| Genre: | Drama |
| Director: | Sam O'Steen |
| Starring: | Michael Ontkean JoBeth Williams Ari Meyers Leo Rossi Leaf Phoenix |
| Cinematography: | Michael D. Margulies |
| Editor: | Randy Roberts |
| Music: | Fred Karlin |
| Executive Producer: | Rick Rosenberg Robert W. Christiansen |
| Producer: | Barry Greenfield |
| Location: | Marina del Rey, California |
| Company: | Chris/Rose Productions Viacom Productions |
| Network: | CBS |
| Runtime: | 101 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
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]
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]