Les exploits de Pearl White

Pearl White was a serial queen of the B films of the silent period and this is a take on her life--a humorous one, tailored of course to suit Betty Hutton's style of clowning.

The story begins with Hutton working in a sweat shop and doing one of her frantic song routines before she lands a part with a traveling repertory company where she falls for conceited leading actor John Lund. Lund plays straight man for Hutton's mugging and one scene in particular will have you laughing out loud as Hutton--drenched from the rain--attempts to recite her next line without sneezing. He proves an excellent co-star.

Adding to the merriment is Constance Collier as a wise, veteran stage actress who attempts to teach Pearl the tricks of the trade. Billy de Wolfe and William Demarest add to the fun and there are some nice tunes by Frank Loesser.

Definitely one of Betty Hutton's better pictures, tuneful, brightly technicolored and a good showcase for her talent.

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.

Never was Betty Hutton so funny, charming and sweet. Never have I enjoyed a movie so much. This has some nice songs too.

This is NOT your typical Bio-Pic. This has an entertaining storyline with some great comedic moments, with help from the supporting cast, and what a cast. You have some of the best here, Billy DeWolfe, William Demarest and Constance Collier. John Lund is the love interest here and it is perfect casting. He plays the perfect straightman for Betty. The songs here are not classics, but enjoyable. I still catch myself singing the "Sew Machine" song or "Papa Don't Preach To Me".

This movie flows through it's 96 minutes so you never feel like it is never going to end. The end is pure Hollywood, so don't expect true reality here. All in all, it is a terrific musical from one of Hollywood's best comedians. Thanks Betty!!

What fun!. As usual Betty Hutton is the epitome of energy. This movie is one of Betty's best and a wonderfully funny story to watch. Betty's energy is countered by John Lund's "Cool." Constance Collier is wonderful as Julia, and William Demerest is at is crusty best as the silent film director. Watch it! Highly recommended.

The Perils Of Pauline is reputedly a biographical film about the Queen of the silent serials Pearl White as played by Betty Hutton. Of course any resemblance to the real life of Pearl White is strictly coincidental. The real Pearl White (1889-1938) led a very tragic life with several marriages, injuries as a result of her doing her own stunts when she was younger, and dying an alcoholic's death in Paris with her life savings pretty much spent due to booze and medical bills.

Hardly the kind of story that Paramount would want to have brought to the screen, so they made up a story about Pearl White and cast Betty Hutton in it. If The Perils Of Pauline is not the Pearl White story, it is a good vehicle for Betty Hutton to show off her talents.

Case in point the first number in the show the Sewing Machine Song which Hutton does while working in a sweatshop run in Brooklyn by the appropriately accented Frank Faylen. White never saw Brooklyn, she was from Missouri and got into show business with traveling stock companies in the Midwest. Still it's a great number for Betty Hutton.

Frank Loesser wrote the score for The Perils Of Pauline and his song I Wish I Didn't Love You So got the film an Academy Award nomination for Best Song. This beautiful and plaintive ballad which was introduced on screen by Betty Hutton, earned Dick Haymes a best selling record on the Decca label. Sadly this song lost to Uncle Remus and Zip-Pa-Dee-Do-Dah from Walt Disney's Song Of The South. That decision should have sent Frank Loesser screaming about how he was robbed. As for those who think that Betty Hutton only did raucous comedy numbers, watching this film should set them straight.

The film was also a follow-up role for John Lund who had been introduced the year before in To Each His Own. As a lead, Lund was pretty bland and settled back into character parts for most of his career. He plays an egotistical ham actor heading the theatrical company that Hutton joins. He's so arrogant I can't see why Hutton wasted her time with him. Constance Collier has the best part as the old stage actress who befriends and encourages Hutton. Billy DeWolfe was part of the theatrical troupe that Hutton joined and he was his usual good self. They all wind up on the silent screen after Pearl gets her big break.

This film is an absolute must for fans of Betty Hutton, a great technicolor musical from Paramount's golden years.