Whittle: Quiet on the set!

Comment   Email   Print
Related Articles

BY DAN WHITTLE

Privileged was I recently to speak to obviously bright fourth and fifth grade students.

Little Janice with pigtails in the second row, asked about unusual assignments I've had in 50-plus years of newspapering duties.

Such an event happened in the mid-1980s that led up to the filming of "The Apostle," a movie starring Robert Duvall and Farrah Fawcett.

My minor connection to the planning phase of the movie came when Carole Dollar, widow of country music singer Johnny Dollar, introduced me to (the late) Rev. Paul Baggett, whose arms and legs thrashed in the pulpit like he was fighting a swarm of honey bees.

His title - "Happy Pastor" - also hints of an exuberant style of preaching.

In 1987, Rev. Baggett was approached by Nashville's legendary June Carter Cash and actor Duval asking to "study" Pastor Baggett's style of preaching in anticipation of making a movie about a defrocked Pentecost preacher.

Setting up outdoor tent revivals at Goodlettsville and Corinth, MS., ultimately became my public relations' assignment from Pastor Baggett, who ended up having a brief appearance in the movie's opening scene while waving a set of "keys to heaven."

Mr. Duvall also used a raw real-life scene where Pastor Baggett had led a severely-bleeding wreck victim "to salvation" seconds before the man perished while pinned inside his automobile.

After setting up the tent revivals, my journalism duties veered in 1988 to Woodbury, Smyrna and Mur-freesboro where I began writing columns and feature stories for news-papers.

Fast forward to 1998 when "The Apostle" movie finally premiered in the Nashville entertain-ment market!

While Pat and I were viewing the movie, it surprised me that Director Duvall had created a radio news character in the movie with duties similar to what I did while on Rev. Baggett's payroll.

Pastor Baggett later confirmed the news character had been based on me as I frequently interviewed folks at his church after their salvation experience and public witness for God.

It was a professional honor that a news person character had a role in "The Apostle."

Which brings me to my recent re-review of "The Apostle", that ultimately was nominated for an Academy Award in Hollywood!

If you have not seen the movie, it's worth viewing because of a strong message of "forgiveness" that's prescribed in the Good Book of Life.

For certain, setting up outdoor tent revivals qualifies as one of the most unique assignments in my news-writing career.

Amen!

Read more from:
OPINIONS
Tags: 
None
Share: 
Comment   Email   Print
Powered by Bondware
News Publishing Software

The browser you are using is outdated!

You may not be getting all you can out of your browsing experience
and may be open to security risks!

Consider upgrading to the latest version of your browser or choose on below: