The Hazards of Helen

The Hazards of Helen
The Hazards of Helen, episode # 44
Directed byJ.P. McGowan
J. Gunnis Davis (billed as James Davis)
Written byW. Scott Darling (screenplay)
John Russell Corvell (novel)
Denman Thompson (play)
StarringHelen Holmes
Helen Gibson
Distributed byKalem Company
Release dates
  • November 14, 1914 (1914-11-14)
to
  • February 17, 1917 (1917-02-17)
Running time
23.8 hours
(altogether)

The Hazards of Helen is an American adventure film serial (or possibly a film series) of 119 twelve-minute episodes released over a span of slightly more than two years by the Kalem Company between November 14, 1914, and February 17, 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, the series was adapted to the silent screen by W. Scott Darling.

Episodes 1-48 were directed by J.P. McGowan and the remainder by J. Gunnis Davis, who was credited as James Davis. Unlike the cliffhanger serials of the era, The Hazards of Helen is actually a film series made up of near autonomous single reel twelve-minute melodramas. Most episodes of this serial are presumed lost.[1] Others are available online.[2]

  1. ^ "Silent Era : Progressive Silent Film List".
  2. ^ "Dont Park Here, Harry Mann".