Right now, I am watching the movie Elmer Gantry....

[WCGreen]

It's unbelievable that nothing has changed since the twenties and the sixties and now....

There were bearded men, foreign men, outside the high school selling French Postcards....

These outsiders who worship at Harvard, Yale and Princeton....

These Unatarians....

I mean this is what they were pushing even back then.

Nothing changes for these people, nothing.

I guess it's easier to latch onto an image than to create a whole new set of boogey men

[The Magistrate]

1. Do Yourself A Favor, Sir, And Read the Book

It is a much, much tougher, and far more enlightening, thing, than the movie.

[Proud Public Servant]

2. But if you read the book

you'll miss the greatest performance Burt Lancaster ever gave!

Still, I do love me some Sinclair Lewis, so you're right, too!

[WCGreen]

4. I am planning to read it soon...

It's o my list.

[tblue]

6. The Jungle

Is even better.

[no_hypocrisy]

9. + 1,000,000

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. I believe they say there is nothing new under the sun...

It's a great movie!

[Bluenorthwest]

5. A great later day follow up film is the 1972 documentary 'Marjoe' disk at Netflix

Marjoe Gortner was a child preacher and healer who dropped out and returned to expose the scam. Interesting real life Gantry stuff.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068924/

[tblue]

7. Did you know it was banned in some states?

Not sure if it was the book or the film or both. I guess it was a threat to the Elmer Gantrys among us who didn't want their cover blown. It was said that the story is 'anti-Christian.' Now what does that tell you?

And yes Lancaster is awesome in that role.

[WCGreen]

8. It was a role made for Lancaster...

He grabbed onto that role and took it where Andy Griffith's Lonesome Rhodes left off....