Savannah Smiles

Six-year-old Savannah's father is running for the United States Senate. Because Savannah's parents pay no attention to her, she decides to run away, leaving a note before she flees. Unfortunately, her father, fearing the note may hurt his chances of winning the election, burns it and admonishes the maid not to tell anyone. When her aunt picks her up and they go to the park, Savannah switches cars and ends up with two escaped (and incompetent) convicts, Alvie and Boots. The convicts take her in and soon discover that her father has posted a reward of $100,000 for her safe return. Unexpectedly, they grow close to her, and Savannah finds the love and attention she always wanted. The convicts arrange to return her, with the help of the family priest, but she becomes lost in the Uinta Mountains of northeastern Utah. The convicts refuse the opportunity to escape in order to search for her and bring her back safely, ultimately surrendering to the priest and the police.

Mark Miller was the creative force behind the project. He conceived the story, wrote the screenplay, starred in and produced the movie.[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 child actresses 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 any bedtime story 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.[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.

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."[8]

For her work in the film, Bridgette Andersen received a nomination for a Youth in Film Award for Best Actress.[9]

Pornographic actress Savannah took her stage name from the film.[10]

• Savannah Smiles at IMDb
• Savannah Smiles at the TCM Movie Database
• Savannah Smiles at AllMovie
• Savannah Smiles at Rotten Tomatoes
• Savannah Smiles at Box Office Mojo
• The 1980s Rewind feature on Savannah Smiles