China's Little Devils
Cast & Crew
Monta Bell
Harry Carey
Paul Kelly
Ducky L. Louie
Gloria Ann Chew
Hayward Soo Hoo
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
After Big Butch Dooley, a Flying Tiger, lands his P-40 plane in the ruins of a Chinese village, he rescues a wounded boy, who has been orphaned by the war, and takes him back to his unit. The child is adopted by the Flying Tiger group and taught commando tactics. Eventually, however, Big Butch and the other Tigers realize that the boy, now called Little Butch Dooley, needs a proper education and send him to the Temple Missionary School, which is operated by the kindly Doc Temple, under the still neutral American flag. While there, Little Butch organizes the other refugee children and trains them in guerrilla warfare. In spite of Doc's pleas, the orphans steal away from the mission at night in order to prey on the Japanese. During one of their forays, the children, dubbed "The Little Devils," secure a large store of Japanese gasoline for the Flying Tigers. Although Little Butch is wounded during the raid, he continues to lead his group, until two of them are taken prisoner while blowing up a Japanese supply base. When Doc pleads with a Japanese officer for their release, he learns about the attack on Pearl Harbor and is told that, as he is now the enemy, he, too, will be taken prisoner. Through a scheme devised by Little Butch, Doc is rescued, and soon after, the Japanese bomb the mission. Later, an American plane crashes, and the Little Devils race with the Japanese to reach the wreck. The Little Devils find the American plane first and are surprised to discover that the pilot is Big Butch. After treating Big Butch's wounds, the Little Devils help him cross a river and return safely to the Chinese lines. As the boys are escaping, however, a Japanese patrol converges on them, and they sacrifice their lives while shooting it out with the enemy. Sometime later, the spirit of Little Butch rides on a bomber with Big Butch, as he drops a cargo of explosives on Tokyo.
Director
Monta Bell
Cast
Harry Carey
Paul Kelly
Ducky L. Louie
Gloria Ann Chew
Hayward Soo Hoo
Jimmy Dodd
Ralph Lewis
Philip Ahn
Richard Loo
Wing Foo
Jean Wong
Fred Mah
Nancy Hseuh
Oie Chan
Aen Ling Chow
Ching Ling Chow
Francis Jung Jr.
Betty Soo Hoo
H. T. Tsiang
Ralph Linn
Charles Sherlock
Allen Fox
Jon Gilbreath
Joseph Kim
Don Pon
Wesley Luck
Charles Luck Jr.
George Chan
Chin Kuang Chow
Walter Eng
Howard Soo Hoo
Crew
Dick Currier
David Diamond
William Hanley
E. R. Hickson
Wei F. Hseuh
Tom Lambert
Harry Neumann
Sam Ornitz
Bobby Ray
Byron Seawright
William Strohbach
Vin Taylor
Alex Weldon
Grant Withers
Bruce Wong
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Little Devils. The Motion Picture Herald review notes that the film is introduced by a narrator and is "based on facts." According to a May 1944 Los Angeles Examiner item, the picture was to be made with "the aid and cooperation of the Chinese government," and was to feature a foreword by Madame Chiang Kai-Shek. Madame Chiang's contribution to the completed film, if any, has not been confirmed, however. News items announced that the picture was to have its world premiere in Washington, D.C., with the "diplomatic corps," but no information confirming this premiere was found. Dick Chang and DiDi Chang, the son of H. H. Chang, a former ambassador to Poland, were announced as cast members in July 1944 Hollywood Reporter news items, but their appearance in the final film has not been confirmed. According to War Department, Bureau of Public Relations records, stock shots from the Department's 1944 documentary The Battle of China were used in the picture. War Department records also indicate that a mock-up of a B-17 was filmed at the Army Air Force First Motion Picture Unit in Culver City, CA. This film marked the producing debut of longtime actor Grant Withers.
