Two homeless men have a quixotic day of comedy, adventure, and romance and upon the streets of Los Angeles thanks to a “Jackson,” a twenty dollar bill, and the beautiful musical backdrop of opera’s greatest arias. 

This is going to be the best day of your life!” Donald (Barry Primus) promises Sam (Charlie Robinson). This seems unlikely, given that both are homeless men mired in the bleak landscape of Los Angeles’ Skid Row. Moreover, the source of Donald’s optimism is a mere $20 bill (a Jackson) which he skillfully bummed off a passing businessman (Steve Guttenberg). But Donald, a modern day Don Quixote, vows that with it they can go anywhere and do anything. He drags the reluctant Sam off in search of great adventure.

JACKSON, directed by J.F. Lawton, spans a single day that turns into a cold, rainy night. Fueled by their “ability to pay,” not to mention bottles of Thunderbird, Donald and Sam adventure through a world of humor, philosophy, danger and hope. In the most unusual aspect of the film, their story is accented by other down-and-out characters who express themselves by singing some of the world’s greatest opera arias. From an old drunk (Richard Brown) singing a Donizetti duet with a crack addict (Shawnette Sulker), to a bag-lady (Ella Lee Romani) singing Carmen, these surreal musical sequences stand apart from, but enrich Donald and Sam’s journey. What begins as a simple tale about the friendship of two bums becomes a story about the beauty and resilience of the human spirit.

Jonathan Frederick Lawton was born in Riverside, California. His father, Harry W. Lawton, was a historian and novelist, the author of “Tell Them Willie Boy is Here,” which was the basis for the 1969 feature film starring Robert Redford.

He studied filmmaking at Cal State Long Beach and then worked for several years as a film editor during which time he also wrote a number of screenplays, one of which, THREE THOUSAND, was selected by the prestigious Sundance Institute for their screenwriting workshop.

THREE THOUSAND was later purchased by Disney Studios and the title changed to PRETTY WOMAN. The film was directed by Garry Marshall and starred Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. It became the largest grossing live action film in Disney’s history with over $400 million in world wide box office. Lawton was nominated for a Writer’s Guild of America Award and a British Academy Award for this screenplay.

He executive produced his next original screenplay, UNDER SEIGE starring Tommy Lee Jones and Steven Seagal for Warner Bros. It broke records for a fall theatrical release and a successful sequel followed—UNDER SEIGE II: DARK TERRITORY.

Lawton co-wrote MISTRESS, with director Barry Primus, a comedy starring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken and Martin Landau. He also wrote and directed THE HUNTED, which starred Christopher Lambert and John Lone for Universal Pictures. He created and exec produced the Sony Television hit syndicated show VIP starring Pamela Anderson through a successful five year run. His other writing credits include BLANKMAN (with Daman Wayans), CHAIN REACTION (starring Keanu Reeves) and most recently DEAD OR ALIVE (starring Jamie Pressly).

His latest film project is JACKSON.