Perils of the Wild (lost adventure film serial; 1925): Difference between revisions

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'''''Perils of the Wild'''''  is a lost 15 chapters serial featuring Joe Bonomo, the strongman, in the lead role.  It is an adaptation of the novel ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' by Johann Wyss and was released in 1925.
'''''Perils of the Wild'''''  is a 15 chapter serial released in 1925 by Universal Pictures and directed by Francis Ford. The serial was the first film adaption of the Johann Wyss's novel ''The Swiss Family Robinson''. Actors/Actresses that performed in the serial were Joe Bonomo, Margaret Quimby, Alfred Allen, and Boris Karloff (of ''Frankenstein'' and ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' fame).<ref>[http://silentera.com/PSFL/data/P/PerilsOfTheWild1925.html A Slientera entry on ''Perils of the Wild''.] Retrieved 08 Feb '19</ref>


==Synopsis==  
==Synopsis==
The serial takes the premise of the original novel and uses it as a starting point for an entirely new storyline. In the serial, the Robinsons are marooned on the island as in the novel, but they accidentally stumble on the hideout of a gang of pirates led by Black John (William Dyer). Judging by surviving stills, the Robinsons make off with Black John's treasure chest, which he tries to retrieve, setting the action into motion (the chest being the MacGuffin of the plot). Not much else is known about the plot of this serial.
''Perils of the Wild'' takes the same basic structure as Johann Wyss's novel but adds an entirely new storyline to make it stand out. In the serial, the Robinsons are marooned on an island (based on the island in the novel). Accidentally though, the family stumbles on a hideout of a gang of pirates led by Captain Black John (played by William Dyer). Judging by the surviving stills, the Robinsons try and successfully make off with Black John's treasure chest (the chest is the MacGuffin of the serial), which sets off the action part of the serial. Not much else is known about the plot of ''Perils of the Wild''.  


==Notes==
During the filming of the serial, lead actor Joe Bonomo suffered a fractured leg and an injured sacroiliac (joint in the pelvis). He would perform his own stunts, not by using a stunt devil like most actors. As a consequence of his injuries he sustained, he was forced to drop out of another serial, ''Tarzan of Terror''.
This was the first adaptation of Johann Wyss's novel.  The novel itself originally had no clear ending, and ending most people are familiar with today was actually written by the lady who translated the novel into French, hence the new storyline involving the pirates.  Joe Bonomo suffered an injury to his hip during filming, which forced him to drop out of ''Tarzan the Terror''; Boris Karloff plays one of the pirates.


==Production/Availability==
During the filming of the serial, lead actor Joe Bonomo suffered a fractured leg and an injured sacroiliac (joint in the pelvis). He would perform his own stunts, not by using a stunt devil like most actors. As a consequence of his injuries he sustained, he was forced to drop out of another serial, ''Tarzan of Terror''. The serial was debuted on August 27th, 1925, though some sources say that the film could have been released as far as August 1st, 1925. Reviews of the serial came out as "fairly good", but audiences may have not been so quick to think about that because of its unconventional setting.<ref>[http://childrensmediaarchive.blogspot.com/2016/08/perils-of-wild-1925-silent-version-of.html A Children's Media Archive blog post about ''Perils of the Wild''.] Retrieved 08 Feb '19</ref> The film was most likely scrapped in 1948, as most of Universal's silent films were getting rid of.
As of January 2019, there is no surviving footage of the serial. However, there are stills and posters of the serial floating online. On January 1st, 1968, the lead actor, strongman Joe Bonomo wrote an autobiography titled ''Joe Strongman: A True Life Pictorial Autobiography of the Hercules of the Screen''. In the book, there are stills from the movie, as well as information behind the scenes.
==Serial Episode List==
# The Hurricane
# The Lion's Fangs
# The Flaming Jungle
# The Treasure Cave
# Saved by the Sun
# The Jungle Trail
# Pirate Peril
# Winds of Fate
# Rock of Revenge
# The Rescue
# The Stolen Wedding
# Marooned
# Prisoners of the Sea
# The Leopard's Lair
# In the Nick of Time
==Gallery==
<gallery mode=packed heights=175px>
File: PTWAd.jpg|A full page ad for the serial.
File: BonomoStills.jpg|A page from Joe Bonomo's autobiography, which contains stills from the serial.
File: Screenshot 2019-02-08 at 12.49.57 PM.png|A poster advertising episode 5 of the serial.
File: PTWStill.jpeg|Some stills from the serial.
</gallery>
==External Links==
==External Links==
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perils_of_the_Wild Wikipedia page on ''Perils of the Wild''.]
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perils_of_the_Wild Wikipedia page on ''Perils of the Wild''.] Retrieved 08 Feb '19
*[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016214/ IMDb page on ''Perils of the Wild''.]
*[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016214/ IMDb page on ''Perils of the Wild''.] Retrieved 08 Feb '19
*[http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/P/PerilsOfTheWild1925.html Silentera's entry on ''Perils of the Wild''.]
 
==References==
*Continued Next  Week (book by Kalton C. Lahue)
*Bound and Gagged (book by Kalton C.  Lahue)


==References==
{{reflist}}


[[Category:Lost films]]
[[Category:Lost films]]

Revision as of 17:53, 8 February 2019

Perilsofthewild.jpg

The film's poster.

Status: Lost

Perils of the Wild is a 15 chapter serial released in 1925 by Universal Pictures and directed by Francis Ford. The serial was the first film adaption of the Johann Wyss's novel The Swiss Family Robinson. Actors/Actresses that performed in the serial were Joe Bonomo, Margaret Quimby, Alfred Allen, and Boris Karloff (of Frankenstein and How the Grinch Stole Christmas fame).[1]

Synopsis

Perils of the Wild takes the same basic structure as Johann Wyss's novel but adds an entirely new storyline to make it stand out. In the serial, the Robinsons are marooned on an island (based on the island in the novel). Accidentally though, the family stumbles on a hideout of a gang of pirates led by Captain Black John (played by William Dyer). Judging by the surviving stills, the Robinsons try and successfully make off with Black John's treasure chest (the chest is the MacGuffin of the serial), which sets off the action part of the serial. Not much else is known about the plot of Perils of the Wild.

During the filming of the serial, lead actor Joe Bonomo suffered a fractured leg and an injured sacroiliac (joint in the pelvis). He would perform his own stunts, not by using a stunt devil like most actors. As a consequence of his injuries he sustained, he was forced to drop out of another serial, Tarzan of Terror.

Production/Availability

During the filming of the serial, lead actor Joe Bonomo suffered a fractured leg and an injured sacroiliac (joint in the pelvis). He would perform his own stunts, not by using a stunt devil like most actors. As a consequence of his injuries he sustained, he was forced to drop out of another serial, Tarzan of Terror. The serial was debuted on August 27th, 1925, though some sources say that the film could have been released as far as August 1st, 1925. Reviews of the serial came out as "fairly good", but audiences may have not been so quick to think about that because of its unconventional setting.[2] The film was most likely scrapped in 1948, as most of Universal's silent films were getting rid of.

As of January 2019, there is no surviving footage of the serial. However, there are stills and posters of the serial floating online. On January 1st, 1968, the lead actor, strongman Joe Bonomo wrote an autobiography titled Joe Strongman: A True Life Pictorial Autobiography of the Hercules of the Screen. In the book, there are stills from the movie, as well as information behind the scenes.

Serial Episode List

  1. The Hurricane
  2. The Lion's Fangs
  3. The Flaming Jungle
  4. The Treasure Cave
  5. Saved by the Sun
  6. The Jungle Trail
  7. Pirate Peril
  8. Winds of Fate
  9. Rock of Revenge
  10. The Rescue
  11. The Stolen Wedding
  12. Marooned
  13. Prisoners of the Sea
  14. The Leopard's Lair
  15. In the Nick of Time

Gallery

  • A full page ad for the serial.

    A full page ad for the serial.

  • A page from Joe Bonomo's autobiography, which contains stills from the serial.

    A page from Joe Bonomo's autobiography, which contains stills from the serial.

  • A poster advertising episode 5 of the serial.

    A poster advertising episode 5 of the serial.

  • Some stills from the serial.

    Some stills from the serial.

External Links

References

  1. ↑ A Slientera entry on Perils of the Wild. Retrieved 08 Feb '19
  2. ↑ A Children's Media Archive blog post about Perils of the Wild. Retrieved 08 Feb '19
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