SNIDELY WHIPLASH IN THE BRONX (1921)
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The story you are about to read was composed from research conducted in the course of one of those investigations.
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In 1921, a “picture actor” by the name of Paul W. Panzer had gone broke.
Panzer, recently flush with cash, had filed a “voluntary petition in bankruptcy” for liabilities totaling approximately $2,500.
The debts appeared to be to a number of sources – a loan to a recently formed Long Beach production company of which Panzer was a trustee, money loaned to him and several other “film people” (possibly also to the same production company), as well as, amongst others, a loan that was endorsed by two very well-known and successful actors of the time, Sheldon Lewis and King Baggot (Baggot, an international movie star, was referred to – at various times – as “King of the Movies,” “The Most Photographed Man in the World” and “The Man Whose Face Is As Familiar As The Man In The Moon”).
In the petition, Panzer, gave his address as “2257 Walton avenue,” where he rented a 2-story and basement rowhouse and, according to the 1920 Federal Census, lived there with his wife, their 8-year-old daughter, and their 6-year-old son.
Panzer’s bankruptcy was certainly a low-point for the actor who rose to fame just half a decade earlier as the infamous villain of the smash 1914 serial silent film, The Perils of Pauline, a very popular American melodrama film serial that was shown in cinemas in weekly installments.
According to the website pophistorydig.com, The Perils of Pauline “used the heroine-in-jeopardy storyline to great success. It is considered by some to be the most famous suspense serial in cinema history. In the serials, week after week, Pauline evaded attempts on her life. She fought pirates, Indians, gypsies, rats, sharks,” but, mostly she battled the villainy of, Koerner, her “dastardly guardian,” played by Panzer.
The premise of the story was that Pauline’s wealthy guardian, Mr. Marvin, upon his death, has left her inheritance in the care of his secretary, Koerner, until the time that she would take someone’s hand in marriage.
Pauline, however, wants to wait a while before marrying, as her dream is to go out and have adventures to prepare herself for becoming an author. Koerner, hoping to ultimately keep all of the money for himself, tries to turn Pauline’s various adventures against her and have her “disappear” to his own advantage.
One quite popular – and still very culturally relevant – scene – one that is still a part of America’s stream of consciousness to this day – featured Pauline being tied to a railroad track, while a steaming and charging locomotive was shown quickly bearing down up on her.
Behind that effort in the film series was Koerner, Panzer’s character, who worked overtime to get rid of Pauline.
Koerner would later be literally personified as a character in “Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties,” a popular segment of the 1960s cartoon series The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show. This character appeared in the form of Snidely Whiplash, the all-dressed-in-black, top-hatted, and mustachioed villain who was constantly attempting to perform the same railroad track/locomotive stunt on the cartoon’s heroine, Nell Fenwick.
It was thus that we have the connection between Koerner and Whiplash and, to this day, can literally appreciate the original damsel-in-distress who was tied to a railroad track, awaiting either her demise or her rescue.
Panzer was German-born and his original name was Paul Wolfgang Panzerbeiter. The 1920 Federal Census showed he was 44 years old at the time, having immigrated to the United States in 1900 at the age of 24.
His citizenship status listed him as “al,” an alien.
Fortunately for Panzer, his Bronx bankruptcy was to be short-lived. He would eventually move out to California to follow the movie industry, appearing in more than 300 films through 1952.
Fittingly, he would cap off his career, near its end, with a cameo role the 1947 remake of The Perils of Pauline.
And what goes around, comes around…
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