Little Ones, The (1965)

In a London slum area, two 10-year-old boys decide to escape to the docks in Liverpool and stow away on a ship to Jamaica.

For Ted (Kim Smith), it is a case of leaving his bullying and brutal parents who forbid his friendship with the mixed-race Jackie (Carl Gonzales).

For Jackie, it is a question of leaving his mother, a white prostitute who, though affectionate toward him, feels he is always in the way.

The decision to head for Jamaica is made since that’s where Jackie’s long-since vanished father came from.

The story of how the lads get to Liverpool and what they do to make money on the way up is full of childish spirit and humour.

Stowing away on a furniture van to Liverpool, they steal a case from a Rolls-Royce, hoping to pawn it for money to buy food. The police suspect it is the work of experts, and Liverpool is turned upside down in the search for the culprits.

Caught by a kindly welfare officer as they are boarding a ship, Ted and Jackie learn that their journey has wasted a lot of their own time – there are docks in London, and ships also depart from there to sail to Jamaica.

Dudley Foster costars as police Superintendent Carter.

The running time of the film is only 66 minutes

Jackie
Carl Gonzales
Ted
Kim Smith
Supt. Carter
Dudley Foster
Det. Wilson
Derek Newark
Ted’s Mother
Jean Marlow
Ted’s Father
Peter Thomas
Paddy
Derek Francis
Child Welfare Officer
Cyril Shaps
Lord Brantley
John Chandos
Peggy
Diane Aubrey

Director
Jim O’Connolly