This won the 1972 Academy Award for Best Documentary Film. [citationneeded]. Hes from that era when casting directors worked a surreal alchemy, cooking up ensembles that mixed the finest thespians in the world with non-actor celebrities, sports figures, writers, Dr. Joyce Brothers, whoever. When he was very young, he garnered lots of press attention on that account (Life magazine, Ripleys Believe It or Not, etc). The beginning of the film recounts how Gortner began preaching at the age of four, pressed into service by his evangelist parents.When Gortner hit puberty and the novelty of a child preacher wore off, he quit preaching, only to return to evangelism as an adult. Marjoe Gortner (nscut Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner pe 14 ianuarie 1944 n oraul Long Beach, California) este actor american. He then gained notoriety in the 1970s when he starred in Marjoe, an Oscar-winning behind-the-scenes documentary about the lucrative business of Pentecostal preaching. Instead, the movies principal consequence was the launching of Marjoes career in show business. Gender [1] He turned his childhood abuse and exploitation into . I wonder, did I miss out on God healing me? actress Candy Clark, 1978-1979 (divorced) Susan Magestro Gortner 2019 - present. marjoe gortner exposes evangelists When Gortner was three his father, Vernon, a third generation minister, noticed his son's talent for mimicry and overall fearlessness of strangers and public settings. Produced and directed by Howard Smith and Sarah Kernochan, it's flat-out great, a singular document chronicling the life of former child evangelist, Marjoe Gortner who, as an adult superstar preacher, admits on film that he's using the whole evangelist racquet . When Gortner was a child, his father, Vernon, a third-generation Christian minister,[1] noticed his son's talent for mimicry and his fearlessness of strangers and public settings. His mother, who has been labelled as "exuberant," was the person who introduced him as a preacher, and . Unbeknownst to everyone involved including, at one point, his father he gave backstage interviews to the filmmakers between sermons and revivals, explaining intimate details of how he and other ministers operated. Right then and there I knew that this guy was a con artist. If you happened to watch the videos above and see the emotional craziness that went on at Marjoes meetings, I should let you know that I saw similar behavior at Baptist revival meetings, preachers meetings, camp meetings; especially those held south of the Mason-Dixon line. Marjoe Gortner was born on July 14, 1944 in Long Beach, California. When approached by documentarians Howard Smith and Sarah Kernochan, he agreed to let their film crew follow him during 1971 on a final tour of revival meetings in California, Texas, and Michigan. The son of professional evangelists, Gortner was preaching on the Southern tent-revival circuit by the age of 3. Marjoe Gortner was widely known for his acting on the big screen. Directors Sarah Kernochan, Howard Smith Starring Marjoe Gortner Genres He turns out to be a wig-wearing national guardsman, a kidnapper, rapist, and martinet who shoots looters (anyone he pleases, really) on sight. While other kids were out running around doing the things that kids are supposed to be doing, Marjoe was forced to memorize elaborate sermons with the threat of a pillow smothering or long dunks underwater hanging over his head when his mother got frustrated. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. His father Vernon was a third-generation Christian evangelical minister who preached at revivals. He became a hugely successful preacher but behind it all was an elaborate . For those not familiar with Marjoe Gortner, http://dangerousminds.net/comments/a_lot_of_people_do_bad_things_the_bizarre_tale_of_child_evangelist_turned_c, Dr. David Tee Thinks Everyone Who is Not a Christian is an Atheist, Bruce, I Pray You Will Have Your Eyes Opened and the Truth will Guide You, Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Pastor William Tim Smith, Jr. National Airlines Flight 83 crashes during landing at Philadelphia International Airport, killing seven passengers and crew. Marjoe Gortner (born 1944, his first name a portmanteau of "Mary" and "Joseph") was a famous child preacher. Marjoe Gortner was an ordained minister at 4, released an Oscar-winning documentary exposing his evangelical career as a fraud in 1972, recorded an album, and had a solid career as an actor. By the time he was 16 his family had amassed what he later estimated to be three million dollars. He was the youngest known in that position. Marjoe Gortner was born on the 14th of January, 1944. Marjoe Gortner was four years old when he was ordained as an evangelical minister. We are your favorite distraction. Quickly, the film cuts to a time years later where we find a now long and lean, tie-dye adorned, all-grown-up Marjoe Gortner in a hotel room with a very stoned looking hippie film crew. For those not familiar with Marjoe Gortner: Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner (generally known as Marjoe Gortner; born January 14, 1944 in Long Beach, California) is a controversial former evangelist preacher and actor. To put it mildly, Marjoes baldly demonstrated truths didnt make a dent in faux Christian swindle culture. Marjoe Gortner was born on January 14, 1944 and is 79 years old now. He first gained public attention during the late 1940s when his parents arranged for him to be ordained as a preacher at age four, due to his extraordinary speaking ability. NEW CHANNEL! , The Theology behind Steven Furtick's "Audacious Faith". Before you know it, film is being shot in a church and all of the above happens on camera. Marjoe Gortner by Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman. It practically constitutes a subgenre. Marjoe Gortner was born in Long Beach, California, USA on Friday, January 14, 1944 (Baby Boomers Generation). The church and its members departed Miracle Valley in early 1983. Im sure Bruce will be along after his break to answer this himself but in the meantime I cant help saying that, to me anyhow, your question is like asking who is the best astrologer, or which homeopathic remedies can be recommended. I said, Whos Marjoe?, My mom turned the television off, snapped, No one important.. Marjoe is a 1972 documentary feature directed by Howard Smith and Sarah Kernochan.. But yer, people still fall for it! He traveled with a rock band. Something like half the country appears caught in the grip of it as we write this. 1940) 2012: The death of Rosy Varte, Armenian-French actress (b. That's a shame. USS Enterprise fire: An accidental explosion aboard the USSEnterprise near Hawaii kills 28 people. One thing a lot of people forget about is the tax advantage: I was tax-deductible. 1930), The death of Zhang Wannian, Chinese general (b. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. And during the 70s there was a lot of call for his type he frequently played psychotic villains, often all-American types who had gone horribly wrong in some way. But all the while, despite the accolades, the controversy, LIFE magazine articles and all sorts of people telling him he was blessed with a supernatural gift sent straight from GAAAWD almighty, Marjoe Gortner never really believed it. In the seventies, this was a way-out thing. Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner She knew he had to appear in the public all the time to keep the money rolling in, so she didnt want to leave any visible scars of abuse. Then, he returned to preaching: with a film crew in tow. The new play opened October 14, 2010, in Philadelphia, PA, and has since been performed in New York (the Soho Playhouse), Los Angeles, Philadelphia (the 2011 NET Festival) and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (the Kelly Strayhorn Theater) with forthcoming productions in Austin, Texas (the 2012 Fusebox Festival), Chicago and Minneapolis. The film shows Marjoe as a child performing a wedding ceremony for full-grown adults while bedecked in a little white sailor suit with shorts and cowboy boots. Aint God good? (May 1974) "Who Was Maharaj Ji?". He knows hes a business man, and he even has merch in the form of a record. (LogOut/ Earthquake. Alex Ritman. In late 1982 a variety of incidents with law enforcement culminated when local sheriff deputies, with backup by state law enforcement, attempted to serve bench warrants for the arrest of 3 members of the church. In Poland's worst peacetime maritime disaster, ferry MS Jan Heweliusz sinks off the coast of Rgen, drowning 55 passengers and crew; nine crew-members are saved. He has written for the NY Times, the Village Voice, American Theatre, Time Out NY, Reason, the Villager and numerous other publications. He first gained public attention during the late 1940s when his parents arranged for him at age four to be ordained as a preacher . He was kind of the Michael Jackson of Pentecostal preachers. Vocal backing was by MaxineWaters, Gwen Johnson, Clydie King and VenettaFields etc. Whose being enriched by the ministry of Bro Heal Them All? Faith healing was a major component of the churchs teachings. Series connection Would you like Wikipedia to always look as professional and up-to-date? [18] His last role was as a preacher in the western WildBill (1995). From the time he was four, until he was fourteen (when his youth was no longer extraordinary enough to draw crowds), his parents used his novelty evangelist act to make money. Gortner appeared as the psychopathic hostage-taking drug-dealer in Milton Katselaa's 1979 screen adaptation of Mark Medoff's play When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? Gortner spent the remainder of his teenage years as an itinerant beatnik.[12]. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Marjoe Gortner: Gnero documentrio: Edio Lawrence Silk Distribuio Cinema 5 Distributing Idioma ingls: Marjoe um documentrio estadunidense produzido e dirigido por Howard Smith e Sarah Kernochan sobre a vida do ex-evangelista Marjoe Gortner. Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner is a former evangelist preacher and actor. His room is decorated with pictures of body builders, and is full of free weights and S/M gear. It will enhance any encyclopedic page you visit with the magic of the WIKI 2 technology. September 7, 2015, 7:25 PM. He first gained public attention during the late 1940s when his parents arranged for him to be ordained as a preacher at age four, due to his extraordinary speaking ability. The documentary follows Gortner on an evangelism tour where he flies around the South, preaching the word of the Lord, laying on hands, speaking in tongues, the whole package. Male It is about Pentecostal preacher Marjoe Gortner. Hard-pressed for money, he decided to put his old skills to work and re-emerged on the preaching circuit with a charismatic stage-show modeled after those of contemporary rock stars, most notably Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones. And then he became an actor. He did faith healing and preached hellfire and spoke in tongues and quoted the Bible, chapter and verse. Viva Knievel! Marjoe is a 1972 documentary feature directed by Howard Smith and Sarah Kernochan. was also attracting attention. Birthday: January 14, 1944 How Old - Age: 79 Recently Passed Away Celebrities and Famous People. Until 2009, Gortner produced Celebrity Sports Invitational charity golf tournaments and ski events to raise money for charities such as the Dream Foundation and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s Waterkeeper Alliance. He made enough to take six months off every year, during which he returned to California and lived off his earnings before returning to the circuit. When Gortner hit puberty and the novelty of a child preacher wore off, he quit preaching, only to return to evangelism as an adult. In a 1972 interview with Roger Ebert around the time of the films release, Gortner illuminates the materialist sham: Theres a moment in Marjoe where Gortner talks about imitating Mick Jagger when he throws down his stage act. But after the disaster hits, we learn that he has fantasies of a different sort. He spent the remainder of his teenage years as an itinerant hippie until his early 20s, when, hard-pressed for money, he decided to put his old skills to work and re-emerged on the preaching circuit with a charismatic stage-show modeled after those of contemporary rockers, most notably Mick Jagger. in General Discussion. Marjoe Gortner Death Fact Check Marjoe is alive and kicking and is currently 79 years old. He was the youngest known in that position. Gortner has returned to the life as an adult but, tormented by conscience, has decided to quit evangelism after one final tour. That's it. [19] He also played a terrorist preacher in a second-season episode of Airwolf, and appeared on FalconCrest as corrupt psychic-cum-medium "Vince Karlotti" (198687). He describes the tactics he and other evangelists use to manipulate their audience and separate them from their money, and in one scene, he and another preacher are shown dividing the loot. Stability and order are important to them - and this makes them good organizers. Marjoe Gortner In ABCs Pray for the Wild Cats, that same year, Andy Griffith plays a psychopathic executive who chases after his victims (Gortner, William Shatner, Robert Reed) through the desert on dirtbikes. The following year he was on Barnaby Jones, but began appearing in films as well. Racial tensions arose between the African American church members and the mostly white residents. Marjoe Gortner Career information Those born under the Capricorn zodiac sign are talented at applying their intelligence and ambition to practical matters. The musicians included TomScott, HalBlaine and MichaelOmartian etc. Marjoe Gortner will celebrate 80th birthday on Sunday, 14th of January 2024. When it comes to the money they make, they view it as God blessing them. After his minister father, Vernon Gortner, stole the millions of dollars that young Marjoe had made on the revivalist circuit, Marjoe Gortner parted with the rest of his family and pursued a career as an actor. If he doesnt drive a Cadillac, they dont think much of him; God must not favour him. Marjoe Gortner's age is 78. He is a member of famous Actor with the age 78 years old group. A gifted speaker from a very young age, Gortner received his ordination as a preacher when he was only four years old and spent his childhood and early teenage years traveling throughout the United States as a celebrity Christian Revivalist movement member. When he was four, his parents arranged for him to perform a marriage ceremony attended by the press, including photographers from Life and Paramount studios. Wheres the money going? [18] He also appeared frequently in the 1980s CircusoftheStars specials. If youve never had the chance to watch the fascinating 1972 Academy Award-winning documentary, Before you know it, film is being shot in a church and all of the above happens on camera. They began training him to deliver sermons, complete with dramatic gestures and emphatic lunges. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. And so we must begin with that. Marjoe's parents taught him how to preach at a very early age. He began his acting career with a featured role in TheMarcus-NelsonMurders, the 1973 pilot for the Kojak TV series. This was followed by the priceless Viva Knievel (1977) in which the hubris-consumed daredevil portrayed himself. You see how adept Gortner has become at getting people to hand over the largest bill they have, while behind the scenes we find him literally counting a pile of cash on a hotel room bed, shaking his head about how easy it is to get the money flowing. The show was quite intense and towards the end the evangelist started going down the rows laying hands on people. (www.travsd.com) is best known for his books "No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous" (2005) and "Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube" (2013). He would promise that such items could be used to heal the sick and dying. He says he probably would have been a musician if he hadnt chosen the ministry. (Berg had earlier starred in his own self-penned opera about Knievel, but I got my brainstorm when he rocked a 70s porn stache in a short film of mine). He nails it. I would gladly attend a Marjoe Gortner film festival. As well as teaching him scriptural passages his parents also taught him several money-making tactics involving the sale of supposedly holy articles at revivals which promised to heal the sick and dying. Gortner kicked off his entertainment career by acting in action flicks like "Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw" (1976) and the Marjoe. Marjoe later said that was a fictional story that his parents forced him to repeat. Everyone spoke in English. He was stunt cast as a wanted gunslinger masquerading as a minister in the TV movie The Gun and the Pulpit (1974). They trained him to deliver sermons, complete with dramatic gestures and emphatic lunges. As a young man, he preached on the revival . Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. His mother, who has been labelled as exuberant, was the person who introduced him as a preacher and is notable for his success as a child. California Divorce Index, 19661984. This was my first exposure to Pentecostals. At the time, I thought, nice looking women, too much clothing. [13], Gortner capitalized on the success of the documentary. Were his parents true blue believers? Elvis Presley's concert Aloha from Hawaii is broadcast live via satellite, and sets the record as the most watched broadcast by an individual entertainer in television history. Marjoe Gortner was widely known for his acting on the big screen. Lest you conjecture, as I did, that the whole coming clean thing was itself a scam, Gortner claims in the 1972 Ebert interview that he actually stood to make a lot more money simply staying in the evangelical game. Post evangelizing, however, Gortner eventually enrolled in acting classes and used his tan, blonde, curly-haired, So-Cal look to land himself a few leading rolls in films, including 1976s, Marjoe Gortner and Lynda Carter in Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw, 1976. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark ascends the throne, the first Queen of Denmark since 1412 and the first Danish monarch not named Frederick or Christian since 1513. In 2008, the Melbourne Underground Film Festival in Melbourne, Australia held the first retrospective of the cinematic works of Marjoe Gortner as part of their 9th festival. 1946), The death of Zhou Youguang, Chinese sociologist, (b. It is one of those intriguingly unique things, an element thats weirder and more individual than it needs to be. Birthplace In the years that followed, Gortner took a break from preaching. How many NAR leaders genuinely believe their own propaganda, and how many are grifters? Many of the prosperity gospel preachers are con-artists who have found a way to become fabulously rich off the pain, suffering, and poverty of others. Marjoe Gortner is best known as Religious Leader who has born on January 14, 1944 in California. Personal Quotes (3) Has anyone seen this film? Thriving church found in jungle 84 years after missionary died feeling afailure. [20] It was reviewed in Billboard's November 18 issue that year with the reviewer saying he was off to a flying start with a BobDylan composition, "Lo and Behold". Who is Bruce Gerencser and Other Questions According to ChatGPT? Marjoe performed his first marriage at the age of 4 and even Jesus didn't come out until he was 12. Heres my take on Marjoe, pentecostal evangelists, and faith healers. Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner (generally known as Marjoe Gortner; born January 14, 1944) is a former evangelist preacher and actor. In the late 1960s, Gortner experienced a crisis of conscience about his doublelife. There are many remarkable, memorable things about this landmark disaster film: the special effects, naturally; the sub-plot with a black Evel-Knievel style daredevil; a plunging elevator with drawn-on blood splatter; Lorne Greene being dangled by a fire hose; a kid trapped in one of those concrete L.A. aqueducts. Marjoe was preaching from the time when he was just a child, around the age of four. American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt. The A-Team Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. A gifted speaker from a very young age, Gortner received his ordination as a preacher when he was . Copyright 2023 The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser Powered by Flywheel, Ken Hams Ark Project Shows He Doesnt Believe in the Sufficiency of Scripture. He is 79 years old and is a Capricorn. When the evangelist came to her, he looked at her head and kept his hand a few inches above it. Yemen declares an open war against the terrorist group al-Qaeda. He performed "faith healings" and recited scripture from memory. He became a celebrity during the 1970s when he starred in Marjoe (1972), a behind-the-scenes documentary about the lucrative business of Pentecostal preaching. Gortner kicked off his entertainment career by acting in action flicks like "Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw" (1976) and the Marjoe Gortner film "Sidewinder One" (1977). He can tell all kinds of stories about all kinds of crazy that went on in out-of-the-way places in Cochise County, Arizona. He first gained public attention during the late 1940s when his parents arranged for him to be ordained as a preacher at age four, due to his extraordinary speaking ability. First, there was a brief period of sinning. It was back in 1948 that little Marjoe, dressed in a sailor suit and topped with a head of golden curls, married a California couple and made Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Not. Tensions escalated when it was discovered that five young children of church members had died over the previous year, with one and possibly four due to the churchs refusal to seek medical attention. Vernon noticed his sons talent for mimicry and his fearlessness of strangers and public settings. The corkscrew car jump scene in The Man With The Golden Gun is certainly one of the most impressive and insane car stunts in film history. Im from a charismatic background. He was the youngest known in that position. UsefulNotes/Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. http://dangerousminds.net/comments/a_lot_of_people_do_bad_things_the_bizarre_tale_of_child_evangelist_turned_c. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Hi Bruce .. what do you think of the Marjoe story? Dates of Capricorn are December 22 - January 19. 1957-1995 Family/personal information He has directed his own plays, revues and solo pieces at such venues as Joes Pub, La Mama, HERE, Dixon Place, Theater for the New City, the Ohio Theatre, the Brick, and 6 separate shows in the NY International Fringe Festival. The pair co-starred the following year in When You Comin Back, Red Ryder?, a sort of mash-up of Coming Home and The Petrified Forest. He made enough to take six months off every year, during which he returned to California and lived off the previous six months' earnings. Or actually go ahead and laugh, but there actually was one at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival in 2008). Hes debriefing them about what to do and what not to do when he lets them follow him around capturing his now thriving evangelistic enterprise on film. Glad you broke free from the shackles of superstition that has enslaved the minds of humanity throughout the ages. Produced and directed by Howard Smith and Sarah Kernochan, it's flat-out great, a singular document chronicling the life of former child evangelist, Marjoe Gortner who, as an adult superstar preacher, admits on film that he's using the whole evangelist racquet . When Id do a hip movement or a jump, or start walking over the backs of the seats, theyd say, Hallelujah! Below are historical events that coincided with Marjoe Gortner's birthday including important historical events as well as births and deaths of historical figures. Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner is a former evangelist preacher and actor. Oui magazine hired Gortner to cover Millennium '73, a November 1973 festival headlined by the "boy guru" Guru Maharaj Ji.[6]. Gortner then co-starred with Wonder Womans Lynda Carter in Bobby Jo and the Outlaw (1976), as the title character. He was the youngest known in that position. Until the time he was a teenager Gortner and his parents traveled the United States holding revival meetings. 1906), The death of Spanky Manikan, Filipino veteran actor (b. 2023 TV GUIDE, A FANDOM COMPANY. Ive seen aisle running, pew jumping, flag waving, shouting, and screaming at countless old-fashioned revivals or camp meetings. We have created a browser extension. As a young man, he preached on the revival circuit and brought celebrity to the . The play opened October 14, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and has been performed in New York (the Soho Playhouse), Los Angeles, Philadelphia (the 2011 NET Festival),[24] and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (the Kelly Strayhorn Theater). Years active Marjoe Gortner Net Worth, Age, Height, Weight, Wife, Wiki, Family 2023. 1958), The death of Joel Robert, Belgian professional motocross racer (b. Naturally, this caused a crisis of faith for Marjoe. Marjoe Gortner was a precocious child preacher with extraordinary talents, who was immensely popular in the American South. Sidewinder 1 (1977) was also about a custom designed motorcycle. His character is a meek grocery store assistant manager with a double life. [4] His mother Marge, who has been labelled as "exuberant," was the person who introduced him as a preacher, and is notable for his success as a child. Marjoe Gortner was born on January 14, 1944 in California. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At the time, I was pastor of the Baptist church and I want to see firsthand what went on at a healing service. [4][8][b] Until his teenage years, Gortner and his parents traveled throughout the United States holding revivalmeetings,[9] and by 1951 his younger brother Vernoe had been incorporated into the act. In 1980 he co-hosted an NBC reality tv show called Speak Up, America with Jayne Kennedy. Episodes appeared in His wife is Susan Magestro (4 October 2019 - present), Candy Clark (1978 - 1979) ( divorced), Carol J. Raney (1960 - 1968) ( divorced) ( 1 child) He claimed they compelled him to do this by using mock-drowning episodes; they did not beat him as they did not want to leave bruises that might be noticed during his many public appearances. Appeared on/Involved with As a young man, he preached on the revival circuit and brought celebrity to the . He became a celebrity during the 1970s when he starred in Marjoe (1972), a behind-the-scenes documentary about the lucrative business of Pentecostal preaching. Post evangelizing, however, Gortner eventually enrolled in acting classes and used his tan, blonde, curly-haired, So-Cal look to land himself a few leading rolls in films, including 1976s Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw across from Wonder Woman herself, Lynda Carter: You can watch the full documentary here- https://archive.org/details/Marjoe.1972.Legendado, The Bizarre Tale Of Child Evangelist Turned Conman, Marjoe Gortner. When I watched Marjoe years ago, I found myself thinking about New Apostolic Reformation prayer gatherings, which can get pretty surreal. The source code for the WIKI 2 extension is being checked by specialists of the Mozilla Foundation, Google, and Apple. The Food of the Gods. He was a regular on Falcon Crest (1986-87) in the role of a faux psychic con man, and guested on shows like The A-Team, Matt Houston, Airwolf, TJ Hooker, and Hotel. [16] In 1974, he made several appearances in film and television. I Did, and He Didnt. It starts by giving a little necessary backstory about Marjoe Gortner. There was a National Geographic program on Saturday that was all about child preachers a four year old and two 12 year olds. A lot of the tent revival footage throughout would be relatively unremarkable, except that you know the guy doesnt really buy into one singular goddamned thing that hes saying to the shouting crowds of gullible hayseeds and proto mega-churchers. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org. In 2010, the play was recreated as The Word: A House Party for Jesus, with director Whit MacLaughlin. As a Baptist, I had a healthy mistrust and hate for all things pentecostal and charismatic. He grew resentful of his parents and bitter over the childhood they had forced upon him. Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner (born January 14, 1944) is a former evangelist preacher and actor. He also appeared in the TV movie Pray for the Wildcats. As I would learn later, Baptists had their own problem with money-grubbing con-artists, men who preached up a storm only so it would rain twenty-dollar bills. He appeared in several B-movies, including The Food of the Gods and The Gun and the Pulpit. In the late '70s and early '80s Gortner was in numerous installments of Circus of the Stars, and two episodes of Fantasy Island. The other songs noted as highlights were "Hoe-Bus", "Glory Glory Halelujah", and another Dylan composition, "IShallBeReleased". He also starred in the TV movies "The Marcus-Nelson Murders" (CBS, 1972-73) and "Pray For the Wildcats" (ABC, 1973-74 . Were they just passing on the gifts to their talented, precocious son or were they con artists, Elmer Gantry-like hustlers for God? Change). Thanks to modern technology and dogged investigative reporters, we now know that many of the pentecostal and charismatic evangelists are frauds. [5] The following year saw him featured in the Academy Award-winning ensemble-cast disaster film Earthquake as Sgt. Acapulco Gold. In the late 70s and early 80s Gortner was in numerous installments of Circus of the Stars, and two episodes of Fantasy Island.