The Perils of Pauline - Betty Hutton

Search DVDBeaver

S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

directed by George Marshall
USA 1947

Betty Hutton, the brash, boisterous comedienne and singer known as the "Blonde Bombshell," was hugely popular in the 1940s. A big band singer and Broadway star while still in her teens, Hutton had signed a contract with Paramount in 1941, and proved equally successful in a series of splashy wartime musicals. She also showed her comic abilities in the riotous Preston Sturges film, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944).

The Perils of Pauline (1947), made when Hutton was at the peak of her fame and appeal, is very loosely based on the exploits of Pearl White, queen of the silent movie serials. The real White had been a circus performer who hurt her back falling off a horse, and had gone to work as a secretary with a film company. She got her break when the female lead of a western got sick. White didn't do many of her own stunts because of the back injury - small men stood in for her. Instead, she spent more time developing her screen persona. The Perils of Pauline is a typical biopic of the era, tailored more to Hutton's knockabout talents than to any facts about Pearl White's life and career. It's full of anachronisms, not the least of which are Frank Loesser's pop songs. But the songs are so charming, and Hutton performs them so well, that one of them, "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" was nominated for an Oscar®. Another, "Poppa Don't Preach To Me" (no relation to the Madonna song from the 1980s) was a jukebox hit.

Excerpt from TCM located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: 4 July 1947 (USA)

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Roan Group - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Roan Group Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:32:24
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.0 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Audio	Dolby Digital 2.0 (English)
Subtitles	None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Roan Group Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • 2 text pages about the film (Film Background) • 2 pages of Cast and Credits DVD Release Date: February 1st, 2000 Keep Case Chapters 12

Comments

The Perils of Pauline was the first Betty Hutton movie I have seen and even though it may be not a classic like The Miracle of Morgan's Creek or Annie Get Your Gun, it still has a special place in my heart. The rights to this Paramount Technicolor production are most likely presently owned by Universal, but because there are currently multiple public domain releases on the market, Universal is unlikely release it anytime soon. Roan Group has created an 'okay' DVD for what it is - an interlaced transfer back from 2000, but colors look decent and print does not have severe damage - but there are many marks and specks.

The Roan Group was one of the best public domain companies doing a nice restoration for White Zombie and their releases are usually better as far as public domain discs go. It's unfortunate, that after Troma took over their distribution, they stop releasing new DVDs altogether. The extras are limited to a couple of text screens, but I'm just glad this film is available in a watchable copy for a very reasonable price.

- Gregory Meshman

DVD Menus