In case someone hadn't noticed Savannah Smiles is a reverse version of O' Henry's
famous short story The Ransom Of Red Chief. That's the one where two crooks
kidnap a rich kid, but he turns out to such a hellion that the would be kidnappers
keep lowering the ransom demands and finally wind up offering the parents
money to take him off their hands. Of course this story was written before the
Lindbergh kidnapping and the many tragic copycats that followed.
We have a girl protagonist here in the person of Bridgette Andersen and she's running away from the rich parents who ignore here. She stows away in the getaway car of Donovan Scott who has just sprung his pal Mark Miller from a road gang. To give you an idea of how inept these two are, this was three days before Miller was going on parole.
As they try to revive their lives of crime Miller and Scott are saddled with the little girl. But she does kind of grow on them and she's having the time of her life with them. Funny scene is Scott boosting a rubber duck so she will take a bath.
The suspense in this film comes with Peter Graves who thinks he's a new version of Melvin Purvis and thinks that these two clowns are revival of John Dillinger and Babyface Nelson. He's quite willing to kill them and notch is gun handle for the record.
Pat Morita has a funny role as Father Oh Hara who tries to negotiate her safe return. It's come to the point that Miller and Scott now want a bit of compensation for what they are being put through fleeing law enforcement and all.
Savannah Smiles is a good family feature and you tear up a bit realizing that Bridgette Andersen dies at the age of 22 in real life.
We have a girl protagonist here in the person of Bridgette Andersen and she's running away from the rich parents who ignore here. She stows away in the getaway car of Donovan Scott who has just sprung his pal Mark Miller from a road gang. To give you an idea of how inept these two are, this was three days before Miller was going on parole.
As they try to revive their lives of crime Miller and Scott are saddled with the little girl. But she does kind of grow on them and she's having the time of her life with them. Funny scene is Scott boosting a rubber duck so she will take a bath.
The suspense in this film comes with Peter Graves who thinks he's a new version of Melvin Purvis and thinks that these two clowns are revival of John Dillinger and Babyface Nelson. He's quite willing to kill them and notch is gun handle for the record.
Pat Morita has a funny role as Father Oh Hara who tries to negotiate her safe return. It's come to the point that Miller and Scott now want a bit of compensation for what they are being put through fleeing law enforcement and all.
Savannah Smiles is a good family feature and you tear up a bit realizing that Bridgette Andersen dies at the age of 22 in real life.