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China's Little Devils

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China's Little Devils is a 1945 American war film directed by Monta Bell. It stars Harry Carey, Paul Kelly, and a young actor known as "Ducky" Louie. The movie is one of several Hollywood films about the Flying Tigers.

Plot in simple terms:
- A Flying Tigers pilot named Big Butch Dooley is shot down and lands in a ruined Chinese village. He rescues a wounded orphan and brings him back to his unit. The boy is adopted and called Little Butch.
- Dooley and the Tigers send the boy to the Temple Missionary School run by Doc Temple, played by Harry Carey. Little Butch helps organize other refugee children and trains them to fight the Japanese invaders.
- The group of children, led by Little Butch, is called the “Little Devils.” They raid Japanese positions, including taking over a gasoline store. During the fighting, Little Dutch is wounded.
- Two of the Little Devils are captured while blowing up a Japanese supply base. Doc pleads with a Japanese officer to spare them, and learns about Pearl Harbor; he fears he will be taken prisoner himself.
- Little Butch rescues Doc, but the Japanese bomb the mission afterward.
- Later, an American plane crashes. The Little Devils race the Japanese to reach the wreck first and discover the pilot is Big Butch. They treat his wounds and help him return to the Chinese lines.
- As they make their escape, a Japanese patrol closes in. The Little Devils sacrifice themselves in a final battle.
- Afterward, the spirit of Little Butch is shown with Big Butch as he continues to fight in the war.

Production notes:
- The film was made by Monogram Pictures, known for low-budget productions. It reuses some footage and airplane models from the earlier Flying Tigers film (1942).
- Filming took place mainly on studio backlots from late June to early August 1944.

Reception:
- Film historian Leonard Maltin called it a patriotic World War II story about Chinese orphans who fight Japanese invaders and help American pilots.


This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:20 (CET).