Hollywood Classics Collectors Edition - The Perils of Pauline

Hollywood Classics Collectors Edition - The Perils of Pauline
Customer Review: Betty Hutton is fabulous
The Perils of Pauline is a silent movie serial of 1914, followed by second serial in 1934, and finally the movie was made in 1947 starring Betty Hutton (1-3). Pearl White (Betty Hutton) stars as a working girl in a clothing factory. She sings while working and dreams of becoming a star someday. It is a typical story in which the boss hits on the little girl, and girl smacks him, and when she is about to be fired, she meets the famed stage actress Julia Gibbs (Constance Collier). Pearl reveals to Julia that she is her fan, and Julia invites her to audition for "The Farrington Players" a Shakespearian play. Although Pearl is a novice at acting, Michael "Mike" Farrington (John Lund) offers the role reluctantly. While working at the theater she falls in love with Mike, but at the same time the career of Pearl takes her to places and several opportunities in both movie and theater makes her a big star. When Pearl wants to Marry Mike, he has change of heart since Pearl is famous and he doesn't want to be married to a star. They take different ways but after many years of fame and fortune they get back together with a lot of help from Julia and George McGuire (William Demarest). Betty is known for her work on Broadway and her early song, "The Sewing Machine", is nice, and "Rumble, Rumble, Rumble" is the highlight of the movie. Betty Hutton passed away on March 11, 2007 at the age of 86 in Palm Springs, California. Betty had a tumultuous life. After four unsuccessful marriages and three daughters she had problems with alcohol and controlled substances, which resulted in nervous breakdown. She is known to have attempted suicide after losing her singing voice in 1970. In her later life, she became a Roman Catholic and taught acting at Salve Regina University at New Port, RI, and prior to that she worked as a cook and housekeeper in a rectory. It is sad to know that none of her three estranged daughters attended her funeral. The Perils of Pauline is an outstanding piece of work, and every fan becomes captivated by the beauty, passion, independence, and sheer determination of Pearl White. I recommend this DVD very highly to all fans of Betty Hutton, it is a great tribute. 1. Perils of Pauline (1914 Serial) 2. Perils of Pauline-12 Episodes 3. Perils of Pauline
Customer Review: Hilarious!
This musical comedy emphasizes the comedy. Yes, there is melodrama, but the movie is at least 70% comedy, I think. An example "The President is calling a special session of Congress to declare war on Germany." "War? That's horrible." "You said it. Now we gotta rewrite the last six episodes." Not very historically accurate, but who cares? If you want that, watch a documentary. A total Betty Hutton vehicle The love story is sweet and there are a number of cameos from old silent film stars. The songs are... I don't know... jazzy? Haven't seen the DVD yet, but the VHS print I have doesn't look too good. Still, it's one of my all-time favorite movies, and I think it's worth a watch.