Savannah Smiles

Savannah Smiles
Savannah-smiles-movie-poster-1982.jpg
Directed byPierre De Moro
Produced byClark L. Paylow
Written byMark Miller
StarringMark Miller
Donovan Scott
Bridgette Andersen
Peter Graves
Barbara Stanger
Pat Morita
Carol Wayne
Music byKen Sutherland
CinematographyStephen W. Gray
Edited byEva Ruggiero
Distributed byEmbassy Pictures
Release date
  • April 9, 1982 (1982-04-09)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$10,413,730[1]

Savannah Smiles is a 1982 family film written and produced by Mark Miller. Miller also played one of the male leads in the movie. The film was directed by Pierre De Moro, and starred Bridgette Andersen as the title character, with Mark Miller and Donovan Scott as the two vagabonds who befriend her.

Plot

The story begins at a prison work camp. Recently released ex-convict Boots McGaffey (Donovan Scott) has contrived an elaborate escape plan for his still imprisoned friend, Alvie Gibbs (Mark Miller). Alvie has no idea of what is planned, and no desire to be sprung from prison as he is due to be paroled in a week, but with bullets flying he has little choice but to jump into the car with Boots, and the two make good the escape. Hiding out from the police, they get a ride in the back of a truck. With the children in the back of the cab looking back and smiling at Boots and Alvie, we see a flashback of Alvie as a child, running after a truck while the children in the back laugh at him till he drops to the ground and gives up, crying. Returning to the present, Alvie bangs his hand against the cab. The truck stops and the two men jump out. Alvie and Boots return to a life of small time crime, but their efforts are comical.

In the same small town, a little girl (Bridgette Andersen) has been left alone in her room. Her father, Richard Driscoll, is a candidate for the United States Senate. Focused on gaining support for his campaign, he and his wife are entertaining guests. The little girl's nanny asks her mother to come say goodnight, but she is unable to do so. Feeling forgotten and unloved, 6 year-old Savannah makes her mind up to run away from home. The next day she packs her "Snoopy" suitcase. When her aunt and cousin come to take her to the park, she slips the suitcase into the back of the station wagon, and then joins them with her mother. The aunt takes the two girls off to the park, where the children play hide and seek. Savannah takes the opportunity to slip away.

Alvie and Boots arrive at the park and walk around, but soon return to their car and drive away. They stop nearby at an ice cream van. Not wanting his, Alvie tosses it out the window, directly into the path of a passing motorcycle cop. The officer circles back and walks up to the car. Asking for Alvie's license and registration, he says hello to a little girl in the back. Alvie and Boots turn around to find a little girl sitting there. Boots makes up a story about her being his niece, and the officer is called away. Once he is gone they attempt to drop the girl off at the park, but Savannah is unwilling to be left. She refuses to even tell them her name. With the park filling with police cars responding to the missing Driscoll girl, Alvie orders Boots to leave her at the side of the road and the two drive away. Looking back, however, Alvie sees the little girl running down the road after them. The sight brings Alvie the memory of his own childhood, and he stops to let her in.

Told to keep her happy, Boots takes on the task of caring for Savannah. This soon turns into make-believe games with the little girl, who has taken to calling him "Bootsie". It's clear Boots enjoys caring for her, and enters her world of make-believe games easily. The next morning Alvie discovers that a large reward has been offered for finding the missing girl. Though initially elated, Boots realizes that being on the run from the law they are unable to collect the reward without being caught. Frustrated, Alvie sets his mind to coming up with a way they can retrieve it.

Meanwhile, Savannah's parents have contacted the authorities. Believing Savannah may have been kidnapped, they also hire private detective Harland Dobbs (Peter Graves). Putting together eyewitness accounts and what evidence is available, the police come to doubt that Savannah was kidnapped. Dobbs, however, takes a hard line. With his Senatorial campaign looming and a tough on crime stance in the balance, Richard follows the strategy laid out by Dobbs.

Over the next few days, Alvie and Boots grow closer to Savannah. Boots takes a job to help with expenses. Alvie has to watch Savannah during the day, but he finds he doesn't mind. When she tells him she was left alone all the time and had to run away from home, he confides he did the same thing himself. He tells her of his childhood, and how he was always left alone when his uncle took his family into town. It made him sad then, and he ran away. He'd been looking after himself ever since. She sympathizes with him, but he replies "Well, that's a long time ago. I don't think about that... ever no more."

After a short time of caring for Savannah Boots makes a decision to start living better. He no longer wants to steal, and he doesn't want the reward money. He calls the Driscolls and tells them they just want to return Savannah. Before he can do that the police discover where the three are staying and surround the house. A sniper takes a shot at Alvie, but misses. The two men jump in the car with the little girl and Father O'Hara (Pat Morita) and escape, driving up to a mountain resort.

Arriving at the resort, Alvie and Father O'Hara travel down the gondola to meet the Driscolls and arrange her return. Meanwhile, at the top of the mountain Savannah has run into the woods after her puppy. Boots and Alvie begin to search for Savannah. As Dobbs and his team arrive at the site they surround the area and capture Boots. Alvie finds Savannah and her puppy, but sees the law has arrived in numbers. Turning to Savannah, he explains: "The time has come when playing and games is over, and everyone has got to go on back home. But that's alright, as long as you have a real good time. We've had a good time, haven't we?" "We sure have, Alvie" she replies.

Alvie returns Savannah to her mother, and is then taken into custody. As Joan takes Savannah home, Savannah sees her friends along the side of the road. Smiling brightly as she is driven past, she waves enthusiastically at them. The two men smile back at the little girl and nod to her. Watching her disappear in the distance, Boots says "I hope nobody ever tells her - we were bad guys". Alvie looks back, grins to himself and replies "It wont make no difference". With that we are transported back to the scene from Alvie's childhood where he is running after his family. This time though the children are cheering for Alvie and calling for him to catch up. The truck comes to a stop and the children pull young Alvie into the back, put their arms around him and greet him. The truck rolls forward, and they drive away together, all smiling broadly.

Production

Mark Miller was the creative force behind the project. He conceived the story, wrote the screen play, starred in the movie and produced it.[2] Miller got the idea for the movie when his daughter Savannah was a toddler. Her unruly curly blonde hair and smiling face struck Miller as so appealing that he came to believe he could make a successful movie around that alone.[3] He had to build a story for the little girl, and borrowed from the 1937 French movie La Grande Illusion, where an escaped hardened prisoner hides out in the home of a young widow, and is softened by the kindness of her daughter.[3] Miller titled the story after his daughter Savannah.[2] To finance the production he went to Texas oil man Hal Clifford.[4] Though many thought the movie would have no audience, Miller believed the project would appeal to young women. He was proved right.[3]

Sixty little girls tried out for the part of Savannah.[3] This was narrowed down to twelve who were asked to audition before Miller, including Drew Barrymore. Auditioning Bridgette Andersen, he asked her to tell him a bedtime story, any one that she knew. Bridgette told Miller the story of Br'er Rabbit. He liked her telling of the story so well he included it in the movie.[3]

He asked Donovan Scott to play the role of Boots McGaffey, Alvie's friend, and relied upon him for the slapstick comedy that he used to lighten the story.[2] Miller played Alvie Gibbs, the other male lead and the central character in the movie. He asked his wife, Barbara Stanger, to play the role of Savannah's mother, Joan Driscoll, and called upon friends Peter Graves and Pat Morita to take roles in the film. Miller relied upon his Texas upbringing to help him create the character of Alvie Gibbs. He gave his daughter Savannah a small speaking role as Savannah's cousin Beth. By the time of filming she had grown into an eleven-year-old. Miller's older daughter Marissa also had a small role in the film.

The film was shot on location in Salt Lake City, Provo Canyon,[5] and in the mountain country to the southeast near Sundance in Utah.[6] The gondola scene was shot at Bridal Veil Falls.[7]

Short on funds to promote the movie, Miller teamed with Eunice Shriver of Special Olympics, a charity he supported. Miller committed the gross revenue from the opening weekend of the film to the Special Olympics for their aid in promoting the release. Shriver agreed.[3] The movie opened 10 December 1982 in time for the Christmas season. The movie's soundtrack, titled Savannah Smiles (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), was released six months before the movie, on 1 June 1982.

After a short theater run, the movie received extensive play on cable television, and was featured on such channels as HBO. In time a fanbase grew up among children, many of whom watched it over and over.[6]

The film was released to DVD by Anchor Bay on 26 September 2006. The copyright and underlying rights to Savannah Smiles are held by Embassy Pictures corporate successor, StudioCanal.

Reception and influence

The film rates an 89% positive audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[8]

Commentator Lacey Worrell notes "Written by Mark Miller (father of actress Penelope Ann Miller), who plays Alvie, it is less about Savannah and more about Alvie, who, after a lifetime of neglect himself, finally learns to love, thanks to Savannah."[9]

For her work in the film, Bridgette Andersen received a nomination for a Youth in Film Award for Best Actress.[10]

The Girl Scouts named a cookie after the movie title. Launched in 2012, the Savannah Smiles cookie is said to celebrate the birthplace of the Girl Scouts founder, Juliette Gordon Low, who was born in Savannah, Georgia.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ a b c Machen, Rod (22 May 2018). "Savannah Smiles: Sweetness and Schlock". Cinapse. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Alyse, Jennifer. "A Chat with Mark Miller". The Savanest Agency. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  4. ^ Lee, Luaine Small Production A Rigorous Experience, Knight News Service
  5. ^ D'Arc, James V. (2010). When Hollywood came to town: a history of moviemaking in Utah (1st ed.). Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423605874.
  6. ^ a b O'Leary, Chuck. "Savannah Smiles". Fulvue Drive-in. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  7. ^ "Savannah Smiles 80s Movies Rewind". Locations. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  8. ^ "Savannah Smiles". Rotten Tomatoes. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  9. ^ Worrell, Lacey (26 November 2006). "Savannah Smiles". DVD Talk. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  10. ^ "4th Annual Awards". Youth in Film Association. 1981–82. Archived from the original on 2008-03-10. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
  11. ^ "Savannah Smiles Cookies". Girl Scouts of the USA. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2019.

External links


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