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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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.info/events/bobby-sherman-at-sea-world/