Elmer Gantry Page #5

- In 1917, Mr. Gantry

was expelled from

a theological seminary in Kansas

for seducing

the deacon's daughter in the church

where he had that day

delivered a Christmas sermon.

And there's more. Do you wanna hear it?

Ta-da!

Ladies and gentlemen,

you see before you a magic carpet.

A heavenly summons.

A ticket to the big time. Listen to this.

"Would you consider meeting with

the church committee and myself

about bringing your revival to our fair city

of Zenith, capital of America's Midwest?"

"Kindly telegraph reply immediately.

Signed, George F Babbitt, Secretary,

Zenith Chamber of Commerce,

Chairman of the Church Board. "

Zenith.

- We're not ready for Zenith.

- Mr. Babbitt thinks we are.

I know we are. Next stop, Zenith.

Then Chicago, New York, London.

Straight to the top

on the Sharon Falconer Express!

- In a tent? They'll laugh at us.

- Not at Shara.

It's pitchman's talk. What do you know

about the background of our work?

The nature of revivalism is rural.

It grew out of frontier life.

- Big-city people are more cynical...

- They're more sinful, too.

And more lonely

and more unhappy. And...

And, Shara, they need you more.

- I'm against this.

- Bill boy, you're an old sourpuss.

- This is a passport to the Promised Land.

- Gantry, I am not your boy.

You deluded her, but to me,

everything about you's offensive.

You're a crude, vulgar show-off, and

your vocabulary belongs in an outhouse.

Crude.

Vulgar.

Show-off, huh? You know something?

You're right, Bill. Let's put it this way.

You're a five-dollar textbook.

Me, I'm a two-cent tabloid newspaper.

You're too good for the people.

I am the people. Sure, I'm common -

just like most people.

The common people put Christianity

on the map in the first place.

What are you saying, Shara?

That you want to go to Zenith? Now?

I wonder what God wants.

All right, Shara. All right.

Maybe you are ready for Zenith.

- Thank you. I'll be with you in a minute.

- Just think of it, Shara. Zenith.

I think the answer to Mr. Babbitt

ought to come from you.

Tell 'em we're ready to talk, but they gotta

act fast. Only don't say it as crude as that.

No, no. I'll use some of my

sweet-smelling five-buck words, huh?

I knew we could work together.

Gantry, uh... I just hope you don't

have any ideas about who's boss.

Boss?

Why, the boss is God.

I'm just his messenger boy.

I'm sure God will be relieved.

Yes.

- Leave the money matters to me.

- If they get a guarantee, what do we get?

- Why is cash necessary at all?

- Order!

Gentlemen, without a guarantee,

a revival is impossible.

Kee-rect!

As chairman, I can say I want the revival,

but we're ministers, not financiers.

- I agree. After all, $30,000...

- Will be raised.

- How, Mr. Babbitt?

- By decent, respectable people

- who want to see old-time religion...

- I agree.

- Please let me finish.

- Of course, George.

- Thank you, Charlie.

- OK, then.

Everybody knows that I contribute more

to charity and poverty and things

than anybody, hm?

Hey, now, didn't my real-estate company

give you that corner lot rent-free

for your church baseball team, huh? Hm?

And I'm not even a Methodist! (laughs)

All right, then. I always say, business

is business - that's the American way!

- Now, if you boys...

- Why do you want a revival in Zenith?

Oh, I know what you're gettin' at, Phil.

You don't fool me for a second.

- We're aware of the financial problems.

- Are we aware, sir?

- My church hasn't been painted for years.

- Whose fault is that?

What about the gymnasium?

In my area, getting milk for

the children is the problem.

Your problem is

empty churches, gentlemen.

That is a fact.

The fact is that church attendance

is falling off everywhere.

Sister Falconer can fill your churches.

That's why you're here in the first place.

- Kee-rect!

- Tea, Mr. Babbitt?

- I always say, if you're sick, call a doctor.

- I agree.

Now, uh, let's look at

the record, gentlemen.

Sister Sharon has been in Lincoln -

this is going on the fifth week now.

- in one church alone.

- My church.

More than 2700

decisions for Christ, gentlemen.

Actual converts who signed pledges.

Not our statistics,

but printed in

your own Zenith newspaper.

And written up by... by Jim Lefferts,

a Pulitzer prizewinner.

Does the record show how long your

converts remain church members?

Well, I always say,

when in doubt, take action.

- Let's vote.

- Second.

- All in favour?

- Aye.

- Uh, just a moment, please.

- You're out of order.

- There's a motion on the floor.

- May I say something, please?

You have our...

undivided attention, Sister.

Wouldn't it be a much happier world if

money was not the third arm of religion?

He can't paint his church.

You can't have your gymnasium.

No child should be without milk.

And my expenses are high enough to run

a factory - I practically do run a factory.

Who do you think pays for my staff? The

musicians, the men who put up the tent.

Truck transportations, railroad fares,

food bills. Advertising and printing bills.

Electric bills, insurance bills, hotel bills.

The church committees always

expect a contribution from me,

and they always get it. And when I leave

town five weeks later, you get the benefit.

You have the flock,

and I have to start all over again.

No, gentlemen, you don't want a revival.

And I'm afraid you don't want me, either.

I think these gentlemen would like

a little privacy to kick things around.

- Thank you, Mr. Gantry.

- Excuse me.

I'm not ashamed to admit

our churches are half-empty.

- The ball parks are full.

- So are the races.

Let's vote.

Vote to do what? Marry the Church

to a three-ring circus?

To barkers who say

they're messengers of God?

Who reduce frightened farmers to howling

dogs? All very entertaining, I'm sure.

We are in competition

with the entertainment business.

- I'm not.

- Then you ought to be. Huh?

How about your bingo games?

And how about your baseball games

and square dances?

Now, ain't that entertainment?

What's the difference?

It's up to us to make a success out of

Christianity, keep the churches full.

What has religion

to do with filling churches?

Once there were only

Was Christianity a failure?

Did God go out of business?

Kee-rect! Christianity is a going concern,

a successful international enterprise.

If you boys don't get

young people back into church,

if you don't keep the train on the tracks,

your church boards are gonna

find somebody else who will.

Isn't that clear, Reverend Garrison?

Speaking for myself,

not my congregation or its church board,

religion is not a business.

And revivalism is not religion.

And my vote is no.

- Good night, gentlemen.

- Phil!

Harvard!

Well, look around you, boys. Young folks

crying out they're the lost generation.

Godless anarchists on every street

corner, and he walks out on a crisis.

Do you realise that practically

every president of the United States

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