• Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOPM
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    12 days ago

    He’s pre-Burt’s fame, I think.

    It’s the Plan 9 From Outer Space of Christian Movies: If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do?

    The director, Ron Ormond, made a bunch of cheap exploitation films in Hollywood before finding Jesus in the message of Mississippi evangelical reverend Estus T. Pirkle. Why? I have no idea. He’s not especially charismatic and he sounds like an idiot.

    But Ron moved down to Mississippi and decided to keep making exploitation movies, but make them Jesusy. He made four of them with the Rev, but that one is the funniest.

    You can see the whole thing on the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/if-footmen-tire-you-what-will-horses-do-1971-dir.-ron-ormond-final-reconstruction-hd-267159565

    Also, there was an LP version of Pirkle’s sermon delivered in the film. That version was sampled by the band Negativland for what is probably the song they’re most well-known for, Christianity is Stupid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vrt6o81ku5o

    • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      12 days ago

      If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do?

      I hear that one guy died…

      reverend Estus T. Pirkle. Why? I have no idea. He’s not especially charismatic and he sounds like an idiot.

      Hell, even his NAME is goddamn atrocious to the point that it’s impossible to take him seriously 😂

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOPM
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        12 days ago

        What’s amazing is that a significant number of people did take him seriously. I honestly do not understand why.

        • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          12 days ago

          It sounds like a Victorian gentleman being coy about a genital wart:

          “I shan’t be going out this eve, old chap. I’m afraid I’ve got an estus on my pirkle.”