Lost Classic Film : Perils Of The Wild (1925) - The Silent Version of "Swiss Family Robinson"

Full page add for "Perils of the Wild" (1925) from Motion Picture News, September 19, 1925.
From the Media History Digital Library.

Perils of the Wild. (1925, August 27). 15 chapter serial. Director: Francis Ford.
Screenplay: Isadore Bernstein & William Lord Wright. Based on the story by Johann David Wyss

Joe Bonomo as Frederick Robinson.
Margaret Quimby as Emily Montrose
Jack Mower as Sir Charles Leicester
Alfred Allen as Captain William Robinson
Eva Gordon as Frau Mitilla Robinson
Jack Murphy as Jack Robinson
Howard Enstedt as Ernest Robinson
Francis Irwin as Francis Robinson
William Dyer as Black John
Albert Prisco as Tonie
Fanny Warren as Bonita (as Fannie Warren)
John Wallace as Pirate
James Welsh as Pirate
Philip Ford as Pirate (as Phil Ford)
Sammy Gervon as Pirate
Boris Karloff (unknown)


This silent-era adventure serial that starred strongman, actor, and stuntman Joe Bonomo (1901 - 1978) was the first live-action adaptation of Johann David Wyss's 1812 novel "The Swiss Family Robinson". The serial's widely given premiere date was August 27, 1925 - 91 years ago today; although it may have been available as early as August 1, 1925.

By the mid 1920s the serials or "cliffhangers" were increasingly geared to younger audiences (especially boys) who flocked to movie houses each week to see the latest exciting chapter with leading actors Walter Miller, William Desmond, Ben F. Wilson and Eddie Polo. The idea of this famous story (a family shipwrecked on an unknown island) being serialized (told in chapters, with an exciting cliffhanger at the end) and starring one of the first great strongmen of the cinema sounds very appealing even after 90 years. "Perils Of The Wild" was one of six serials released by Universal Studios that year under the production label of "Adventure Pictures" or the "Lucky 6 Adventure Serials".

A page from Joe Bonomo's autobiography, "The Strongman" with stills from "Perils of The Wild", the first screen version of Johann Wyss' novel "The Swiss Family Robinson". Bonomo played Frederick Robinson.

Like most silent serials "Perils Of The Wild" hasn't been seen since its original run. Reviews of the serial by two theater owners suggest that it may have been a "fairly good serial", but some audiences may not have been so receptive to a non-western serial or one from a non-contemporary setting. As a serial from Universal Pictures, the last known existing prints were most likely scrapped around 1948, when the studio began to become more prominent and many of its silent films were discarded. Many sources claim anywhere from 75 to 90% of films made during the silent era are lost. The closest one can come to seeing this film today is to check out Bonomo's autobiography Strongman: A True Life Pictorial Autobiography of the Hercules of the Screen, which includes several photos, chapter summaries and behind the scenes stories of the production. It is not impossible that a print of this serial, if only one reel, may surface again one day.

Chapter Titles:

1. The Hurricane
2. The Lion's Fangs
3. The Flaming Jungle
4. The Treasure Cave
5. Saved by the Sun
6. The Jungle Trail
7. Pirate Peril
8. Winds of Fate
9. Rock of Revenge
10. The Rescue
11. The Stolen Wedding
12. Marooned
13. Prisoners of the Sea
14. The Leopard's Lair
15. In the Nick of Time

"The Swiss Family Robinson" has fascinated audiences through movies and television for over 90 years. Which version of the story are you most familiar with?


Motion Pictures
Swiss Family Robinson (1940)
Swiss Family Robinson (1960)

Television Series
Lost in Space (1965)
Swiss Family Robinson (1974)
Swiss Family Robinson (1975)
The Swiss Family Robinson: Flone of the Mysterious Island (1981 Japanese anime)
The Swiss Family Robinson (1975) - TV movie

Brainstorm*
What other classic adventure story could be retold as an exciting serialized story with suspenseful cliffhanger endings?