User Reviews

I'd love to know how many episodes of The Hazards of Helen remain in existence, because if there are enough of them they'd make a very nifty and entertaining DVD release. Episode 26, The Wild Engine, was exhumed for the outstanding boxed set More Treasures from American Film Archives, and I found it immensely enjoyable. Episode 13, The Escape on the Fast Freight, appears on the next series in the set--Treasures III: Social Issues in American Film--and is even better! In this outing, Helen's rail telegraphy office is held up by two ruffians who make off with a $1500 payroll. Helen is subsequently relieved of her duties and replaced by a man, but spies the crooks preparing to make their escape and intervenes by descending via rope from a railroad bridge onto a speeding train! I'd love to know if star Helen Holmes did her own stunts, as they are truly impressive, including a leap into a river that looks especially dangerous. That shot is taken from a long distance; most of the others are medium shots in which Helen does, indeed, seem to be risking life and limb. It all adds up to a brisk one-reeler in which good prevails--Helen gets her job back!

This is episode 13 of a series of films from "The Hazards of Helen"--a series that totaled 119 episodes! I have never seen any of the other segments, as this is the only one included in a DVD set entitled "Treasures III"--a set of four DVDs all about social issues and reform. The second disk (where you'll find this one) is about women's issues in particular.

The film begins with Helen working at a railroad as a telegraph operator--an unusual job for a woman of the day. The audio commentary indicated that sometimes railroads hired women because they were able to get away with paying them less and they were perceived as being less likely to agitate for high pay or join a union.

Two crooks come along and are obviously up to no good. They pull a gun on poor Helen and lock her in the closet! They aim to rob the telegraph office. She yells out and the men shoot into the closet to quiet her--thankfully, sweet Helen is okay. When the sheriff arrives, Helen has managed to get out of the closet and the robbers escaped. In a nasty twist, Helen is then informed that she's being replaced as the railroad doesn't want women to be in such a dangerous job! Gee, thanks.

The rest of the film is deigned to show the employers and audience know that Helen is just as able as any man and she, of course, is going to save the day. Soon, she sees the same robbers and sets off in pursuit of them as they board a train.

Overall, this is a very surprising film. Considering how it was "a man's world" in 1915, I was amazed to see a female action hero--one who did stunts and didn't need to be protected by a man. Although not as overtly radical as many films of the day, this is a very important film because of its treatment of women--demonstrating that women were just as goods as men.