Elmer Gantry Page #8

- You takin' me for a ride or somethin'?

- To the publisher of the Times-Dispatch

- You got somethin' on him, too?

- I got you.

- Yeah, sure, but...

- It's getting late, George.

The point is, why did he write this trash,

and why did you publish it?

- Are you suggesting censorship, Miss?

- Only fair play.

- This is muckraking!

- Is it true?

- No!

- Then sue us for libel.

Oh, you're much too clever for that.

It's what you imply - the veiled slurs.

- Hints that I misused collection money.

- I never said that.

Did I ever preach anything

but God's word? Well? Did I?

- Are you ordained?

- What?

Do you hold a degree from any

recognised theological seminary?

- Does Gantry?

- No.

Are you sanctioned

to preach by any church?

No, Mr. Lefferts, but... neither was Peter

or Paul or any of the other apostles.

Ah, but they said that they lived with

the Son of God, were taught by him,

were sanctified by him.

What gives you

the right to speak for God?

I couldn't possibly be doing

God's work without his approval.

How did you get his approval?

Did God speak to you personally?

Did he send you a letter?

Did you have a visitation from God?

A burning bush, perhaps?

Where in the New Testament does it say

that God spoke to anyone except his son?

But it does say in the First Corinthians

"Let your women

keep silence in the churches. "

"It is a shame for women

to speak in the church. "

Congratulations, Jim boy. I see you're

a student of the Bible. I'm delighted.

What is it? Are you responsible for some

of these crackpot calls I've been getting?

- You want Mr. Lefferts fired, too?

- Fired?

Why, I'd give Jim a bonus

for boostin' circulation.

I thought you came to bury Caesar,

not to praise him.

Shakespeare. Ah, yes. A moment ago you

used the Bible... to whip Sister Sharon.

- I merely quoted it as a source.

- Of course. As a good newspaperman,

you wouldn't use information

unless it was fact, would you?

Tell me somethin', Jim.

Is the Bible fact?

Hm?

Well, come on, Jim boy.

Did God create the universe in six days?

Did He make the sun stand still

to help Joshua lick the Amalekites?

No.

- You don't believe Moses parted the sea?

- No.

- God wrote the Ten Commandments?

- Nope.

Or that the dead were raised

and the blind cured?

And 5,000 people were fed

with five little fishes

and two little itty-bitty loaves of bread?

No.

You don't believe in any of the miracles

in the Holy Bible, do you?

No more than I believe that black cats or

spilt salt or broken mirrors are bad luck.

Or that God can be jealous

or bloodthirsty or vengeful.

Or that Jehovah sanctions bigamy

and stupidity and slavery.

In other words,

you don't believe in the Bible.

I believe that the Bible is a book

of beautiful poetry and wisdom...

But it's not fact.

And if it's not fact,

why would he use it as information,

except to destroy her character?

I heard you say it,

and you'll burn in hell for it.

No, Georgie.

You can't scare Jim that way.

You see, if you don't believe in the Bible...

you don't believe there's a real hell.

Hey.

And it follows if there's no real hell, there

can't be a real heaven. Right, Jim boy?

Why don't you get to the point?

Do you believe Jesus Christ

can give us life everlasting?

Do you believe Jesus Christ

can give us life everlasting?

- I'd love to believe it.

- But you don't?

No.

Then you don't accept

Jesus Christ as divine, do you?

Well?

Jesus was a great, virtuous teacher.

His faith and courage changed the world.

Do you accept Jesus Christ as divine?

Let me say... I have doubts.

- That's blasphemy!

- Mr. Babbitt, to doubt is not blasphemy.

When you say "blasphemy", you mean

"Don't dare disagree. Don't think. "

"Don't doubt. "

But Tolstoy, Darwin, Jefferson, Lincoln -

they had the same doubts.

Then they'll burn in hell, too!

Mr. Eddington, in spite of

Mr. Lefferts' confessed bigotry,

I defend your right to publish these

articles. But give us equal rights.

- Your reply'll be published prominently.

- Mr. Eddington, I'm no writer.

Now, Jim is brilliant and witty.

Uses words like a stiletto.

He learned from Mencken, Ingersoll,

Sinclair Lewis, other atheists.

- Atheists!

- But you own a radio station.

Set the time. Half an hour.

Tonight? Tomorrow? Name it.

Every day for two weeks -

half-hour in the morning and evening.

- Just to answer this article?

- I don't intend to answer anything.

You don't debate the existence of God.

Jim, here, has spread

the poison of doubt and disbelief.

Just give me a chance to spread the

gospel, to raise the banner of Christianity,

to restore the faith he stole.

Now, sir, I realise time means money -

especially radio time.

Right.

So our good citizen, George F Babbitt,

has kindly consented to pay for every

minute of radio time. Right, George?

Georgie boy?

- Right.

- Thank you, sir. Good night.

Sister.

Good night, Mr. Eddington. Mr. Lefferts.

- Jim boy.

- Congratulations.

I bear you no malice. Mr. Babbitt.

Blasphemy! Good night, Mr. Eddington.

And you... you ought to be

ashamed of yourself.

Oh, it was... glorious.

Outrageously, blissfully glorious.

Oh, you really are an alley fighter.

You hit Brother Jim both sides of the belt!

You murdered 'em. You knocked

'em flat with a celestial bolt -

eight, nine, ten, and out! Oh, darling!

You didn't fight fair but you've seen

your duty and you've done it. Oh, darling!

Stop it. Stop it. I was crazy.

I was so happy you delivered me!

Can't you understand? God sent you

to me as his instrument, not as my lover.

No, I don't understand. You got me

half-crazy, talkin' to myself.

One minute you're a howling banshee,

the next, you're cold potatoes.

I don't understand anything,

but I worship you.

Well, then, stop treating me

like one of your tramps!

There's no such thing. There's

honest women and dishonest women.

And you want to make

an honest woman out of me. Men!

Don't knock 'em if you haven't tried 'em.

- Encyclopaedia sexualis

- I never read it.

You wrote it! You've just got to have

every woman - old, young, stupid. Even...

Even poor, starved Rachel

with her wet calf eyes.

- May God strike me dead...

- Be careful, or he'll strike you dead

for being the ungrateful liar that you are.

Can't you ever tell the truth?

You wouldn't know the truth if it bit you.

It's you I want, Shara. No one else.

I want you so bad,

I'm in pain half the time.

I'd tear your holy wings off,

make a woman out of you.

I'd show you what heaven is - no golden

stairways or harp music or silvery clouds.

Just ecstasy, comin' and goin'.

Do you really think I'd compete

for your glorious body?

Damn right. Every woman competes

with every other woman for every man.

It's the truth, Shara. You want it.

You want it as much as I do.

You want it with me. When are you

going to make up your mind to take it?

Get in the car. Go on, do as I say.

Turn on the lights, please.

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