Les exploits de Pearl White

Betty Hutton stars as the legendary silent serial queen Pearl White in a highly fictionalized (but entertaining) biopic.

Story has White working in a sweatshop in New York City and accidentally breaking into show biz when she's delivering a costume to an actress (Constance Collier). She joins the theatrical troupe headed by a snotty actor (John Lund) ... can romance be far behind.

After being fired, she takes a job with a silent movie company for $5 a day and because of her fearlessness, quickly establishes herself as a stuntwoman. The 1914 serial "The Perils of Pauline" would be a huge success and make White one of the biggest stars of the 1910s.

White starred in many serials but by the end of the decade, the craze for serials lapsed and she struggled to establish herself in more traditional feature films. She made her final film in 1924 and died in France in 1938.

Hutton is a dynamo here as White and is hugely entertaining. Lund and Collier (she takes a pie in the kisser) are also excellent. Then there's William Demarest as the movie director and Billy DeWolfe as the hammy actor.

Of note, during the opening silent movie-making scenes, many stars of the early silents appear. In the scene where Collier makes her entrance, that's Chester Conklin, James Finlayson, and Hank Mann flinging the pies.

In the romantic set they walk thru, that.s Paul Panzer in black. Panzer had played the villain in the original White serial in 1914.

The film captures the frenetic nature of silent movie making and Hutton in terrific in a star performance.

What a remarkably entertaining little film loosely based on the life of silent screen star Pearl White. Betty Hutton gives a lively, sympathetic performance. John Lund is the aloof unemotional object of Pearl's affections. Frank Loesser's score is beautiful. Especially the movie's theme song 'I Wish I Didn't Love You So' which Betty performs so tenderly. This movie deserves mention as a classic. If you get a chance have a look at it. It is fast paced but there time in places for a little fun and sentiment.

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.

I had never heard of Betty Hutton before this movie. A little research informed me that because of studio disputes, she had an unfortunately short movie career. Most of her work were musicals, which is probably why I had never heard of her - not my favorite genre. This movie wasn't billed as one but there's some singing and dancing as well. I can see why though: Betty Hutton is a ball of fire. She sings, she dances, she jokes - she would bounce off the walls if she could. It would be a waste not to make full use of her talents.

The movie's supposedly biographical but it feels more like a Hutton showcase, though grande dame Constance Collier stands out too. It's too bad the story mostly feels forced - the whole romance bit with her chauvinistic boss... ugh. Still, Pauline showcases Hutton's charm well and that's something at least.

I think that this is one of Betty Hutton's better films, but it has almost been forgotten by many buffs and critics. There is no doubt that a great deal of free licence was taken with the story of Pearl White and her time in the Hollywood serials, but what there is does represent a lot of fun and Betty has a great time playing the "lady on the railroad tracks". I felt Billy de Wolfe (who really could be a great pain in the neck) was excellent in this film and together with the evergreen William Demarest added a great deal to the entertainment. However, no matter how many tries John Lund was given by Paramount he was always very dull, and fares no better in this. The color was excellent, and the music was good, with "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" a standout. If it is available , it is worth another look.