''The Yankee Clipper'' is a 65-minute 1927 American

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, an ...

directed by Rupert Julian. It is set against the maritime rivalry between the United States and Great Britain in the mid-19th century.

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 William, Willie, Will or Bill Boyd may refer to: Academics * William Alexander Jenyns Boyd (1842–1928), Australian journalist and schoolmaster * William Boyd (educator) (1874–1962), Scottish educator * William Boyd (pathologist) (1885–1979), ...

), 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 Frank Coghlan Jr. (March 15, 1916 – September 7, 2009) also known as Junior Coghlan, was an American actor who later became a career officer in the United States Navy and a naval aviator. He appeared in approximately 129 films and televis ...

) 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

..... 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 John W. Krafft (1888–1958) was an American journalist and screenwriter. He worked for newspapers before becoming a titles writer during the silent film era and then a screenwriter. He graduated from Manual Training High School in Indianapolis in ...

, 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." The website

AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...

gave the film a rating of three stars.

References

External links

* 1927 films American black-and-white films American silent feature films 1920s historical adventure films Sailing films Films set in the 19th century American historical adventure films Producers Distributing Corporation films Films with screenplays by Garrett Fort 1920s American films Silent historical adventure films 1920s English-language films {{silent-adventure-film-stub