The Yankee Clipper (film)

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The Yankee Clipper
The Yankee Clipper.jpg
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
CinematographyRobert LaPresle
Edited byClaude Berkeley
Distributed by Producers Distributing Corporation
Release date
  • May 7, 1927 (1927-05-07)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
Language Silent (English intertitles)

The Yankee Clipper is a 65-minute 1927 American silent 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]

Contents

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 vaunted 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 the affection of Lady Jocelyn.

Cast

Production credits

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]

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References

  1. Progressive Silent Film List: The Yankee Clipper at silentera.com
  2. The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1921-30 by The American Film Institute, c.1971
  3. "Grand - "The Yankee Clipper"". The Pittsburgh Press. April 26, 1927. p. 29 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "The Yankee Clipper". AllMovie. Retrieved June 25, 2022.