China (1943) Loretta Young, Alan Ladd, William Bendix – Drama, War

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Set in Japanese-occupied China shortly before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, this action/drama stars Alan Ladd as Mr. Jones, a cynically materialistic American who has no qualms about selling oil to the enemy; as far as he’s concerned, their money spends as well as anyone’s. Against the advice of his friend and partner Johnny Sparrow (William Bendix), Jones heads to Shanghai to negotiate a sale with representatives of the Japanese government. En route, Jones and Sparrow are caught in a massive rainstorm that leaves the roads all but impossible to navigate; the yanks are also stopped by Chinese guerilla troops, who force them to take on a group of schoolgirls and their instructor, an American named Carolyn Grant (Loretta Young). Between the patriotic Carolyn, the Chinese schoolgirls, and a baby that Sparrow rescued from the side of the road, Jones has a lot more going on than he’s used to dealing with, but the situation forces him to take a long, hard look at his personal politics. When he discovers that one of the girls was brutally raped by Japanese soldiers after she tried to return to her family, Jones decides he can no longer stand alongside the Japanese and kills the three soldiers responsible. This was one of a small number of pro-China films made in the United States during World War II, when the two countries had a mutual enemy in Japan; however, a few years down the line, Hollywood’s attitude towards China would be markedly different.

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40 Replies to “China (1943) Loretta Young, Alan Ladd, William Bendix – Drama, War”

  2. In this movie we’re allies with China and enemies. of Japan. 21st. Century and we’re allies with Japan and not friends with China. But the dmoRATS and Leftists is selling our county to China!

  6. Something so old can be so good, isn't that amazing? And people are so proud of Netflix. Sigh…and Donald duck died…so sad…
    And I wonder just how many more movies were there to create Indiana Jones besides this and the secrets on Inca..Alan Ladd is hot. Joan Collins must have been a great fan of Loretta young herself , if you know what I mean….

  13. Igmar Bergen was in the film Inn of sixth happiness. She was a missionary in China. She also was appalled in the conditions during war. Excellent movie.

  15. Excellent film!
    Extresad parts, but it shows some of the horrors of war
    Even in the mid 40s, the Chinese “educated” students, were learning about a “new”China, that ultimately became communist China.
    Now ironically it’s bring pushed here

  20. Whoosh??Interesting movie— for freedom “man still dominate man to his harm” (Ecclesiastes 8:9), no matter what government they’re under?Thank you for uploading?

  25. Wartime drama meant to bolster American morale and encourage audiences to support their allies… Not much of an ally, China is, now. Had some problems watching the movie in this awful year when yet another deadly dragon was unleashed… But since I simply adore Alan Ladd, I had to watch it – especially since Mr. David Jones here was the direct inspiration for Mr. Indiana Jones (dark fedora, dark jacket, khakis and the same character arc: opportunist changing into brave guy risking his life helping others).

  34. A “new China”! Then they turned communist by brainwashing the students! The same plan as America has been doing, only in a different era!

  36. What a find!!! Add to this genre, 20th Century Fox’s wonderful THE PURPLE HEART, with Dana Andrews and Richard Conte made about the same time. It is difficult to find, but, like this one, an important film. It is extremely difficult to find on YT– but if you google it, it occasionally comes up. If I can find it to upload, I will. Thank you for posting this! I love William Bendix — he has a great performance in GUADALCANAL DIARY as well.

  39. Loretta Young told a Hollywood reporter after making this movie she didn't particularly care for Alan Ladd. When they weren't shooting a scene he stayed away from her and seldom spoke to her. And when they had those kissing scene she said he didn't look at her. When I read this article I purposely went to YouTube and watched this film. I didn't see anything wrong with the kissing scenes that she talked about. Maybe she wanted a closer relationship with him like she did with Clark Gable. When she had a baby by Gable she hushed it up and later said she adopted the child. In her autobiography she claimed that Gable date raped her but that was okay when she was romantically involved with Spencer Tracy knowing he was married at the time.

  40. ever since i saw alan ladd wearing an white A-SHIRT,when he was shaving i always wanted to wear one.i saw this on cable in early 1980s and been wearing a wifebeater ever since.alan ladd ,one of my favorite movie stars.

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