''The Gun and the Pulpit'' is a 1974 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

starring

Marjoe Gortner Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner (born January 14, 1944) is a former evangelist preacher and actor. He first gained public attention during the late 1940s when his parents arranged for him to be ordained as a preacher at age four, due to his extraordi ...

and

Slim Pickens Louis Burton Lindley Jr. (June 29, 1919 – December 8, 1983), better known by his stage name Slim Pickens, was an American actor and rodeo performer. Starting off in the rodeo, Pickens transitioned to acting and appeared in dozens of movies and ...

, directed by

Daniel Petrie Daniel Mannix Petrie (November 26, 1920 – August 22, 2004) was a Canadian film, television, and stage director who worked in Canada, Hollywood, and the United Kingdom; known for directing grounded human dramas often dealing with taboo subject ...

. It was based on Jack Ehrlich's 1972 novel ''The Fastest Gun in the Pulpit''. Filmed at Old Tucson, it was a

television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distr ...

for a seriesp.221 Terrace, Vincent ''Experimental Television, Test Films, Pilots, and Trial Series, 1925 through 1995: Seven Decades of Small Screen Almosts'' McFarland, 1997 to star Gortner, a former evangelist.

Plot summary

Gunfighter Ernie Parsons escapes hanging for the killing of a disreputable character by the false testimony of a woman attracted to him. During his escape, he finds the body of a murdered minister. Searching the corpse, Ernie discovers a letter from a town which has invited the deceased man, sight unseen, to be their town minister. Ernie takes the victim's clothes and belongings to escape his pursuers. He has decided to impersonate the dead man. Welcomed to town, Ernie's first action is to preside over a funeral of Sam Underwood, a man murdered on the orders of town boss Mr. Ross. Attracted to Underwood's daughter, Ernie decides to stay, using his gunfighter skills to stand up to Ross. Ernie is disgusted by the cowardice of the townspeople, dismissing Ross's men as mere cowboys wearing pistols rather than professional gunfighters. He shoots dead or scares off the first few men Ross send to get rid of him. With his men cowed by the preacher's shooting skills, Ross hires a professional gunfighter to kill him. The two men already know each other, and hold a duel in the center of town. When both miss each other from close range the gunfighter takes it as a sign and leaves. Parsons is ambushed by Ross's men and dragged through the desert and left for dead. He is found in the desert and brought back to the Underwood's home and nursed back to health. Parsons arranges for a fake burial and takes to the hills, attacking Ross's men through surprise attacks, and scaring some of them off. Eventually, Parsons is persuaded to head back to town. Parsons holds a service at church and is interrupted by Ross, claiming to want a truce. Most of the town folk believe him. The next day, Ross and his men come to town to ambush Parsons. Parsons asks for the help of men from the church, but they are too scared to help. When Parsons takes on Ross and his men alone, some of the town men, having reconsidered, come to his aid. Ross is killed by Parsons, ending the battle. Free to marry Underwood's daughter, Parsons instead rides away, feeling his work is done and his continued impersonation of a preacher will only lead to more trouble. As Parsons rides away he meets a preacher heading to town to investigate the events, but who already knows everything important that went on. The preacher tells Parsons he was justified in protecting the town in his own way, but he doesn't convince Parsons to return. The preacher says, "I'll be seeing you, Ernie" and resumes on his way to town. Ernie rides on for a few more seconds, then stops and half turns his horse on the trail. He is now halfway facing the town, and has a smile on his face.

Differences from novel

Cast

as Ernie Parsons *

as Billy One-Eye *

David Huddleston David William Huddleston (September 17, 1930 – August 2, 2016) was an American actor. An Emmy Award nominee, Huddleston had a prolific television career, and appeared in many films including:'' Rio Lobo'', ''Blazing Saddles'', '' Crime Buste ...

as Mr. Ross *

Geoffrey Lewis Geoffrey Lewis may refer to: * Geoffrey Lewis (actor) (1935–2015), American character actor * Geoffrey Lewis (scholar) (1920–2008), British professor of Turkish * Geoffrey Lewis (philatelist), Australian philatelist * Geoffrey W. Lewis (died ...

as Jason McCoy * Estelle Parsons as Sadie Underwood *

Pamela Sue Martin Pamela Sue Martin (born January 5, 1953) is an American actress, who is best known for starring as Nancy Drew on the television series ''The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries'' and as socialite Fallon Carrington Colby on the ABC soap opera ''Dyna ...

as Sally Underwood * Jeff Corey as Head of Posse *

Karl Swenson Karl Swenson (July 23, 1908 – October 8, 1978) was an American theatre, radio, film, and television actor. Early in his career, he was credited as Peter Wayne.

as Adams * Jon Lormer as Luther * Robert Phillips as Tom Underwood * Larry Ward as Max *

Joan Goodfellow Joan Goodfellow (born February 2, 1950) is an American actress and singer who appeared on stage, screen, and television throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Best known for her lead role in ''Buster and Billie'' (1974) as well as her performance in ''Lo ...

as Dixie

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gun And The Pulpit, The 1974 television films 1974 Western (genre) films Films based on American novels Films based on Western (genre) novels Films directed by Daniel Petrie Films produced by Paul Maslansky Films shot in Tucson, Arizona Television films as pilots Television pilots not picked up as a series American Western (genre) television films 1970s English-language films

Plot summary

Differences from novel

Cast

See also

Notes

External links