Savannah Driscoll (Brigette Andersen)is the 7 year old daughter of wealthy gubernatorial candidate, Richard Driscoll (Chris Robinson). Savannah, feeling terribly lonely and neglected by her self-absorbed parents, dashes a note and runs away. Two small-time crooks, Boots (Donovan Scott) and Alvie (Mark Miller),on the lam after a slapstick-style prison break, steal the car in which Savannah has chosen to hide. Savannah's "run away" note falls out of sight, so the police, with the exception of Lt. Savage (Michael Parks) immediately assume kidnapping. The police call in "ace tracker" Harland Dobbs (Peter Graves, in hilarious deadpan "dimwit detective" role). Meanwhile, Alvie, Boots and Savannah find a hideout. While Boots takes care of Savannah, Alvie, who hates children (and just about everybody else) becomes involved with Doreen (Carol Wayne, Carson's "Matinee Lady"),an attractive, spectacularly built waitress and part-time country singer. Desiring to satisfy Doreen's innocent dreams, Alvie ransoms Savannah. However, Boots' "nurturing instincts" are aroused, and he wants to reform.

Despite some thin spots in the middle, this is a surprisingly powerful movie. As we learn more about Alvie, we come to sympathize with his character, making the "near Ruby Ridge-style" climax of this movie all the more gut wrenching. I can barely think about this film without choking up. The cast is uniformly outstanding, most notable being Mark Miller (father of Penelope Ann),Pat Morita, Carol Wayne and Michael Parks (a character similar to THE X FILES Muldar). Brigette Andersen (granddaughter of child star Jackie Coogan) is adorable. Tragically, Andersen died from a drug and alcohol overdose at age 22.

The late porn star, Savannah, took her stage name from this movie, an admittedly "dubious" distinction. Apparently SAVANNAH SMILES has affected a lot of people. If you DO show it to your children, WATCH it with them. You may look at the world in a slighter brighter way when you are done.

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.

Little girl Savannah (an excellent and endearing portrayal by the adorable Bridgette Andersen) feels like she's being neglected by her parents, so she runs away from home. Savannah hides in a stolen car owned by gruff criminal Alvie (a fine performance by Mark Miller, who also wrote the thoughtful script) and his bumbling partner Boots (amiable Donovan Scott). The duo decide to keep Savannah in order to collect a one hundred thousand dollar reward.

Director Pierre De Moro keeps the enjoyable and uplifting story moving along at a brisk pace as well as ably maintains a wonderfully bighearted tone throughout. Miller and Scott display an utterly engaging and uproarious natural chemistry as the lovably inept thieves, Andersen positively sparkles as one exceptionally cute and charming kid, plus there are sturdy contributions from Chris Robinson as Savannah's pompous, preoccupied politician father Richard Driscoll, Michael Parks as the shrewd Lt. Savage, Peter Graves as stuffy, but useless "kidnapping expert" Harold Dobbs, Barbara Stringer as Savannah's worried mother Joan, and Pat Morita as the helpful Father Ohara. Popping up in funny bits are Fran Ryan as a feisty farmer's wife and John Fiedler as a country store clerk. Stephen W. Gray's sunny cinematography provides an attractive bright look. Ken Sutherland's flavorsome score hits the harmonic spot. But it's the way Savannah's glowing purity and enchanting innocence brings out the latent goodness and decency in both Boots and especially the prickly Alvie that in turn gives this picture a considerable amount of genuine warmth and poignancy. An absolute treat.