Burt Lancaster

Jean Simmons

Arthur Kennedy

Dean Jagger

Shirley Jones

Patti Page

Edward Andrews

John McIntire

Hugh Marlowe

Joe Maross

Philip Ober

Barry Kelley

Wendell Holmes

Dayton Lummis

Colin Kenny

William H. O'Brien

Bert Stevens

John Qualen

Rex Ingram

Sally Fraser

Robert P. Lieb

Larry J. Blake

Peter Brocco

George Cisar

Ralph Dumke

Everett Glass

Sol Gorss

Norman Leavitt

Dan Riss

Max Showalter

Dale Van Sickel

Michael Whalen

Jean Willes

Raoul Freeman

Richard Brooks

Sinclair Lewis

Bernard Smith

André Previn

John Alton

Marjorie Fowler

Edward Carrere

Bob Herron

Paul Baxley

Charles Horvath

Al Carmichael

James Saper

Andrew J. McIntyre

John Livesley

Dorothy Jeakins

Tom Shaw

William F. Calvert

Frank Tuttle

Robert J. Schiffer

Harry Maret

Joan St. Oegger

Harry D. Mills

Fred J. Brown

Ken Darby

Gilbert Kurland

Drama

Elmer Gantry

United Artists

United States of America

English

based on novel or book

con man

fraud

kansas, usa

religion

preacher

religious hypocrisy

traveling salesman

evangelist

revivalism

CinemaSerf

Burt Lancaster is on great form here as the eponymous quick-talking and charismatic hoover salesman who alights upon the successful industry that is "Sister Sharon" (Jean Simmons). She preaches the word of God with a piousness that he finds compelling. Not because he shares her zeal, but because he can see the impact it has on the rather sheepish population who turn up at her prayer meetings in their thousands - and donate for the work of the Lord in just as generous a fashion. Initially, the Sister is sceptical but she underestimates his charms and his persevering nature. He, too, does some underestimating of his own and pretty swiftly they are a formidable team of evangelising fund-raisers. He has his detractors, though - not least his jilted lover "Lulu" (Shirley Jones) who resents his new found success and happiness, and so determines to ruin it all for him. Question is - is "Gantry" really a changed man, or is it all just a façade? There's oodles of chemistry on display here between Simmons and an entirely convincing Lancaster that mixes religion, affection and plenty of wry humour as the two play a cat and mouse game that you just know how is going to end up. The writing is pithy and lively allowing these two, as well as Arthur Kennedy and Dean Jagger to deliver meaningfully to this story of indoctrination - but by whom and into what? We used to have a Church of Scotland minister when I was young that I thought was a bit puritanical in his sermon delivery - I suspect he might have watched this!

**_The story of traveling tent revivalists in 1920’s America_**

A fast-talking salesman from Missouri (Burt Lancaster) is attracted to the troupe of a winsome evangelist (Jean Simmons). Once he proves his abilities as a charismatic preacher, he joins the "road church" show, but a woman from his past threatens to shake things up (Shirley Jones). Arthur Kennedy plays a reporter who travels with the group by train.

"Elmer Gantry" (1960) was based on less than one-fourth of the 1927 book by agnostic-turned-atheist Sinclair Lewis. It makes fundamental changes to the two main characters by painting them sympathetically and therefore less one-dimensional and more interesting. This makes the movie better than the novel (at least the parts on which it was based). I should point out that Jean Simmon’s character, Sharon Falconer, was inspired by the notable-but-controversial Aimee Semple McPherson.

It goes without saying that the film must be interpreted separate from the novel. The message is somewhat ambiguous and leaves it up to the viewer to draw their own conclusions, which is a sign of quality art IMHO. While it’s clearly not anti-Christian, it criticizes how revivalism can attract charismatic people of dubious credentials and questionable morality, which naturally results in troubles that could’ve been avoided with a little wisdom.

The movie version of the title character is a fascinating study. At the beginning he clearly basks in partying in a bar at Christmas, but is willing to drop everything in order to passionately help a worker for the Salvation Army acquire donations. Why? Shortly later, he’s traveling penniless and shoeless, but is drawn to the lively worship at an all-black assembly where the congregants stare at him curiously, until he happily joins in the singing of “Canaan Land” to show that he’s really just one of them, despite his skin-color: A poor man seeking the Creator and salvation or redemption.

The movie’s basically a story about people in positions of influence vacillating between carnality and spirituality, a condition of which most viewers can relate. But, as Jim Lefferts (Kennedy) points out: "We don't like our gods to be human."

While the flick definitely has its points of interest, such as the milieu of 1920’s Middle America and Shirley Jones never looking better, "The Apostle" with Robert Duvall is a less artificial experience that addresses some of the same issues more effectively.

It’s ironic that Sinclair Lewis made his character Elmer Gantry have a weakness toward booze seeing as how the author perished in 1951 due to advanced alcoholism.

At 2 hours, 26 minutes, the film’s overlong by about half an hour. It was shot in the studio in Culver City and Hollywood, as well as the Columbia/Warner Brothers ranch in Burbank, except for the Tabernacle sequence filmed in Santa Monica. 

GRADE: B-/B

Elmer Gantry (1960) ORIGINAL TRAILER

Elmer Gantry( 1960)

If there was a dollar to be made—Gantry would make it … If there was a soul to be saved—Gantry would save it …

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A review by CinemaSerf

Written by CinemaSerf on Sat Jan 27 2024

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