Remember Joey Cramer, the star of the heartwarming 1986 Disney classic “Flight of the Navigator”? It was a charming film about a little boy who gets abducted by aliens and travels through time 8 years into the future. Things look bleak for him due to the government studying him until he gets a chance to break onto and pilot a spacecraft with the help of an alien voiced by Paul Reubens. It’s a cute film.
But would Joe “Joey” Cramer, who was also the little boy in “Runaway,” the Michael Chrichton-directed robot classic with Tom Selleck and Gene Simmons, go on to live a happy, carefree life? Apparently not, since last year he was arrested on several charges including bank robbery in Canada.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/flight-navigator-star-arrested-bank-890872
He even stooped to using a wig! Yes, like Haley Joel Osment and Corey Haim before him, Joey Cramer is a child star Gone Wrong. One can only hope he gets appropriate counseling and real but compassionate discipline so his life turns around. Maybe it’s Paul Reubens and Gene Simmons’ fault; they are eccentric co-stars to say the least. In any case, it makes “Flight of the Navigator” more interesting. Maybe he needs to travel BACKWARD next time so he can change his present. We still like you Joey; we’re just disappointed! Here’s hoping for a comeback!