He was the youngest known in that position. Seeking a music and acting career outside of religion, Marjoe relocated to New York City, reaching out to Village Voice columnist Howard Smith about doing a profile on "The World's Youngest Preacher" who was now all grown up. I don't know if we even need to call it a commentary, because that's just what it is: They tell them that if the preacher does well, then you'll do well. I don't know why. And she said to him, "Have you ever thought that maybe Jesus really is working through you? It was a big hit in New York and LA, but I don't know if anywhere in between was the same. He also starred in the TV movies "The Marcus-Nelson Murders" (CBS, 1972-73) and "Pray For the Wildcats" (ABC, 1973-74). [1] Anyway, I left that in order to become a screenwriter. (He admits he hadnt hit the big time.). Gortner portrayed the psychopathic, hostage-taking drug dealer in Milton Katselas's 1979 screen adaptation of Mark Medoff's play When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?. By the time he was sixteen, his family had amassed what he later estimated to be three million dollars. His name is a combination of "Mary" and "Joseph", a fact his parents Hooker." Evangelicals were still a fringe group then, so an expose on them wasn't as interesting. I've been floored at how it's entered the fabric. $16.90 + $5.00 shipping. So sue him.) But what was it that that kept the film from being widely distributed and where did it play? I spoke with the film's co-director Sarah Kernochan about why the Academy Awardwinning doc was lost for three decades, and how it was found again. A spirit-filled church in Atlanta opened its second night club in less than a year, this time atop one of the citys highest skyscrapers. Protestants havent ignored this slight. In 2010, the play was recreated as The Word: A House Party for Jesus, with director Whit MacLaughlin. Marjoe Gortner Profession actor/producer Actor 23 Credits Airwolf 1985 T.J. Hooker 1985 The A-Team 1983 Acapulco Gold Earthquake American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt Viva Knievel! Over and over again he croons such gospel favorites as He Touched Me and Since I Laid My Burden Down while he lays hands on the expectant, hyper-emotional members of the congregations. And I see it today in the comments on Netflix and things like that, which I do read. If he lives forever, Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner will most likely always be "The World's Youngest Ordained Minister.". Marjoe is the real-life Elmer Gantry, though perhaps more restrained in his pursuit of the pleasures of the flesh. Were there any religious people who were trying to keep the film from reaching a wide audience? Since I'm no longer able to find this clip anywhere on the Internet I was inspired to share it here. As of 2023, Marjoe Gortner's net worth is $100,000 - $1M. Born on January 14, 1944 in United States of America, Marjoe Gortner started his career as Evangelist . We never hear him pray or read the Bible, and service for God is never mentioned. He was in New York and had given up preaching, once again. What about Howard? Born on January 14, 1944 in Long Beach, California, the young tyke, who ministered the gospel from memory and performed faith healings, drew capacity crowds as he barnstormed throughout the Bible Belt. He also stated that he is against Christian-Jewish dialogue: We have had more than enough of such discussions in the Middle Ages. It just keeps growing. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. What should the crew members do if a church member asks if theyre saved? The name Marjoe is a combination of the names Mary and Joseph.. Until his teenage years, Gortner and his parents traveled throughout the United States holding revival meetings, and by 1951 his younger brother Vernoe had been incorporated into the act. He appeared in several B-movies, including The Food of the Gods and The Gun and the Pulpit. He became a hugely successful preacher but behind it all was an elaborate con. I thought, I went through all of this and there's nothing! Im bad, but Im not evil., Marjoe, the documentary directed by Howard Smith and Sarah Kernochan, was released on July 24, 1972, during the heyday of the Jesus Movement. But it immediately got snapped up, and every year it's the same. He starred in a number of B-movies including The Food of the Gods (1976), Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976), and Starcrash (1978). This film is Marjoes rap therapy, his expurgation for his phoniness: I was beginning to feel guilty about taking the people. get saved in one of my meetings, and he was so open and bubbly in his Although Gaines had never published anything before he convinced Gortner to allow him to write his biography, which was published . Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner was born in 1944 in Long Beach, California, into a family with a long evangelical heritage. Steven Gaines was working in a small auction gallery in 1971 when he met former child evangelist Marjoe Gortner at Max's Kansas City, a New York restaurant and club. Marjoe hoped the movie could help him realize his dream of becoming a rock star and an actor, and the documentary did open doors for him. He became a celebrity again during the 1970s when he starred in Marjoe (1972), a behind-the-scenes documentary about the lucrative business of Pentecostal preaching. In 1974 he made several appearances in film and television. . Here's a very ironic and fun fact: There was a cameraman with us who was really upset about what we were doing, saying we were making people look foolish. You could do anything there. Behind the pulpit, in front of the altar, or down the aisles, mike in hand, Marjoe pleads with his people to praise Jesus. Marjoe later said this was a fictional story that his parents forced him to repeat. Disillusioned, Gortner then left his mother for San Francisco. Marjoe Gortner, better known by the Family name Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner, is a popular Evangelist. He also starred in the TV movies "The Marcus-Nelson Murders" (CBS, 1972-73) and "Pray For the Wildcats" (ABC, 1973-74). His charismatic stage show and performing talents drew attention on the evangelical circuit. That movie owes a great deal to Marjoe, and it makes religious people look stupid. I think in Marjoe's eyes, I was very diminished. Prior to filming the documentary, Marjoe displayed his musical talents. Family Life. He never had any problems at all with what we were doing. VICE: What did you originally pitch to the studio as the idea behind Marjoe?Sarah Kernochan: The concept was to follow him around and do interviews explaining what he was doing. They trained him to deliver sermons, complete with dramatic gestures and emphatic lunges. And I was a pretty, young girlfriend of a much older guy who had some cred. Someone put Marjoe out on VHS in the 80s. They had been asking me about the negative, because they wanted to restore it, but I didn't know where it was. He first gained public attention during the late 1940s when his parents arranged for him at age four to be ordained as a preacher . To alleviate the problem for Israelis, the Independent Liberal Party (ILP) has proposed a civil-marriage bill, scheduled to be voted on in October. The son of Vernon Robert Gortner, an evangelical minister who preached at revivals, it was his mother Marge who pushed and introduced Marjoe to the world as a boy preacher, and it the primary reason for his success. The name "Marjoe" is a portmanteau of the biblical names "Mary" and "Joseph". Marjoe was a precocious child preacher with extraordinary talents, who was immensely popular in the American South. No. Southern Baptist Convention Disfellowships Saddleback Church, With Gossip of the Gospel, the Church Grows in Nepal, Complete access to articles on ChristianityToday.com, Over 120 years of magazine archives plus full access to all of CTs online archives. 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). It was predictably controversial but received mostly positive reviews. If you want to talk about fate, I believe it went underground like it did until the exact, perfect moment for it to surface. Marjoe Gortner was four years old when he was ordained as an evangelical minister. Certain moments of the film carry a very subtle cynicism, like when the white lady is asking for a donation from the black church. Interview with Marjoe Gortner. He began his acting career with a featured role in The Marcus-Nelson Murders, . It covers everything. The films narrative is not only for the crew but also for the audience, many of whom might not understand what happens during Pentecostal meetings. He was the youngest known in that position. Religious critics argue that the bill would upset the status quo. But the ruling labor party supports the bill in principle as essential to freedom of conscience. The filmmakers also shot footage of him while counting the money he had collected during the day, later in his hotel room. Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner was born in 1944 to Vernon Gortner, a third-generation evangelical minister, and his wife Marge. Marjoe returned to the Evangelical tent-revival circuit in his 20s, capitalizing on his adolescent fame. Marjoe Gortner is not listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as having been the world's youngest preacher, but he should be. After one lively service, we see Marjoe and the churchs minister counting the offering. Mrs. Gortner developed a series of signals to use while Marjoe was preaching. It was odd. The son of Vernon Robert Gortner, an evangelical minister who preached at revivals, it was his mother Marge who pushed and introduced Marjoe to the world as a boy preacher, and it the primary reason for his success. Marjoe admits in the film that he was never a believer in Christ as an adult or a child, and by his late 20s he began to feel guilty for profiting from the hellfire and damnation services he believed were psychologically harmful to people. Our guide was a fire-and-brimstone minister named Marjoe Gortner. I know because I get the royalty checks. At age 16, however, Marjoe grew acutely disillusioned with what he considered a horrible deception, eventually withdrawing from the scene. I could go back and do it again. And I couldn't parlay the film into anything after Howard and I split up because nobody believed that I had anything to do with it. He also appeared frequently in the 1980s Circus of the Stars specials. After leaving revivalism he lived for a time with an older woman. He never defines the relationship, but as he talks of her we hear for the first time of the pain and emptiness of his life. And the Academy went berserk too. He would promise that such items could be used to heal the sick and dying. For more information, please see the Privacy Policy. He was the youngest known in that position. 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). His parents claimed that the boy had received a vision from God during a bath, and he started preaching. Im sure hes had many adventures. Thats a shame. Now 79 years old, Marjoe currently lives in Santa Fe, where he is still pursuing his acting and music careers. He had approached a few people to do interviews with him, which he thought would get him attention, and reach the ears of Bible Belt ministers, who would blackball him. The name "Marjoe" is a portmanteau of the biblical names "Mary" and "Joseph". There was a problem filtering reviews right now. He is a former evangelist preacher and actor. He decided his performing talents might be put to use as an actor or singer. His congregations are too busy being blessed. A glory, hallelujah meant that he was speaking too fast, a praise Jesus that he was going too slow. His last role was as a preacher in the western Wild Bill (1995). In the disaster film, Earthquake, he was Sgt. The secular majority would almost certainly win, improving the Protestants lot. Gortner rejoined the ministry as a young adult solely as a means of earning a living, not as a believer. It appears that the film was on such a great track after it's success at Cannes. He was the youngest known in that position. Shortly after Gortner's sixteenth birthday, his father absconded with the money. So the film did well with the critics, but didn't reach a wide audience. I imagine it was a very challenging time for you, being so young and working on your first financed project while dealing with such an eccentric character in such an unfamiliar world. However, the film is empathetic to the worshippers. And now that it's restored and digitized I don't think it will disappear again. He made enough money to take six months off every year, during which he returned to California and lived off his earnings before returning to the circuit. When he came to New York, he discovered quickly that no one was going to handle him. In the late 1960s, Gortner experienced a crisis of conscience about his double life. He wanted to become an actor or a singer. Born on January 14, 1944 in Long Beach, California, the young tyke, who ministered the gospel from memory and performed faith healings, drew capacity crowds as he barnstormed throughout the Bible Belt. Jody Joad, a psychotic grocery manager-turned-National Guardsman, the main antagonist. After his last performance, he gave up acting and began producing celebrity sporting events to raise money for charity. Prime Minister Golda Meir, unhappy that ILP introduced the bill, maintains that the action contravened the interparty agreement that three years ago set up the present coalition. 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