Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway

Although a bit tame by today's standards, "Dawn" was quite the thing when it came out. In my opinion, the most memorable character is not Dawn, herself, but her hustler friend Alexander, played by Leigh J. McCloskey, whose performance was so deeply moving that he scored a sequel of his own: "Alexander: the Other Side of Dawn" (1977) (TV). Unfortunately, the sequel wasn't up to the original when it came to presenting Alexander. This was a landmark movie to many of its audience members, some of whom I know can STILL remember its EXACT title, a quarter century later; such was its impact on the post-Vietnam, post-Watergate generation.

Eve Plumb in an effort to get away from her image of Jan Brady, middle sister with Marcia issues, on the Brady Bunch took a part as far as you can get from the G-rated Brady family. She plays Dawn Wetherby who ran away from home because of problems simply never contemplated in the Brady household.

Getting to the mean streets of Los Angeles she makes three acquaintances who change her life, fellow teen runaway Leigh J. McCloskey, social worker Georg Stanford Brown and bottom feeding pimp Bo Hopkins. In this made for TV movie, a big ratings winner back in the day it all works out pretty much as it's supposed to.

Not that this a great film, it's just average, but people tuned into this one to see Jan Brady in a hooker outfit more than anything else. This was not the end of the saga of Leigh and Eve. A sequel was made next year with McCloskey the protagonist showing him earning a living on the streets any which way he could.

Where was Marcia when you needed her?

Great stuff! It's a pity this movie and its sequel - 'Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn' are not available on video - (Perhaps we could lobby the studio!) Eve Plumb and Leigh McCloskey (where are they now?) are superb in the central roles. I couldn't imagine a successful remake of these movies as the naivety of the teenagers just wouldn't be credible in the 21st Century - or would it? Incidentally, I seem to recall a Disney movie entitled 'Blind Sunday' circa 1976, which featured Leigh McCloskey. His character was, in some ways, a precurser to the character of Alexander.

I was a senior in high school when this played on TV and it was not only a big hit, but a big shocker. Plus the fact that one of the Brady Bunch girls played a run away who becomes a street walker added to the shock. Today, this made for tv film would be nothing to really write home about. Most of the acting was just average and Bo Hopkins as Swan the pimp basically overplayed his role, which was also very stereotyped. The content matter was raunchy for 1976. Not only female prostitution was addressed, but also male prostitution. Of course this was made a few years before the Aids epidemic, so it sort of lessens the impact. For it's time, pretty good.

Young girls who, run away from home, don't see danger. Pimps hang out in bus stations and airports, to catch these young girls, and lure them into prostitution. The young guy, who befriended her, gave her good advice to go back home. Even the Sheriff took Dawn, to the morgue and tried to convince her, that prostitution is dangerous. I would recommend, this movie to all teenagers. Church groups and Police departments, should use this movie, as an example, to our youth.