by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Wayne Newton is the hero of the warm-hearted family feature 80 Steps to Jonah. The piping-voiced Newton is accused of car thievery, but who could doubt the sincerity of that angelic face? On the lam from the cops, he takes a job at a summer camp for blind children. Passing himself off as the new handyman the camp is expecting, the fugitive quickly ingratiates himself with the kids. Soon the cops come calling, but the falsely accused man is rescued by a last-minute confession. Veteran producer/director Gerd Oswald, previously a specialist in taut crime mellers, unexpectedly goes "cute" on 80 Steps to Jonah, though the end result is better than it deserves to be.
characteristics
- Starting Over
- Assumed Identities
- Robber
- Theft
- Thief
- Heist
- Law
- Cop
- Child
- Camp
- Tracking [following]
- Criminal
- Police
- False-accusation
- Loner
