until after he himself died as a result of an accident during the making of Plunder, at which time the truth came out, and Pearl retired from films and moved to Paris, where she died in 1938 as a result of a liver ailment, alcoholism and drugs. In the film, Pearl’s accident occurs on the Paris stage after her film career was over, and we are led to believe that now, unable to walk, she lived happily ever after with her fictitious husband.
Cast of characters
- Betty Hutton (Annie Get Your Gun, The Greatest Show on Earth) … Pearl White
- John Lund (High Society, My Friend Irma Goes West) … Michael Farrington
- Billy De Wolfe (Tea for Two) … Mr. Timmy Timmons
- William Demarest (All Through the Night, The Jolson Story) … George ‘Mac’ McGuire
- Constance Collier (The Dark Corner, Stage Door) … Julia Gibbs
- Frank Faylen (It’s a Wonderful Life, Dance, Girl, Dance) … Mr. Joe Gurt
- William Farnum (Captain Kidd, The Mummy’s Curse) … Western Saloon Set Hero
- Chester Conklin (The Great Dictator, Modern Times) … Comic Chef
- Paul Panzer (The Perils of Pauline 1914) … Drawing Room Gent
- ‘Snub’ Pollard (Bumping into Broadway, Police) … Western Saloon Set Propman
- James Finlayson (Block-Heads, Pack Up Your Troubles) … Comic Chef
- Creighton Hale (The Return of Doctor X) … Marcelled Leading Man
- Hank Mann (The Knockout, City Lights) … Comic Chef
- Francis McDonald (The Paleface, Battling Butler) … Western Saloon Set Heavy
- Bert Roach (Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), Bird of Paradise) … Western Saloon Set Bartender
- Heinie Conklin (The Gold Rush, The Circus) … Studio Cop