The Perils of Pauline (1947)

THE PERILS OF PAULINE is a musical comedy based on the life of Pearl White (Betty Hutton), one of the most successful silent film actresses of her day. White begins the film as a sweatshop worker who entertains coworkers by singing to them. When a successful actress, Julia Gibbs, comes to pick up a costume, she hears White singing and helps her break into show business. Eventually, both actresses end up in Hollywood, where White's tempestuous nature lands her the lead role in a cliffhanger serial, THE PERILS OF PAULINE. In the series, each twenty-minute episode ends with Pauline's life in danger, and each subsequent flick begins with her rescue.

Many of the events depicted in the film are true--the serial THE PERILS OF PAULINE was in fact the most successful of its day, and White actually started off as a sweatshop worker. The romantic plotline, in which White and stage actor Mike Farrington fall in and out of love for over a decade, is a product of scriptwriter P.J. Wolfson's ingenuity. The song "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" was nominated for an Oscar, and the song "Poor Pauline" was a popular hit in 1914 when the series began. Other songs in the flick include "The Sewing Machine" and "Rumble, Rumble, Rumble."