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The Little Dragons

  • 1979
  • PG
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
4.3/10
313
YOUR RATING
The Little Dragons (1979)
Martial ArtsActionComedy

A grandfather takes his two young grandsons on a camping trip for their karate tournament, and become involved in a kidnapping by a poor country family that lives in the woods.A grandfather takes his two young grandsons on a camping trip for their karate tournament, and become involved in a kidnapping by a poor country family that lives in the woods.A grandfather takes his two young grandsons on a camping trip for their karate tournament, and become involved in a kidnapping by a poor country family that lives in the woods.

  • Director
    • Curtis Hanson
  • Writers
    • Harvey Applebaum
    • Louis G. Atlee
    • Rudolph Borchert
  • Stars
    • Charles Lane
    • Ann Sothern
    • Chris Petersen
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.3/10
    313
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Curtis Hanson
    • Writers
      • Harvey Applebaum
      • Louis G. Atlee
      • Rudolph Borchert
    • Stars
      • Charles Lane
      • Ann Sothern
      • Chris Petersen
    • 10User reviews
    • 8Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos38

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    Top cast32

    Edit
    Charles Lane
    Charles Lane
    • J.J.
    Ann Sothern
    Ann Sothern
    • Angel
    Chris Petersen
    • Zack
    Pat Petersen
    • Woody
    Sally Boyden
    Sally Boyden
    • Carol
    Rick Lenz
    Rick Lenz
    • Dick Forbinger
    Sharon Clark
    • Ruth Forbinger
    • (as Sharon Weber)
    Joe Spinell
    Joe Spinell
    • Yancey
    John Davis Chandler
    John Davis Chandler
    • Carl
    • (as John Chandler)
    Clifford A. Pellow
    • Sheriff
    Stephen Young
    Stephen Young
    • Lunsford
    Pat E. Johnson
    Pat E. Johnson
    • Karate Instructor
    • (as Pat Johnson)
    Bong Soo Han
    • Karate Master
    • (as Master Bong Soo Han)
    Donnie Williams
    • Motorcycle Leader
    Tony Bill
    Tony Bill
    • Niles
    Brad Gorman
    • Deputy
    Tom Kibbe
    • FBI Van Operator
    Spencer Quinn
    • Hootenanny M.C.
    • Director
      • Curtis Hanson
    • Writers
      • Harvey Applebaum
      • Louis G. Atlee
      • Rudolph Borchert
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews10

    4.3313
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    Featured reviews

    7appleimacdude

    worth watching for Charles Lane, Ann Sothern, etc

    I know Ann Sothern wasn't wild about this film - but for me, it was worth watching for the performances of Charles Lane and Ann Sothern - it wasn't a high budget film, and some performances surely could have been better - but it still made me laugh in places. Some parts such as the old r.v. were humorous - many of us remember some budget models such as this that we had used.

    Not one of Ann Sothern's best works - her last movie "the Whales of August" was fantastic, as well as her TV series "the Ann Sothern show" and "susie" or "executive secretary" as it was originally called.

    And of course Charles Lane is such a great actor - how many years has his career spanned?
    5arfdawg-1

    Jut OK

    Brothers, Zack and Woody (portrayed by real-life brothers Chris and Pat Petersen) are young karate students who embark on a weekend camping trip with their grandfather J.J. (Charles Lane). Along the way they meet a new friend, Carol Forbinger (Sally Boyden) and her parents (Rick Lenz and Sharon Clark). When the Forbinger family encounters a tough-talking backwoods mother (Ann Sothern) and her two bumbling sons (Joe Spinell and John Davis Chandler) who decide to hold Carol captive believing they can collect a sizable ransom, the "karate kids" must find a way to use their martial arts skills to rescue the Forbinger girl with a little help from their grandfather and some new friends they meet along the way.

    Very low budget movie that was rated PG mainly due to some of the language the kids use.

    The movie was made in 1980 however many people believe it was actually made around 1976 and just didn't get released until 1980.

    The movie has not been properly preserved so the prints are turning red as the color fades.

    It's directed like a TV movie and even has the worst porn music streaming in the background. Speaking of porn, the movie features Joe Spinell who was married to a porn star and has a lot of strange deaths attached to him -- including his own.

    Joe was in a few mob backed horror movies but never really went anywhere despite being best friends with Sly Stallone. He wound up dying on his couch in a dump in Queens, NY at age 52.

    Back to the movie. I guess this film is in the public domain in that there are tons of versions of it.

    It's watchable but not especially good.

    And BTW, as an aside....who puts a billiard table out doors????? You'll see that and more in this move.
    4Cocoon_Man

    The Progenitor for Films Like 3 Ninjas & Karate Kid

    The Little Dragons, otherwise known as 'Karate Kids USA', was an incredible mixture of 3 Ninjas, Karate Kid, Deliverance and The Hills Have Eyes, jammed packed into an adventure fit for the whole family.

    Some of the cinematography has hints of Victor Salva's (Jeepers Creepers, Powder) directorial debut, Clown House... I would even go so far as to suggest this title has horror elements all its own.

    More martial arts would have been a welcomed addition to The Little Dragons, but the rough and tumble biker gang and the finale battle against the scheming family filled the required quota for a film in the action genre.
    2a_baron

    The Little Dragons

    Is this supposed to be a comedy? The two bad guys are an unwitting comedy act, as is the deputy charged initially with the investigation of the kidnapping, but this is by no means the first American film in which country dwellers, hillbillies etc are portrayed as venal morons, and one has to wonder if by 1979 the joke was not already wearing thin. "Deliverance", a far more sinister and better known film released in 1972 set the bar for this kind of mischaracterisation, but "The Little Dragons" has managed to crawl under it.
    6goldies97

    Little Dragons = a little entertainment

    I saw Little Dragons in a late night viewing once and thought it was goofy fun in the same vein as Bad News Bears and Six Pack. I really think this film could work for kids today. If it was released on DVD I think it would sell moderately well what with the new Mutant Ninja Turtles animated flick coming to theaters soon. Okay, so it's obvious I have a selfish aim of getting this on DVD and couldn't find any other way to express that in words. I could dramatically get on my knees and beg.....

    *gets on knees and begs*

    There. Embarrassed myself for this mediocre film. Just at least send a copy to my house.

    EDIT: had to. Just learned this is out on DVD under the title Karate Kids USA in the 50 movie pack Martial Arts from Mill Creek. So if you looked this up here on IMDb.com then go get that pack! 50 flicks for about $16! It's insane. And you'll go insane by the time you've viewed them all.

    Related interests

    Bruce Lee in Opération Dragon (1973)
    Martial Arts
    Bruce Willis in Piège de cristal (1988)
    Action
    Will Ferrell in Présentateur vedette: La légende de Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Debut theatrical feature film of actor Pat Petersen.
    • Goofs
      The piece of wood that Carl has is precut to break where Woody kicks it.
    • Alternate versions
      The Family Home Entertainment VHS that was released in the 80s, mainly as a children's title, has all of the swearing deleted.
    • Connections
      Edited into Tela Class: Em Busca de um Show (2007)

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    FAQ15

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 18, 1980 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Karate Kids U.S.A.
    • Filming locations
      • Southern California, California, USA(Location)
    • Production company
      • Eastwind
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 30m(90 min)
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

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