Buzz Scanland

1. Mountain Lake was not the original plan for the movie set.

BS: “Vestron movie company had already picked Lake Lure to do the movie. They were flying back to New York City on Piedmont Airlines, and Piedmont puts out a magazine called Pace, and Mountain Lake had an ad in there. When they got back to New York, they called and asked if they could look at the hotel here, because this was what they had in mind more.”

The production company ended up shooting half the movie at Lake Lure in southwestern North Carolina, and half, including the opening scene, at Mountain Lake.

2. There was a last-minute role swap.

BS: “When they first started filming, the person who was going to portray Baby’s mother got sick, and flew back to New York on Sunday or Monday to see her doctor. They were on such a tight budget that they told her that if she wasn’t back by Wednesday, they were going to forget her and put someone else in the part. The lady who ended up playing Baby’s mother [Kelly Bishop] was here to play the part of Vivian. The person who played Vivian [Miranda Garrison] was here working with the production crew, and wasn’t planning on being in the movie at all. She was thrown into the part. I thought she ended up being one of the best actresses.”

3. The production crew spruced up the Mountain Lake atmosphere.

BS: “They had ballers with chains [wooden fence posts with a chain strung through them] installed for the movie, and they are still there. Some of the paths which are now paved they took white gravel and put it on the path, to make them show up.” The crew also put peach and white awnings on the hotel, over the dining room.

4. Extras from the movie met in Blacksburg and were bused up the mountain on the Blacksburg Transit.

BS: “They hung around all day waiting for whatever they needed to be doing. I still remember when the movie premiered at the old Lyric Theatre in Blacksburg. I went to the showing, and it was really strange because a lot of the locals were there, and they were all dressed in tuxes. Every time they would see someone local in the movie, they would applaud. They stayed seated during the credits, because the last credit in the movie was Mountain Lake Hotel.”

5. Filming took approximately three weeks.

BS: “They were on a tight budget so they were going at it.”