Carl Betz and Dina Merrill starred in writer / director R. John Hughs’ film “The Meal” filmed in a home in Winter Park in 1974.
On May 8, 1974, actor Carl Betz and actress Dina Merrill agreed to do a PSA for use by Channel 24 / WMFE – TV to promote public television in Orlando area. I was one of the staff members who traveled to a beautiful Spanish style home in Winter Park where the movie was being filmed. I secured their signatures on the releases so that we could use their likenesses for promoting the public television station here in Orlando.
The house was inundated with cameras, cables and lights! It was a treat for me to meet Carl Betz as I had been a big fan of the Donna Reed television show on which he starred as her husband.
The film is also known as “Deadly Encounter.”
Article in the Rollins Sandspur about the premiere.
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I was a Production Assistant on that gig. I was Dina Merrill’s driver. One morning, after shooting late night, Dina and I sang songs from “Carousel “as I drove her to her home she rented in Windermere. When we got there, she asked me if I would like to meet her husband. Cliff Robertson. Of course! So I had coffee and pancakes. The next day, I had to drive to Holiday Inn on I-Drive to pick up 2 hairpieces for Carl Betz. They were shooting a scene where her shoot’s himself in the head and he wanted to use his “older “ toupee. The next day, Dina asked me if I knew of a good place for Italian food. One of the other P.A’s said he did , she didn’t want the food that was catered that night. So, Dina, myself and “Douglas Marvaldi” who did Dina’s hair and makeup. Doug is still our dear friend. He did my wife’s hair until he retired last year It was an empty closet,no chairs. So we sat on the floor like a picnic table.It was a fun gig!
Greetings Dennis! It is AMAZING that you were a Production Assistant on this project. We did local programming in our studio at WMFE-TV on Oakridge Road, so I was used to cables and cameras, etc., but a movie set on location in a house was a totally different experience. So much equipment and cables and gaffer’s tape and lights. And it was really an experience for me as I was only 19 at the time. If you have any photos from the production that you took or anything that you would like to send as a pdf or an image for us to attach to the post, we’d love to include it on the post. Just let us know and we’ll contact you via email. Thank you for visiting Orlando Memory and sharing your fabulous memories of the film “The Meal” shot in Winter Park in 1974! THE ORLANDO MEMORY TEAM
My parents were both extras in this movie. The Director approached my mother for the part that Suzy Logan did. She told the director I was too young I was in 10th grade at the time. This is where my mother met Delta Burke and they spent a lot of time Off camera talking together about her dreams of being an actress.
They had a premiere in Winter Park and an after party we attended.
Greetings Louise! Thank you for visiting Orlando Memory and sharing your exciting memories of “The Meal” being filmed. If you have any photos of your parents in the film, we’d love to post one or two. We hope you find other posts that bring back happy memories of days gone by. THE ORLANDO MEMORY TEAM
Dear Gildeagirl,
What an interesting story! I remember the filming of “The Meal” in Winter Park, and I even remember seeing a movie trailer for it. l desperately wanted to see the movie, but it apparently was an R-rated movie and I was under the legal age, so I never got the chance.
As you were a staff member at WMFE, do you recall whatever became of the PSA they did? I’d love to find out whatever happened to it!
When I worked as Traffic Manager and assistant in the Promotion Department in the 1970s, we usually used PSA’s with visiting stars during Pledge Week and sometimes during regular broadcast times. We also shot one with Bobby Sherman when he was at SeaWorld in March 1974. https://orlandomemory.org/events/bobby-sherman-at-sea-world/