Themes: Rags To Riches, Actor's Life, Ladder to the Top
Main Cast: Betty Hutton, John Lund, Constance Collier, William Demarest, Billy De Wolfe
Release Year: 1947
Country: US
Run Time: 96 minutes
Plot
The third of four films bearing the title of The Perils of Pauline, this musical biopic purports to tell the life story of famed silent serial queen Pearl White. Right at the beginning, however, an introductory title informs the audience that what follows is merely "suggested" by incidents in White's life and career. Translation: The film is a fabrication from beginning to end, but an enjoyable one. Played on all four cylinders by Betty Hutton, White is introduced as a frustrated factory worker who aspires to become a dramatic actress. She joins a touring theatrical troupe managed by handsome but pompous Mike (John Lund), but fame and fortune elude her because she's unable to suppress her natural rambunctiousness. In desperation, White takes a job at a movie studio, where she promptly finds herself in the middle of a slapstick pie fight. With the help of bombastic director Mac (William Demarest), top-hatted villain portrayer Timmy (Billy De Wolfe), and imperious dramatics coach Julia (Constance Collier), Pearl soon becomes world-famous as the star of such cliffhanging, tied-to-the-railroad-tracks serials as The Perils of Pauline (hence the title of this film). At the height of her fame, she arranges for her theatrical mentor Mike to get a job as her leading man, forcing him to swallow his pride and admit that he's been in love with her from the moment he met her. A series of clichéd complications contrive to separate White and Mike, but he returns to her arms when she's seriously injured during a Parisian stage performance. A few fairly credible recreations of silent moviemaking techniques aside, The Perils of Pauline is wildly anachronistic and inaccurate (for one thing, Pearl White made most of her serials in New Jersey rather than Hollywood). As a musical comedy, however, the film passes muster, especially during the performance of such Frank Loesser tunes as "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" and "The Sewing Machine." As a bonus, the film rounds up several silent-movie veterans in cameo roles, including William Farnum, Chester Conklin, Jimmy Finlayson, Creighton Hale, Hank Mann -- and Paul Panzer, who played the sneering villain in the original 1914 Perils of Pauline. ~ All Movie Guide
Review
How a viewer reacts to The Perils of Pauline will probably depend to a large extent on his/her feelings about Betty Hutton. It's a star vehicle for the raucous comedienne, and as usual, she has the volume turned up to 11 and the energy to 12. Fortunately, however, Hutton does find some moments when she can lower her guard and let the audience see a gentler, more tender side, as in her charming rendition of the lovely Frank Loesser ballad, "I Wish I Didn't Love You So." The actress also makes "The Sewing Machine" an enjoyable romp, and if she pushes too hard in "Rumble, Rumble, Rumble" and "Poppa, Don't Preach to Me," the songs themselves are so well-crafted that they withstand the sometimes-rough treatment. Perhaps taking his cue from his leading lady, George Marshall has directed much of the film with an eye on speed, keeping the film moving at a brisk pace, which helps to add emphasis to those moments when things get a little "serious." John Lund is fine in a thankless part, but Constance Collier, William Demarest, and Billy De Wolfe come across quite nicely in their smaller but more engaging roles. Pauline plays fast and loose with historical fact -- not unusual for a Hollywood biopic -- and much of the script is rather routine, but on the whole it's an agreeable confection. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
