Savannah Smiles (1982)

The young daughter of a politician runs away due to lack of attention. She hides in the car of two not-so-bright crooks who are slowly converted into parent figures to her. A surprising ... See full summary »

Director:

Pierre De Moro

Writers:

Mark Miller (screenplay), Mark Miller (story)

Stars:

Mark Miller, Donovan Scott, Bridgette Andersen

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Miller	...	Alvie
Donovan Scott	...	Boots
Bridgette Andersen	...	Savannah
Chris Robinson	...	Richard Driscoll
Michael Parks	...	Lt. Savage
Peter Graves	...	Harland Dobbs
Barbara Stanger	...	Joan Driscoll
Pat Morita	...	Father Ohara
Philip Abbott	...	Chief Pruitt
Fran Ryan	...	Farmer Wilma
Ray Anzalone	...	Pharmacist
John Fiedler	...	Grocery Clerk
Carol Wayne	...	Doreen
Don Steffey	...	Farmer
Oscar Rowland	...	Doctor

Storyline

The young daughter of a politician runs away due to lack of attention. She hides in the car of two not-so-bright crooks who are slowly converted into parent figures to her. A surprising bond of love and redirection forms among the trio as the police close down on the supposed kidnappers.

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Plot Keywords:

politician | on the run | runaway child | escaped convict | little girl | 

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Taglines:

... and love will never be the same.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 December 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Il sorriso di Savannah

Filming Locations:

Bridal Veil Falls, Provo Canyon, Utah, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Savannah Smiles Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mark Miller originally wrote this screen play intending that his daughter Savannah play the starring role but by the time it went into production she was too old for the part. She did have a small role as Savannah's cousin Beth. His daughter Marisa Miller also has a minor role as a jogger and his wife Barbara Stanger played Savannah's mother.

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Quotes

Boots: YAA! HOO! HOO! We did it, we did it I planned the whole thing and it worked. Hey aren't you happy, aren't you going to thank me?
Alvie: Yeah, thanks a lot I get paroled on Friday.

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Connections

Features Little Rascals: Best of Our Gang (1930)

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Soundtracks

Alvie's Goodbye
(Instrumental)

User Reviews

Similarities with "Monsters, Inc."

This was one of my favorite films as a kid, as I often had runaway fantasies of my own (who didn't want to get away from their parents at some point in their childhood?). This movie parallels a more recent, widely popular movie "Monsters, Inc." Think about it: both movies involve two male characters who are friends/co-workers/partners-in-crime. These characters are encountered by a small, cute, little girl from another world (in "Savannah Smiles", the girl is from a world of wealth while the guys are from "the wrong side of the tracks"; and in "Monsters, Inc.", a girl from the human world enters into the monster world). Also, Alvie and Boots are seen as "monsters" (since they are criminals) and are misjudged by others. (It can be argued that Alvie is like Sulley from "Monsters, Inc." since he's the leader and Boots is a lot like Sulley's sidekick Mike). As in both movies, the two main characters do not want the little girl at first and are desperate to get rid of her (for fear of the repercussions)--but they soon grow to love her, ending in a tearful goodbye when the girl is returned home.

Try watching both movies back-to-back and see for yourself the similarities. I'm not implying that the writers of "Monsters, Inc." stole their ideas from "Savannah Smiles", I just thought it was a neat coincidence that they had such similar themes.