The Perils of Pauline

Released in cinemas in Australia on a school holiday double bill with the Don Knotts comedy THE RELUCTANT ASTRONAUT this is a small comedy I guess made for 'the family market' from Universal. At the time THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE was a smash success for the studio and this might be considered her little sister film. There was big talk in 1967 of a sequel to MILLIE to be called JAZZ BABY with the same cast: Channing, Andrews and John Gavin. Instead somehow THE PERILS OF PAULINE was made instead or as an interim while the JAZZ BABY ideas were ironed out. PAULINE uses some of the MILLIE sets, props and clothes and even similar 'silent movie' comedy routines. It is a lot of fun and anything with Terry Thomas and Edward Everett Horton must be seen. Had Olivia Newton John been older it is exactly the sort of film she would have made. Instead we have Pamela Austin. Pat Boone was really on the way out by 1967 and stayed on TV instead. Anyway, unfortunately JAZZ BABY was shelved and Ross Hunter went on to make the embarrassing icecap musical LOST HORIZON for Columbia on the old CAMELOT set and was snowballed for doing so.