''The Hazards of Helen'' is an American adventure

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

(or possibly a

film series A film series or movie series (also referred to as a film franchise or movie franchise) is a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe, or are marketed as a series. This article explains what film series are ...

) of 119 twelve-minute episodes released over a span of slightly more than two years by the

Kalem Company The Kalem Company was an early American film studio founded in New York City in 1907. It was one of the first companies to make films abroad and to set up winter production facilities, first in Florida and then in California. Kalem was sold to V ...

between November 7, 1914, and February 24, 1917. At 23.8 hours, it is one of the longest non-feature-length motion picture series ever filmed, and is believed to be the longest of the film serial format. Based on a novel by John Russell Corvell and the play by

Denman Thompson Henry Denman Thompson (October 15, 1833 – April 14, 1911) was an American playwright and theatre actor. Biography Rufus Thompson, a carpenter, and his wife Anne Hathaway Baxter moved in 1831 from West Swanzey, New Hampshire to Girard, Pe ...

, the series was adapted to the silent screen by

W. Scott Darling William Scott Darling (May 28, 1898 – October 29, 1951) was a Canadian-born writer and a pioneer screenwriter and film director in the Hollywood motion picture industry. He is often known in Hollywood histories as Scott Darling, though he was ...

. Episodes 1-48 were directed by

J.P. McGowan John Paterson McGowan (February 24, 1880 – March 26, 1952) was a pioneering Hollywood actor and director and occasionally a screenwriter and producer. McGowan remains the only Australian to have been made a life member of the Screen Directo ...

and the remainder by

J. Gunnis Davis James Gunnis Davis (21 December 1873 – 23 March 1937) was a British-born American actor and director who had a career in films in the US. Early life He was born as Joseph Gunnis Davis on 21 December 1873 in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, Sun ...

, who was credited as James Davis. Unlike the

cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...

serials of the era, ''The Hazards of Helen'' is actually a film series made up of near autonomous single

reel A reel is an object around which a length of another material (usually long and flexible) is wound for storage (usually hose are wound around a reel). Generally a reel has a cylindrical core (known as a '' spool'') with flanges around the ends ...

twelve-minute melodramas. Most episodes of this serial are presumed lost.

Production

Starring an independent, quick-thinking and inventive heroine, the series was filmed on location in the city of

Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''. It may refer to: Places Australia * Glendale, New South Wales ** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre *Glendale, Queensland, ...

and in various parts of

Tuolumne County Tuolumne County (), officially the County of Tuolumne, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,620. The county seat and only incorporated city is Sonora. Tuolumne County comprises the ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. The film offered repeated dramatic situations for "Helen," a

telegrapher A telegraphist (British English), telegrapher (American English), or telegraph operator is an operator who uses a telegraph key to send and receive the Morse code in order to communicate by land lines or radio. During the Great War the Roya ...

, using such props as a moving train, a runaway boxcar, a heroine in distress tied to the railroad tracks, and other dangers. "Helen" did such things as leap off the roof of a building, roar around a sharp mountain curve behind the wheel of her speeding car, or jump onto a moving train from a car or a galloping horse while chasing the

bad guy A bad guy or villain is a type of character in fiction and other narratives. Bad Guy or Bad Guys or ''variation'', may also refer to: Film * ''Bad Guy'' (1937 film), a film starring Virginia Grey * ''Bad Guys'', a 1986 film starring Adam Bal ...

train robbers. Although the plot occasionally called for Helen to be rescued by a handsome male hero, in most episodes it was the dauntless Helen who found an ingenious way out of her dire predicament and single-handedly collared the bad guys, bringing them to justice. The film series star, Helen Holmes, who began her career at

Keystone Studios Keystone Studios was an early film studio founded in Edendale, California (which is now a part of Echo Park) on July 4, 1912 as the Keystone Pictures Studio by Mack Sennett with backing from actor-writer Adam Kessel (1866–1946) and Charle ...

, did most of her own stunts. The series used several different stuntmen for the male parts, including Leo D. Maloney and the up-and-coming

Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films.Obituary ''Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influential film co ...

. Along with

Pearl White Pearl Fay White (March 4, 1889 – August 4, 1938) was an American stage and film actress. She began her career on the stage at the age of six, and later moved on to silent films appearing in a number of popular serials. Dubbed the "Queen of ...

, who starred in

Pathé Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French people, French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest ...

's adventure serial '' The Perils of Pauline'', Helen Holmes became a much talked about national celebrity and major

box-office A box office or ticket office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a wicket. By extension, the term is fr ...

draw.

Prior to filming the "''Night Operator at Buxton''" (episode 18), Helen Holmes fell ill and

Anna Q. Nilsson Anna Quirentia Nilsson (March 30, 1888 – February 11, 1974) was a Swedish-American actress who achieved success in American silent movies. Early life Nilsson was born in Ystad, Sweden in 1888. Her middle name Quirentia is derived from her ...

replaced her on that one occasion. After 26 episodes, Holmes and director J.P. McGowan left to set up their own film production company. While working on the serial, the two had begun a relationship that led to marriage. Director J. Gunnis Davis took over and Elsie McLeod substituted in episodes 27-49 until a permanent "Helen" could be found. The heroine for the remainder of the series was played by Rose Wenger Gibson, at the time married to

Hoot Gibson Edmund Richard "Hoot" Gibson (August 6, 1892 – August 23, 1962) was an American rodeo champion, film actor, film director, and producer. While acting and stunt work began as a sideline to Gibson's focus on rodeo, he successfully transitione ...

. Rechristened "Helen" by the

, she rose to a celebrity status equal to that of Helen Holmes. ''The Hazards of Helen'' was credited by the ''Las Vegas Age'' as the first great motion picture thrill to come to Las Vegas.

Preservation

Episode 63, ''The Open Track'', of ''The Hazards of Helen'' was preserved by the

Academy Film Archive The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of m ...

in 2010. Episode 13, ''Escape of the Fast Freight'' was found in the

Dawson Film Find The Dawson Film Find (DFF) was the accidental discovery in 1978 of 372 film titles preserved in 533 reels of silent-era nitrate films in the Klondike Gold Rush town of Dawson City, Yukon, Canada. The reels had been buried under an abandoned hoc ...

in 1978.

Episodes

* (1) ''Helen's Sacrifice'' * (2) ''The Plot at the R.R. Cut'' * (3) ''The Girl at the Throttle'' * (4) ''The Stolen Engine'' * (5) ''The Flying Freight's Captive'' * (6) ''The Black Diamond Express'' * (7) ''The Escape on the Limited'' * (8) ''The Girl Telegrapher's Peril'' * (9) ''The Leap From the Water Tower''
available
for free download from

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

* (10) ''The Broken Circuit'' * (11) ''The Fast Mail's Danger'' * (12) ''The Little Engineer'' * (13) ''Escape of the Fast Freight'' * (14) ''The Red Signal'' * (15) ''The Engineer's Peril'' * (16) ''The Open Drawbridge'' * (17) ''The Death Train'' * (18) ''Night Operator at Buxton'' * (19) ''Railroad Raiders of '62'' * (20) ''The Girl at Lone Point'' * (21) ''A Life in the Balance'' * (22) ''The Girl on the Trestle'' * (23) ''The Girl Engineer'' * (24) ''A Race for a Crossing'' * (25) ''The Box Car Trap'' * (26) ''The Wild Engine'' * (27) ''A Fiend at the Throttle'' * (28) ''The Broken Train'' * (29) ''A Railroader's Bravery'' * (30) ''The Human Chain'' * (31) ''The Pay Train'' * (32) ''Near Eternity'' * (33) ''In Danger's Path''
available
for free download at

* (34) ''The Midnight Limited'' * (35) ''A Wild Ride'' * (36) ''A Deed of Daring'' * (37) ''The Girl on the Engine'' * (38) ''The Fate of #1'' * (39) ''The Substitute Fireman'' * (40) ''The Limited's Peril'' * (41) ''A Perilous Chance'' * (42) ''Train Order #45'' * (43) ''The Broken Rail'' * (44) ''Nerves of Steel'' * (45) ''A Girl's Grit'' * (46) ''A Matter of Seconds'' * (47) ''The Runaway Boxcar'' * (48) ''The Water Tank Plot'' * (49) ''A Test of Courage'' * (50) ''A Mile a Minute'' * (51) ''Rescue of the Brakeman's Children'' * (52) ''Danger Ahead'' * (53) ''The Girl and the Special'' * (54) ''The Girl on the Bridge'' * (55) ''The Dynamite Train'' * (56) ''The Tramp Telegrapher'' * (57) ''Crossed Wires'' * (58) ''The Wrong Train Order'' * (59) ''A Boy at the Throttle'' * (60) ''At the Risk of Her Life''

* (61) ''When Seconds Count'' * (62) ''The Haunted Station'' * (63) ''The Open Track'' * (64) ''Tapped Wires'' * (65) ''The Broken Wire'' * (66) ''Perils of the Rails'' * (67) ''A Perilous Swing'' * (68) ''The Switchman's Story'' * (69) ''A Girl Telegrapher's Nerve'' * (70) ''A Race for a Life'' * (71) ''The Girl Who Dared'' * (72) ''The Detective's Peril'' * (73) ''The Trapping of 'Peeler White * (74) ''The Record Run'' * (75) ''The Race for a Siding'' * (76) ''The Governor's Special''
available
for free download from

* (77) ''The Trail of Danger'' * (78) ''The Human Telegram'' * (79) ''The Bridge of Danger'' * (80) ''One Chance in a Hundred'' * (81) ''The Capture of Red Stanley'' * (82) ''Spiked Switch'' * (83) ''Treasure Train'' * (84) ''A Race Through the Air'' * (85) ''The Mysterious Cypher'' * (86) ''The Engineer's Honor'' * (87) ''To Save the Road'' * (88) ''The Broken Brake'' * (89) ''In Death's Pathway'' * (90) ''A Plunge from the Sky'' * (91) ''A Mystery of the Rails'' * (92) ''Hurled Through the Drawbridge'' * (93) ''With the Aid of The Wrecker'' * (94) ''At Danger's Call'' * (95) ''Secret of the Box Car'' * (96) ''Ablaze on the Rails'' * (97) ''The Hoodoo of Division B'' * (98) ''Defying Death'' * (99) ''The Death Swing'' * (100) ''The Blocked Track'' * (101) ''To Save the Special'' * (102) ''A Daring Chance'' * (103) ''The Last Messenger'' * (104) ''The Gate of Death'' * (105) ''The Lone Point Mystery'' * (106) ''The Runaway Sleeper'' * (107) ''The Forgotten Train Order'' * (108) ''The Trial Run'' * (109) ''The Lineman's Peril'' * (110) ''The Midnight Express'' * (111) ''The Vanishing Box Car'' * (112) ''A Race with Death'' * (113) ''The Morgul Mountain Mystery'' * (114) ''The Fireman's Nemesis'' * (115) ''The Wrecked Station'' * (116) ''Railroad Claim Intrigue'' * (117) ''The Death Siding'' * (118) ''The Prima Donna's Special'' * (119) ''The Side Tracked Sleeper''

References

External links

*
''The Hazards of Helen''
at silentera.com
Episode 26: "The Wild Engine" at Internet Archive

Episode 33: "In Danger's Path" at Internet Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hazards of Helen, The 1914 films 1910s adventure films American black-and-white films American silent serial films Films directed by J. P. McGowan Kalem Company films Rail transport films American adventure films Lost American films Telegraphists 1910s American films Silent adventure films

Production

Preservation

Episodes

See also

References

External links