MY BIG FAT MOVIE CAREER
BY DAN MILLER
December 7, 2006
Do you recognize the movie star in the photo I've attached?
No, I'm not talking about the person in the foreground (that's me)...... I'm talking about the attractive woman seated behind me. It's Michele Lee.
The scene is from the movie "Big Dreams & Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story"... in which Michele portrays country singer Dottie West.
I played the host of a music show called "Wendy Blevin's Landmark Jamboree", which had been an actual television program in Cleveland, Ohio in the 1950s.
It was a place where a young Dottie West made regular appearances early in her career.
These photos were sent to me by a viewer who happened across the movie on cable.
Right about now, you're probably wondering how -- and why -- I would be cast in a movie.
Well, I'll tell you.
The movie was filmed in early 1995, shortly before I returned to the Channel 4 anchor desk.
My then-recent talk show on TNN had "gone away" (as all shows on TNN ultimately would do).... and I had lots of time on my hands.
A few years earlier, while I was living in California and working at CBS, I had become acquainted with Michele Lee and her husband Fred Rappoport, who was a producer of several shows there at CBS.
After moving back to Nashville, I heard Michele was planning to make a movie about Dottie West.
I informed her that I had interviewed Dottie West years ago on my local talk show in Nashville, and asked if she'd like a copy of the show to help with her portrayal of Dottie.
She said "yes" -- I sent her the tape -- and she invited me to "read" for a part in the movie.
A few months later I auditioned, and -- even though I had fully expected to be offered the romantic lead -- I was offered the somewhat smaller (though crucial to the story) role of the announcer.
For me, having never done a movie before (or since), it was quite an experience.
They even provided me a little dressing room trailer for my one day of shooting.
Best of all, I got to eat lunch with the cast and crew.
The director was Bill D'Elia, who had directed -- among other things -- 5 episodes of "Northern Exposure"... one of my all-time favorite shows. So the lunchtime conversation was fun and informative for me.... though Bill -- for some unknown reason -- kept moving to other tables.
The filming process was intriguing.
There were a couple of scenes where I was just part of the background, but with specific moves to make.
Once, the director even said, "thanks, you gave me something I can use there"..... leading me to believe that a little thing called "Oscar" was definitely in my future!
As you know, there's big money in making movies.... and for a couple of years after the movie aired on CBS, I would -- once a year -- get a residual check for about $70.
And I kept figuring -- any day -- my phone would ring with an offer for my next big movie role........
I'm still waiting..........
_______________________________________________________