China Sky (1945)

The conflicts of war-torn China are reflected in miniature within an American mission hospital.

Director:

Ray Enright

Writers:

Pearl S. Buck (novel), Joseph Hoffman,

Stars:

Randolph Scott, Ruth Warrick, Ellen Drew

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Randolph Scott	...	Dr. Gray Thompson
Ruth Warrick	...	Dr. Sara Durand
Ellen Drew	...	Louise Thompson
Anthony Quinn	...	Chen-Ta
Carol Thurston	...	Siu-Mei
Richard Loo	...	Col. Yasuda
'Ducky' Louie	...	Little Goat
Philip Ahn	...	Dr. Kim
Benson Fong	...	Chung
H.T. Tsiang	...	Magistrate
Chin Kuang Chow	...	Little Charlie

Storyline

In a hill city of war-torn China, the American mission hospital is run by Dr. Gray Thompson and Dr. Sara Durand, who secretly loves him. Then Gray comes back from the USA with new equipment ...and new wife Louise, who is jealous of Sara, shows herself a coward in the first Japanese air raid, and wants to take Gray back to the States. Others have similar troubles; and Japanese prisoner Colonel Yasuda manipulates them for his own ends.

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Plot Keywords:

china | shot in the arm | steel helmet | doctor | bayonet | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 May 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

Under Kinas himmel

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Jingle Bells"
(uncredited)
Written by James Pierpont
Sung by the children

User Reviews

Engaging, but a little too predictable war melodrama.

Randolph Scott gets top billing, but ultimately this is Ruth Warrick's picture. She's a doctor holding together a makeshift hospital in China while its founder (Scott) is on his way back with much needed supplies--and a new wife, to her thinly-veiled disappointment. Having seen Warrick in a few other 1940s films, I can understand why the doc failed to notice her: despite her attractiveness, she never really exuded any sex appeal. But her character is very likable, while the new wife's shallowness becomes apparent within minutes of her entrance. And that's the problem with this picture--too easy. In fact, all it does is lower the audience's opinion of the foolish doctor for not seeing what's painfully apparent even to the other character's who don't speak the language. There's a similar subplot involving another doctor and a nurse, that's equally obvious. A wounded Japanese villain provides more action for the story, whose loose ends get tied up all too neatly and quickly. Either Pearl S. Buck's original novel just wasn't one of her better ones, or this movie doesn't do it justice. Nevertheless, it probably made for a decent lead-in on a double-feature back in the day.