China's Little Devils
China's Little Devils
NR | 27 May 1945 (USA)
China's Little Devils Trailers

In this propaganda film, a courageous group of Chinese children risk their lives to assist downed American pilots escape the ruthless Japanese oppressors.

Reviews
Ensofter Overrated and overhyped
StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
gordonl56 CHINA'S LITTLE DEVILS 1945 This one is a real low budget wartime quickie, put out by bottom end studio, Monogram. This flag waving programmer stars, Ducky Louie, Paul Kelly, Harry Carey, Jim Dodd, Gloria Ann Chew, Hayward Soo Hoo and Richard Loo.Several pilots with the Flying Tigers, Jimmy Dodd and Paul Kelly rescue a young lad they find after a Japanese air raid. The squadron pilots adopt the boy (Ducky Louie) as sort of a mascot. The men collect funds and send the boy to a mission school ran by American Harry Carey.The lad, Louie, is not the least bit interested in "book learning'. He just wants to get even with the Japanese for killing his family and friends. He is soon leading his fellow students on raids of the nearby Japanese supply dumps. The kids thieve rifles and ammo which they pass on to the local Chinese underground.When Harry Carey discovers what is going on he tries to talk the kids out of dangerous raids. Of course this does not work. The kids led by Louie, become bolder with each raid, stealing ammo as well as using grenades to blow up Japanese fuel dumps. The area is soon plastered with wanted poster for the kids offering a big reward for info.The raids continue and the Japanese now grab up school teacher Carey. December 7th 1941 has arrived and Japan and the States are now at war. The kids pull a sneak raid on Japanese headquarters and spring Harry Carey. They also rescue a couple of Flying Tiger pilots who have been shot down.The kids are now armed up and fight a rear guard action while Carey and the Flying Tiger types make good their escape. Ducky Louie and the others are all killed, but they do stop the Japanese long enough for the others to get away.This is not what one would call a good film, however, taken as the low rent programmer that it is, it supplies plenty of action at a decent pace. This 74 minute time-waster was produced by actor, Grant Withers. Suppling the music is seventeen time nominated, and four time Oscar winner, Dimitri Tiomkin.
barring889 I also saw this movie when I was young on TV in Los Angeles. It has not shown up anywhere that I'm aware of for nearly 40 years."China's Little Devils" is a Monogram Picture. Monogram became Allied Artists in the early 50's. They were bought by Lorimar in (I believe) the 80's. The Lorimar catalog was purchased by (again, I believe) Turner Entertainment which was itself acquired by Warners. I hope I've got the "line of authority" straight! But I'm certain that Warners now owns "China's Little Devils" and hopefully we may one day see a video release of this basically forgotten gem from WWII. Warners has released other Monogram titles, so hope is there.
kenrmcdougall I saw this movie with my folks at the Michigan Theater in Detroit, Michigan when it came out first run. I was eight years old at the time. I remember it as being extremely exciting and have remembered it many times over the last half century+. Having come late to the internet and taped movies, I have begun a search for a copy on tape and have so far been unsuccessful.If my memory holds correct, then it would be, if not a best seller, at least worth a distributor's time and effort to tape it.There is so much trash made these days that it must be worth while to delve into some of the oldies but goodies.Thank you!
Frankg-5 I would like to get a copy or see China's Little Devils too. I remember seeing it in the early 1950's when Alan Freed (of Rock N' Roll Fame) was the mc for the afternoon movie on WXEL in Cleveland. He played the movie once - and had to repeat it multitudes of times to satisfy all the viewers that requested it again and again!