The Exploits of Elaine

The Exploits of Elaine, a 14-part Pathé serial starring Pearl White as Elaine, built on White's phenomenal popularity in The Perils of Pauline. Considered the superior of the two series, The Exploits of Elaine boasts increasingly sophisticated camera work and production values. When Elaine's father (William Riley Hatch) is murdered by a notorious outlaw (Sheldon Lewis), she sets out after him with the help of detective Craig Kennedy (Arnold Daly), whose adventures had been successfully serialized in magazines by mystery writer Arthur B. Reeve. Along the way, Elaine is framed in a blackmail scheme and is almost sacrificed by devil worshippers, but Kennedy and his high-tech gadgetry rescue her time and again.

The Exploits of Elaine was added to the National Film Registry in 1994.


 * Cliff Hanger: It's a serial - every installment except the final one had a cliff hanger.
 * Damsel in Distress: Elaine
 * Ur Example: The Clutching Hand was the first mystery villain to appear in a film serial.