The Yankee Clipper (film)
The Yankee Clipper is a 65-minute 1927 American adventure film directed by Rupert Julian. It is set against the maritime rivalry between the United States and Great Britain in the mid-19th century.[1][2]
| The Yankee Clipper | |
|---|---|
The film's three stars (from left): Elinor Fair, Junior Coghlan, and William Boyd | |
| Directed by | Rupert Julian |
| Written by | Denison Clift (story) Garrett Fort (adaptation) John W. Krafft (titles) Garnett Weston (adaptation) |
| Produced by | Cecil B. DeMille |
| Starring | William Boyd John Harron Elinor Fair Junior Coghlan |
| Cinematography | Robert LaPresle |
| Edited by | Claude Berkeley |
| Distributed by | Producers Distributing Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | Silent film English intertitles |
Plot
The film opens in England in the court of Queen Victoria. Lord Anthony Huntington, the country's foremost shipbuilder, is tasked with preventing the United States from breaking England's grip on the tea trade. Huntington boasts that his new ship, Lord of the Isles, will outsail any American ship.
In America, the U.S. president meets with a Boston shipbuilder, Thomas Winslow, who vows that his new vessel will challenge England's flaunted speed. The builder introduces his son, Hal Winslow (William Boyd), who will command the new Yankee Clipper on its maiden voyage to China. The President tells the young captain that America's hope of prestige on the seas rests with him.
Several days into the journey, a stowaway, a young boy named Mickey Murphy (Junior Coughlan) is found hiding in a burlap sack. The boy is an orphan who announces his hatred of women.
While in China, Winslow attends a dinner hosted by a wealthy Chinese merchant and rescues an English woman Lady Jocelyn Huntington (Elinor Fair) from rioting beggars.
Winslow agrees to a race from China to Boston against the Lord of the Isles. He wins the race and Lady Jocelyn.
Cast
- William Boyd ..... Captain Hal Winslow
- Elinor Fair ..... Lady Jocelyn Huntington
- Junior Coghlan ..... Mickey Murphy
- John Miljan ..... Paul de Vigny
- Walter Long ..... Portuguese Joe
- Louis Payne ..... Lord Huntington
- Burr McIntosh ..... Thomas Winslow
- Clarence Burton ..... Captain McIntosh
Production credits
- Rupert Julian, director and producer
- Denison Clift, story
- Garrett Weston, adaptation
- John W. Krafft, titles
- John J. Mescall, photographer
- Harold McLernon film editor
- Leigh R. Smith, assistant director
Reception
Following the film's screen debut in Pittsburgh, The Pittsburgh Press called it "a screen classic that will rank among the best of the season's output."[3]
The website AllMovie gave the film a rating of three stars.[4]
References
- ^ The Yankee Clipper at silentera.com
- ^ The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1921-30 by The American Film Institute, c.1971
- ^ "Grand - "The Yankee Clipper"". The Pittsburgh Press. April 26, 1927. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Yankee Clipper". AllMovie. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
External links
- The Yankee Clipper at IMDb