Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway

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?

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.

I remember seeing this awhile ago, and seeing Eve Plumb, fresh from playing Jan on the Brady Bunch, playing a teen runaway. She really sheds her Brady Bunch persona big time. All credit to the production team for the level of authenticity that permeates from this 70s flick.

I have to admit, I'm rather shocked by the other comments left for this movie. I watched it on video last night, and greatly enjoyed it, but it's by no means a "great film."

Eve Plumb's acting is truly atrocious. I never really paid attention to her acting on the Brady Bunch, but she's absolutely wretched in this movie, (in an oh-so-enjoyable way.) The dialogue is also hilariously bad. And, any movie that has a midget in the opening few minutes is a winner in my book.

Yes, this is definitely a camp classic. Worth seeking out for fans of bad movies.

I saw this when it first aired as a tv movie, and have also seen it on tape. This is a much better the average TV movie. Parts are very compelling as you watch this young runaway evolve into a streetwalker. I was shocked to find out that the actress that played Dawn also played Jan Brady. This role is a great departure for her, and she plays it very well. She can act, and she has sex-appeal. The ending is pure TV movie soap, but the middle and beginning are an intense drama. It is quality television that holds up well over time. This far better then the sequel which was more of soap.