User Reviews

A fast paced seafaring tale featuring Rudolph Valentino as Ramon Laredo, a bored socialite who finds his manhood and a sense of purpose only after being shanghaied. Initially he is such a coddled dude that he drinks something called a "Mild Manhattan", but soon after being forced to serve as a deckhand he transforms into an extremely capable sailor( looking quite contemporary in jeans and a dark pullover) and earns the respect of the rugged crewmen who once dismissed him as a "soft thing." Eventually his path crosses with that of Letty Moran (Dorothy Dalton), a tomboyish captain's daughter. The two actually met briefly before, on land, where she was as almost as contemptuous of the city slicker in his yachting outfit as the crewmen once were. However, although she is initially as tough as Ramon is effete, the situation reverses itself once Ramon rescues her from her father's ship whose hold has caught fire. Although Ramon is impressed by her strength of body and purpose, Letty, in tandem with Ramon's growing masculinity, becomes more and more womanly as the film progresses, allowing herself to be assisted out of boats (perhaps not so much because she's suddenly helpless as that she's glad someone is finally recognizing her as female) and becoming clothes conscious enough to replace her trousers with a dress, albeit a rather plain and no-nonsense one. (In contrast, Ramon indifferently allows his swanky white bell bottoms to become muddier and muddier.) These character changes culminate when Ramon saves Letty from his nemesis Captain Kitchell, played by Walter Long (who costarred in The Sheik and once again plays a character with unsavoury designs on Rudy's woman).

Entertaining, but in retrospect a bit depressing in that the ridicule Ramon undergoes as a ballroom dancing, tea sipping dandy mirrors all too closely the vicious powder puff slurs the real life Valentino tried to refute practically until the end of his short life.

On the sailing vessel the Lady Letty, we meet Moran (Dorothy Dalton), a Norwegian tomboy, reared as a seaman, who wears pants and works the ship right alongside the men. In San Francisco on Nob Hill lives rich and handsome Ramon (Valentino), idol of the débutantes, who spends his time throwing house parties and sailing on yachts. One day he's late for one of his yacht parties and gets himself shanghaied by a ship full of sea-outlaws. Forced to become Second Mate on a voyage headed towards Mexico, Ramon seems to take a shine to being shipboard and changes rapidly from dandy to able-bodied seaman, and before you know it he's happily swabbing the decks and looking gorgeous in white sleeveless t-shirt. Meanwhile, sailing in the same waters is the Lady Letty which suddenly catches on fire, and the outlaws go aboard to loot it, coming back with nothing but rum and a "loco sailor" - actually Moran dressed as a boy, brought over by Ramon who tries to keep her hidden away from the evil Captain. Now Ramon seems to develop a crush on Moran, but this may not work out for him - see, she wishes she were born a boy!

This film is packed with lots of shipboard action, fights, etc. - a bit too much for my taste actually. There is also a plot element that seems a little odd to me and that is the fact that Ramon seems so happy being on the ship with bad men who kidnapped him and are committing crimes. I am also not sure I like the match between Valentino and the woman, I kind of like them better as just "mates". The mainly sepia-tinted print shown on TCM looked okay, a tiny bit washed-out here and there but pretty good as a whole, and featured an excellent music score that matched the action well. For me, Valentino is the main reason to see this - he looks stunningly handsome in all of his scenes - sigh! I like Dorothy Dalton too, well cast in her tomboy part. Worth seeing for the beauty of Valentino alone.

I welcome any opportunity to see Valentino, and "Moran of the Lady Letty" from 1922 is Valentino in action, aimed at getting the men interested in him as well as women.

Based on a play, the story concerns a wealthy young playboy, Ramon, with no purpose in life who is shanghaied and put into service on a ship of smugglers. Life on the sea and working turns out to be a good and enjoyable thing for Ramon. One day, the crew sees a boat that has suffered a coal fire and looks empty, so the men climb aboard to steal what they can. They find one crew member alive, who turns out to be a woman, Moran Letty (Dorothy Dalton), the daughter of the burned ship's captain. Ramon protects her from the evil captain (Charles Brinley) and falls in love with her.

Differences in class were the major topic of stories, plays, etc. in the '20s into the early '30s. This is no exception. Seen today, the facial expressions are big and obvious, and the dialogue cards are open to a different interpretation nowadays - Letty has no use for men, doesn't like them, and wished she had been born a man! Dorothy Dalton is exotic-looking and good as Letty, and Valentino is very handsome and effective as Ramon. The film is loaded with stereotypes, including the likable character Chopstick Charlie, played by Japanese actor George Kuwa.

This is all to be expected in an 88-year-old film. We only have a fraction of silent films available when you look at what has been made versus what has been lost. It's not the greatest Valentino film, but don't pass this up if you have a chance to see it.

Valentino does a quite creditable job of portraying a bored San Francisco society swell, whose life is turned upside down when he gets shanghaied by a villainous arms smuggler. His performance is refreshingly naturalistic (for a silent) as he discovers unexpected pleasure in his rough-and-tumble life as a smuggler -- at least, until the more sinister side of his captain's nature emerges. Walter Long makes a good heavy, and Dorothy Dalton is passable as the love interest.

What captivated me, though, were the locations: That harbor chock-full of tall ships, just at the end of the era of commercial viability for sail. And especially the two merchant ships on which most of the action takes place. When you see a sailing ship in a movie it's usually a replica of a warship from the 18th Century or earlier. I found those little details of actual workhorse merchant vessels from the late 1800s/early 1900s -- the zenith of commercial sailing -- fascinating.

For instance, there's a pretty authentic sequence in which the Lady Letty's cargo of coal spontaneously combusts -- a bad enough prospect when you're at sea, but much, much worse when you're at sea on something as inflammable as a ship constructed out of very dry wood. After the captain and a couple of men are overcome by fumes while trying to fight the fire, the remaining crew panics and abandons ship, leaving the captain's daughter behind, easy prey for vultures like Capt. "Slippery" Kitchell.

Whether you're a seafaring history buff or not, this is still an entertaining example of an action film from the heyday of the silents, and for my taste one of Rudolph Valentino's most watchable performances.

In a Norwegian port, Dorothy Dalton (as Moran Sternersen aka "Moran of the Lady Letty") sets sail for San Francisco. "Born on the deep end and rocked to sleep by storms," Ms. Dalton, "came of a long line of sea-faring men." Dalton knows her way around a ship. Her father, Charles Brinley (as Eilert Sternersen) is her Captain; he loves only his ship, and his motherless daughter. Meanwhile, Rudolph Valentino (as Ramon Laredo aka "Lillee of the Vallee") misses a yacht bound for the same city. "Cradled in luxury," Mr. Valentino, "came to earth, heir to the aimless life of a rich man's son." Seeking other means of transport, Valentino is shanghaied on a ship of smugglers, captained by Walter Long (as "Frisco" Kitchell). He becomes quite taken with the adventure.

When Dalton's ship, the "Lady Letty", is felled by a cargo fire, Valentino rescues Dalton, and the unlikely duo fall in love. Although Valentino has become an accepted shipmate, a confrontation with the villainous Mr. Long becomes increasingly likely; especially, as Long lusts after Dalton.

"Moran of the Lady Letty" effectively contrasts Dalton's masculinity (her character is the "tomboy") with Valentino's femininity (his character is the "sissy"); and, they have a comfortable on-screen chemistry. As an actor, Valentino was often burdened by star persona; but, here, he is refreshingly natural. Although she is not relatively well-remembered, this was a good role for star Dalton. Villain Long, a great character actor, has one of his better parts. And, George Melford directed very effectively; the film's ending fight, between Valentino and Long, is a thriller. Before that, pay attention for the culmination of Long's shipping mission - when partner Cecil Holland (as Pancho) sees Long's boat arriving, he tells a wench, "Go on - get cleaned up!"

******* Moran of the Lady Letty (2/5/22) George Melford ~ Dorothy Dalton, Rudolph Valentino, Walter Long

Rudolph Valentino's name would not for long be beneath another player's as it is in Moran Of The Lady Letty. Dorothy Dalton is first billed in this film which casts Rudy as a young playboy who gets Shanghaied aboard a modern day pirate ship skippered by Walter Long.

He's quite the pampered one Rudy is, but some experience with this crew and their evil skipper is enough to toughen anyone up. Later on sound successors to the Valentino image like Robert Taylor and Tyrone Power both of whom did sound remakes of Valentino roles were also deliberately given action material like this to broaden their appeal.

Even without sound Valentino's charisma comes through over 90 years after this film was released. Walter Long who played many a brutish, thuggish villainous role is at his best doing his thing in this film.

Moran Of The Lady Letty is a good introduction to the films of and the legend that was Rudolph Valentino.

Paramount Pictures was concerned with Rudolph Valentino's public image, which was becoming increasingly feminized after "The Sheik." As one male movie fan said, "Many other men desire to be another Douglas Fairbanks. But Valentino? I wonder ..."

To combat that stereotype, Paramount cast him in a macho role in February 1922's "Moran of the Lady Letty." In it, his character initially plays a young socialite leading a sheltered life. Drugged and smuggled on a pirate ship, Valentino discovers a rescued sailor of a sinking ship was really a woman. Based on a Frank Norris novel, "Moran of the Lady Letty" shows Valentino's character toughening up in protecting the woman Moran from the lecherous crew on the boat while involved in the middle of a shoot-em-up battle. With his machismo oozing from the screen, the film proved Valentino was all man, a characteristic that changed some minds of the male species, but not all.

He was rich. She was not. He had no goals, no ambitions, no cares. Yet he recognizes that he is missing something. She sails the oceans and knows how to work and enjoys what she does. Then Ramon is shanghaied. There he learns to work and how to fight. In the process he admits to being the happiest he has ever been. Then through a series of misfortunes the Lady Letty is taken by the smugglers and Moran is taken as a prisoner. Ramon becomes her protector and to care for her. Finally Moran comes to care for Ramon. Then the question--what happens when they return to port?

Like so many good movies there are many levels to this one. It is a well crafted movie that moves at a strong pace yet goes beyond being just a love story and an action movie. It is also a very good study in what is important in life. This is definitely a movie that can be enjoyed more than once.

Finally, Rudolph Valentino is excellent as an action actor. The climax is loaded with exciting action!

Playboy Ramon Laredo heads to the docks to go sailing with his friends. Instead, he is given a mickey and shanghaied aboard a ship, commanded by Captain Kitchell. Ramon toughens up under the captain, and eventually starts to enjoy the life. Then, a ship named the Lady Letty catches fire. Kitchell's men board it, thinking it is a derelict. The only survivor is Moran, the tomboy daughter of the Letty's captain. Kitchell makes a play for her, but Ramon intercedes. Later, Kitchell delivers guns to outlaws. Ramon and the crew turn the tables on Kitchell.

This one didn't impress me a whole lot, probably because it was fairly predictable. Valentino does a good job in a more physically demanding role, and Walter Long, as Kitchell, makes an excellent rat. I was disappointed with Dalton, however. She is adequate, but that's about it. Of course, she spends most of the film wearing men's clothes, so that worked against her. She also didn't seem to have any chemistry with Valentino.

The film features early appearances by two actors on their way up. George O'Brien can be glimpsed in a few scenes, playing a sailor aboard the Lady Letty. William Boyd (with a moustache) plays Valentino's society friend near the end of the film.

The film was based upon a novel of the same name, written by Frank Norris. The first half of the film is a fairly faithful adaptation of the book, but the second half bears almost no resemblance. I found the novel, which had an unexpected ending, to be better than the film.

It's hard to know whether Dorothy Dalton was always a dud or if she simply hasn't worn well, but her appeal these days is not readily apparent. Since that's true of a number of ladies who once made multitudes salivate in the silents, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. Her acting's okay. Despite her top billing, it's absolutely Rudy's picture, and he's very good in it. He never looked better, and it's a nice, varied, physical part. Despite his exotic looks, and the fact that he's given a Latin background, this is still a nice-boy part. Wallace Reid could have played it.

As with so many silents, one of the main draws is the realness and thereness of the exteriors. No need to record sound, so they go on location to San Francisco, they shoot on water, and I wouldn't take anything for the scene in front of a small movie house, where you get a feel of what it was like to walk in. TCM showed it in an absolutely marvelous, digitally restored print.

Moran of the Lady Letty (1922)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Somewhat entertaining silent melodrama from director George Melford who went on to do the Spanish version of Dracula. A rich playboy (Rudolph Valentino) is liquored up and kidnapped onto a rough shipping boat with a no nonsense captain (Walter Long). The two feued at first but they quickly become friends until they rescue a woman (Dorothy Dalton) at sea and the captain has rather mean plans including rape. This was my first film with Valentino and after hearing so much about his legendary looks, I must say I didn't get much of a romantic feel so at first I'm a little puzzled over his reputation as a ladies man. Perhaps he just didn't have any chemistry with the leading lady who really wasn't all that interesting here. The film runs a short 71-minutes and includes a wonderful, action filled fight but outside of this everything is rather bland. The film is certainly watchable and entertaining but nothing much comes out of it. Long is certainly the scene stealing and you might remember him from some later day Laurel and Hardy films as well as playing the rapist, in blackface, in The Birth of a Nation. On another note, it's quite clear that several scenes here influenced the much better Captains Courageous.