The Perils of Pauline (1914 serial)

The Perils of Pauline is a 1914 American melodrama film serial shown in weekly installments, featuring Pearl White as the title character. Pauline has often been cited as a famous example of a damsel in distress, although some analyses hold that her character was more resourceful and less helpless than the classic damsel stereotype.

The premise of the story was that Paulines wealthy guardian Mr. Marvin, upon his death, has left her inheritance in the care of his secretary, Mr. Koerner, until the time of her marriage. Pauline wants to wait a while before marrying, as her dream is to go out and have adventures to prepare herself for becoming an author. Mr. Koerner, hoping to ultimately keep the money for himself, tries to turn Paulines various adventures against her and have her disappear to his own advantage.Pearl White was hesitant to accept the title role, but signed up for 250week and a large amount of publicity. ........

Source: Wikipedia