Kids Don't Tell

1985 American drama television film

Kids Don't Tell
JoBeth Williams & Michael Ontkean in a scene from Kids Don't Tell
Genre	Drama
Written by	Maurice Hurley
Directed by	Sam O'Steen
Starring	Michael Ontkean JoBeth Williams Ari Meyers Leo Rossi Leaf Phoenix
Music by	Fred Karlin
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Rick Rosenberg Robert W. Christiansen
Producer	Barry Greenfield
Production location	Marina del Rey, California
Cinematography	Michael D. Margulies
Editor	Randy Roberts
Running time	101 minutes
Production companies	Chris/Rose Productions Viacom Productions
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	March 5, 1985 (1985-03-05)

Kids Don't Tell is a 1985 American made-for-television drama film about child molestation starring Michael Ontkean and JoBeth Williams. The docudrama, which was directed by Oscar-nominated film editor Sam O'Steen (Chinatown, Postcards from the Edge), was broadcast on CBS on March 5, 1985.^[1]

Plot

Driven by a duty to his young daughter (Ari Meyers), filmmaker John Ryan (Michael Ontkean) agrees to produce a documentary on the sexual abuse of children in the American status quo. However, his loving wife Claudia (JoBeth Williams) becomes increasingly despondent and troubled as the filmmaker immerses himself further into the project. Ryan obtains participation from a host of experts in the field, including a Los Angeles police detective (Leo Rossi), who provides powerful insight into how the legal system fails, and a habitual molester (Jordan Charney), who tells of his technique for choosing and assaulting his victims.^[2]