The Gun and the Pulpit

It's pretty obvious that the made-for-TV movie "The Gun and the Pulpit" was a television pilot in disguise. It didn't get picked up by any network for a series, and maybe that's for the best. Not that this movie is awful, but I think writers would have soon run out of ideas for this gunfighter- disguised-as-a-preacher character. I think this idea works best as a one- shot, and the movie does a fairly good job at that. Marjoe Gortner is pretty good as the main character, showing a sense of humor as well as a lot of enthusiasm. (Though his resemblance to B movie actor Michael Dudikoff is unintentionally funny.) There are some genuinely funny moments here and there, and the movie unfolds at a brisk clip and never outstays its welcome. This movie isn't hard to find - it's apparently fallen into the public domain, so many video companies are selling it - so keep an eye out for it.

I've seen this movie about 4 times, under various circumstances, including a night in the hospital when I couldn't sleep. I have always liked Marjo Gortner in his limited career, and this movie was a lot of fun. It reminds me of the old TV westerns like "Maverick" in its humour and characterizations. I can't believe it's not had 5 votes yet.

This film begins with a gunslinger by the name of "Ernie Parsons" (Marjoe Gortner) about to be lynched for a crime he did not commit. Fortunately for him, he is saved at the very last minute by a young woman who convinces the lynch mob that another man had just confessed to the crime and was being held several miles away. Naturally, the lynch mob releases Ernie only to discover minutes later that the young woman had fabricated everything. Having just enough of a head start, Ernie manages to elude the posse and while doing so comes upon the body of a dead preacher. Recognizing an opportunity when he sees it, Ernie subsequently dons the preacher's attire and decides to ride to the town of Castle Walk to masquerade as the new parson just long enough for the dust to settle. What he doesn't realize is that, even though this town is desperate for a new preacher, they need a top gunslinger even more. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this turned out to be an enjoyable made-for-television Western which had a couple of established actors like Slim Pickens (as "Billy One-Eye"), David Huddleston ("Mr. Ross") and Geoffrey Lewis ("Jason McCoy"). It also had a good bit of humor here and there as well. Likewise, having an attractive actress like Pamela Sue Martin (as "Sally Underwood") certainly didn't hurt either. That being said, while it may have been somewhat limited by its made-for-television format, this still turned out to be better than I expected and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

About seven years earlier Robert Mitchum essayed the character of a gunfighter/preacher in Five Card Stud. Although that film was far better than The Gun And The Pulpit, this made for television is a cut above average for television film. It also has the unassailable casting of Marjoe Gortner as a false preacher.

As we know Marjoe who was only using his first name when being a child preacher did a documentary exposing the racket that huckster evangelism is. So it's fitting and proper that he play a phony preacher in The Gun And The Pulpit, a gunfighter on the run who exchanges clothes with a dead preacher on the road to escape a posse.

There's plenty of trouble in the town where he takes up the pulpit, the local Ponderosa owner David Huddleston is leaning on everybody with his gunfighters on the payroll. Marjoe's fast draw wins him a lot of admirers most especially Estelle Parsons and her nubile young daughter Pamela Sue Martin. She's the reason he's staying. And there's also Slim Pickens who knows his secret and his real identity, but knows the town needs a savior. {pun intended}.

This western moves real nice with the kind of plot that was standard fare for the front row matinée kids of the 30s and 40s. Marjor is a good western hero, maybe he should have gone into that line of work.

In The Gun And The Pulpit, Marjoe Gortner stars as an outlaw running from a hanging party, who stumbles upon the body of a deceased preacher. Assuming his identity and his assignment, he ends up inciting the townspeople of an oppressed community against villainous big-wig David Huddleston and cleaning up the town of Huddlestons cronies.

The endlessly glib Gortner, who was no doubt cast due to the fact that he was (no joke) a real life fraudulent Pentacostal minister, is charismatic and well cast as the gun-fighting conman and heads a great supporting cast of character actors including Slim Pickens and Pamela Sue Martin.

This has probably the most clever script ever in a seventies TV movie western (by Academy Award nominated screenwriter William Bowers) with excellent tongue-in-cheek humor and wordplay in some fantastic scenes. One of which involves a miracle gunfight and an excellent cameo appearance by Geoffrey Lewis.

Great fun.