Picture the scene: A mustachioed villain ties a helpless woman to railroad tracks. A locomotive approaches, and a handsome hero arrives just in time to save her.

It's one of the most familiar images associated with early movies. But the scene originated on the stage, not the screen.

One of the earliest documented examples appeared in Under the Gaslight, an 1867 play by American playwright Augustin Daly. A villain ties a one-armed Civil War veteran to railroad tracks as a train approaches.

And here's the twist: The victim was a man, and the daring rescuer was a woman.

The scene became popular in theatrical melodramas, where approaching trains provided the perfect opportunity for suspense and last-minute heroics.

When motion pictures arrived, filmmakers borrowed the idea, often using it for comedy. Silent films such as Barney Oldfield's Race for a Life (1913) and Teddy at the Throttle (1917) poked fun at the exaggerated dangers of old-fashioned melodramas.

Cartoons and comedies later reinforced the image, particularly through characters such as Snidely Whiplash of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.

Ironically, one of the most enduring images of silent cinema was a scene that serious silent films rarely used.