Yankee Buccaneer (1952) Reviews

The innate dignity of leading-man Jeff Chandler lends credibility to the swashbuckling proceedings of Yankee Buccaneer. Set during the early 19th century, the film casts Chandler as David Porter, commander of a U.S. frigate sent to the Caribbean to quell the activities of pirates and privateers. Disguising his vessel as a pirate ship, Porter is able to drift into dangerous waters with little or no resistance. The trick, of course, is to complete his mission and return to safety. Complicating matters is Scott Brady as Porter's reckless, irresponsible second-in-command -- Lieutenant David Farragut. Joseph Calleila co-stars as Count Del Prado, the Spanish governor of the West Indies who is secretly orchestrating the pirate activities. The requisite damsel-in-distress is played by Suzan Ball, a promising Universal contractee who died only three years later at the age of 24. Yankee Buccaneer was hastily filmed on sets originally constructed for Against All Flags (1952) while the star of the latter film, Errol Flynn, was recuperating from an injury. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi