Elmer Gantry Page #11

Or yourself.

You're no good to anybody!

(slap)

(slap)

Don't you know that hurts?

I'm sorry, Lu.

I'm sorry for everything.

Brothers and sisters...

goodbye.

Amen.

Jim boy!

You look like a man

who could use a drink.

Booze. You know somethin', Jim?

There oughta be a law against drinkin'.

- There is. Prohibition.

- That's against sellin', not drinkin'.

Amen.

- Happy days!

- I'll drink to that.

God, that's good.

Would you look at this place, Jim?

What were they so mad about, anyhow?

The mob don't like

their gods to be human.

- They hurt you?

- Not as much as you hurt me.

Nothing personal.

What'll you do now?

Well, the way I got it figured, you're up,

you're down, you sin, you're saved.

You do the best you can,

and you leave the rest to the Lord.

You really do believe

in the Lord, don't you?

Damn right I do. It does a man good

to get down on his knees once in a while.

That's why people

come to a place like this,

because they're scared, or sick,

or... because they got no money,

or too much money.

Or before a war, or after a war.

Praying's the cheapest

first-rate medicine I know.

That's why Shara was so good for them.

She's a lotta woman.

Yeah.

You oughta marry her.

- You believe in holy matrimony?

- I can recommend it, never having tried it.

Too late now, Jim boy.

Maybe not.

Miss Bains was waiting for me

at the paper with that story.

- How'd you get her to do it?

- I didn't.

The Lord sure moves in mysterious ways.

Any minute now, you will hear

the voice of Sister Sharon Falconer,

but not that, I'm afraid, of Elmer Gantry.

For Mr. Gantry has completely vanished

since three nights ago.

I've checked the police,

hospitals, railroads, bus depots...

Where is he? Where?

Every wire service in the country's asking

the same question. He's page-one news.

If anything happened to him,

you'd know it.

Yes.

Yes, I would know it.

He'll be here, I'm... I'm sure of it.

We'll wait for him.

We can't wait. Some of those people

have been out there since early morning.

- I won't go on without him.

- Maybe he won't be back.

Just a feeling.

We'll wait for him.

(congregation sings

"Onward Christian Soldiers")

Elmer?

Oh, darling!

Darling!

- Gantry's back.

- How do you know?

Somebody just saw him.

Where's a phone around here?

- What about your friend Gantry?

- Quite a guy! Son of a...

(band plays fanfare)

Let me look at you.

Three endless days without a word.

Why?

Don't you realise how much I need you?

Are you angry? With me?

- No, Shara.

- Don't ever leave me again. Ever.

Shara.

Yes?

What would happen if we chucked it all,

beat it across the state line,

get good and married, like most folks?

Have a bunch of kids, take 'em

to a ball game like most folks.

Go dancin'. We've never gone

dancin' together, not even once.

Let's do it, Shara. Tonight. Right now.

- But all those people...

- If they wanna pray...

let 'em go to church.

But...

this is their church.

Look!

Look! A shooting star!

It's a sign,

an omen for the glory that begins tonight.

Ready, Shara.

(choir)? Glory, glory, hallelujah

# Glory, glory, hallelujah

Wish me luck.

# Glory, glory, hallelujah

# His truth is marching on

If you believe in the faith

of your own Sister Sharon...

Yes!

. . if you believe in

the innocence of Elmer Gantry...

Yes!

- . . and if you believe in God Almighty...

- Yes!

. . reassure them with

a mighty "hallelujah"!

(loud cheering)

- Hallelujah, Sister!

- Hallelujah!

At this very moment,

the power of the Holy Ghost

has descended on this tabernacle.

He is here.

Here right now.

Just now, across the heavens,

towards the end of the world,

I saw an omen...

a fiery line written by the hand of God,

a glorious shooting star.

Thus, God has told us of his coming.

Have we lost God? Have we lost

contact with the supernatural?

Have we lost faith? Because

without faith, we are morally sick.

Faith... is the strongest force in the world.

Faith can raise the dead.

Faith can heal. Faith is the...

Help me, Sister! Help me!

Help me.

He can't hear, Sister. He's deaf.

Let him alone, please.

Help me, Sister.

Heal me.

(Morgan) You should take him to a doctor.

God is the greatest healer of all.

Was he born deaf?

A storm woke him up one night. He

screamed he couldn't hear the thunder.

- He could feel it but he couldn't hear it.

- You're his wife?

Yes, Sister. I'm sorry to trouble you.

Do you believe in the Father,

the Son, and the Holy Ghost?

Do you believe that Jesus

could heal by the laying on of hands,

and that he passed

this gift on to his disciples?

Pray with me, everyone.

Please pray with me. I need your faith.

O Lord...

O God, be merciful.

Heal.

Heal.

O God, help us in our weakness.

Punish us for our sins,

but reward us for our faith.

Heal.

Heal.

Let thy spirit fill this tabernacle.

Let thy holiness bless this house,

created for thy glory,

and thine alone.

Heal!

Pray for God to heal!

Heal!

God...

Can you hear me?

God, I...

I... I think I...

- Repeat after me. Blessed is the Lord.

- Blessed is the Lord.

- We thank thee, O Lord, for thy mercy.

- We thank thee, O Lord.

I can hear.

O God... I can hear!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

(choir sings "The Hallelujah Chorus")

Please wait. Please wait.

Don't... don't... don't get excited.

Oh, my God.

- Are you all right?

- Yes. Take care of the others, please.

You're in the house of God!

Those who believe in God will be saved.

Trust in the Lord!

Oh! Oh!

Are you all right, Shara? Shara? Shara?

- No. No. No. No. No!

- Shara!

Help!

No, please wait.

No, wait! Please, wait!

Wait! You must have faith!

- Wait!

- Shara!

Shara!

Shara!

Shara!

Shara! Shara!

Shara! Shara!

It's hers.

It's all we could find.

People everywhere would appreciate a

word from you, Mr. Gantry. Anything at all.

Speak to us, Mr. Gantry.

Please ask Sister Sharon to forgive us.

There ain't nothin' to forgive.

It was mighty hot in there.

Hotter than the fires of damnation.

I ran. I was afraid.

Please ask Sister not to hate me.

Can you hear me up there, Sister?

Do you hate these folks?

She don't hate you. She loves you.

Praise the Lord and his love.

And what is love?

Love is the mornin' and the evenin' star.

Love is the voice of music. So sing.

Sing out the Lord's love.

# I'm on my way

# Up to Canaan land

# I'm on my way

# Up to Canaan land

# I'm on my way

# Up to Canaan land

# On my way

# Glory, hallelujah

# I'm on my way

# It's a mighty hard climb

# But I'm on my way

# It's a mighty hard climb

That was inspired.

- Think that was inspired, Jim boy?

- I think it was real friendly.

You know, Shara would...

want you to go on with her work.

We'll get a tent - a bigger one this time.

"When I was a child, I spake as a child.

I understood as a child. "

"When I became a man,

I put away childish things. "

St. Paul, First Corinthians, 13:11.

So long, Bill.

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