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From: ciaraldi@rochester.UUCP (Mike Ciaraldi)
Newsgroups: net.movies,net.comics
Subject: Re: PERILS OF GWENDOLINE
Message-ID: <5963@rochester.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 30-Jan-85 12:33:51 EST
Article-I.D.: rocheste.5963
Posted: Wed Jan 30 12:33:51 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 2-Feb-85 00:32:52 EST
References: <402@ahuta.UUCP>
Organization: U. of Rochester, CS Dept.
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Xref: watmath net.movies:5572 net.comics:1418

>      THE PERILS OF GWENDOLINE is a film adaptation of the French comic strip
> THE ADVENTURES OF GWENDOLINE.  According to a friend who has seen
> compilations of the strip (under the name GWENDOLINE DEAR when published in
> English), the comic strip is heavy on nudity and bondage.  (The American
> title is probably a tip of the hat to the early serial THE PERILS OF
> PAULINE.)  Apparently the bondage aspect has been toned down a little for
> the film, though it still shows up every once in a while; it's hard to
> believe that the nudity has been toned down at all.

I had heard of this movie recently (this month's Comics Journal, maybe?),
but they said it was based on SWEET GWENDOLINE, a book published
about 10 years ago.  I happen to have a copy, and it is a compilation
of stories that ran in an English (I think) magazine in the
Forties and Fifties.  Writer and artist went under the
name of John Willie (sp?), but his real name was John Coutts (sp?).
Could ADVENTURES OF GWENDOLINE, the French strip, be translations
or continuation, or maybe just homage, to the original
English-language version?  The plot described for the movie
is not one in the book, but it sounds like it is in the same vein.

Incidentally, there was a sequel published under the title
SWEETER GWEN, actually more of a parody than a sequel.
The writer and artist was named Stanton (first name Eric, I think).
When I first saw Joe Staton's work on the JSA in the mid-Seventies
(origin of the Huntress, etc.), I wondered if there was some connection
until I went back and checked the spelling of their last names.
I mentioned this to Joe Staton a few years ago when I met him at
a convention, and he got a kick out of it.

Mike Ciaraldi
ciaraldi@rochester
seismo!rochester!ciaraldi