Conway restaurant filmed for made-for-TV movie

A jolt of panic ran through Heather Whitley on Monday as she stared at the dessert in front of her.

She wondered if viewers would think her family made the eclair.

Whitely and her parents, Barbara and Les, were playing extras for the made-for-TV film “All Hallow’s Eve,” the last of three movies recently filmed in Conway.

Crady’s, the Whitleys’ cafe, served as the location for Monday’s shoot.

Locals watching the film will recognize the restaurant’s checkerboard floor, blue walls and reddish brown accents. Even some of the plates belong to the quaint place at the corner of Main Street and Fourth Avenue.

But the meals are another matter. The food comes, not from the small locale that offers “eclectic cuisine,” but from the world’s largest retailer. Heather Whitley noticed the distinction when her dessert arrived.

“I’m going, ‘Seriously?’” she said. “Here’s Mom, who’s an award-winning baker, and they want me to feel like I’m eating a Wal-Mart eclair. … It’s sort of funny.”

Dishes aside, the family was grateful for the chance to showcase their business on the small screen.

“We’re real proud of our restaurant,” Barbara Whitley said. “We think it’s a very beautiful place. And certainly any small business can enjoy the publicity that comes from it.”

As for the filming process, that’s been educational. The Whitleys had hoped to sit and watch the acting, but when they weren’t playing diners the set was too packed. So they spent part of the day waiting at the Theatre of the Republic across the street.

“I’ve heard the adage that filmmaking is a lot of hurry up and wait,” Barbara Whitley said. “And that’s exactly what it’s been today.”

“All Hallow’s Eve,” a G-rated children’s movie, is a story about Eve, a young woman who learns she’s a witch on Halloween night (also her birthday). By accident, Eve summons an old relative who tries to take over the town.

Along with the Halloween-themed feature, the other recent flicks with Conway as the backdrop are “Accidental Engagement,” a romantic comedy, and “The Ghost of Alice Flagg,” a love story/thriller. All have been produced by Murrells Inlet-based G It’s Entertainment.

Last year, the company’s film “12 Dog Days of Christmas,” which included scenes from Conway, aired on the UP network the day after Thanksgiving.

The Whitleys hope to eventually see Crady’s on Disney Channel or another family network, and they suspect their regulars would like that, too.

“They’re very interested,” Heather Whitley said. “I posted it on Instagram and Facebook. ... We’ve gotten a lot of really cool, positive comments.”

Although the Whitleys got the call about the movie last week, the production company had long known about Crady’s.

“We had scouted it before [for another movie],” said Heather Bakewell, the unit production manager working on the film. “But we actually filmed that movie in Marion, and so we revisited the restaurant and we were able to film there.”

The production crew still needs extras each day this week. On Saturday night, the crew will be filming a Halloween party scene in North Myrtle Beach and will need a high school age crowd. Costumes are encouraged, but they must be family friendly and not trademarked (i.e. no superheroes, cartoon characters, etc.).

Anyone who would like to try out for a background spot can contact Bakewell at movieahe@gmail.com.

Charles D. Perry: 843-626-0218, @TSN_CharlesPerr

This story was originally published November 10, 2015 at 8:59 AM with the headline "Conway restaurant filmed for made-for-TV movie."