IMDb > Elmer Gantry (1960)
Elmer Gantry
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Elmer Gantry (1960) More at IMDbPro »

Videos
Elmer Gantry (1960) -- Trailer for this epic tale of an all American boy

Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   3,758 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 32% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Richard Brooks
Writers:
Richard Brooks (screenplay)
Sinclair Lewis (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for Elmer Gantry on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
7 July 1960 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama more
Tagline:
The screen has never known a man like ELMER GANTRY more
Plot:
Elmer Gantry is a fast talking, hard drinking traveling salesman who always has a risqué story and a... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Won 3 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 10 nominations more
User Comments:
"You're all sinners! You'll all burn in hell!" more (54 total)
US TV Schedule:
Sat. Nov. 213:30 PMTCM   

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Burt Lancaster ... Elmer Gantry

Jean Simmons ... Sister Sharon Falconer, nee Katie Jones
Arthur Kennedy ... Jim Lefferts
Dean Jagger ... William L. Morgan
Shirley Jones ... Lulu Bains
Patti Page ... Sister Rachel
Edward Andrews ... George F. Babbitt (as Ed Andrews)
John McIntire ... Rev. John Pengilly
Hugh Marlowe ... Rev. Philip Garrison
Joe Maross ... Pete
Philip Ober ... Rev. Planck
Barry Kelley ... Police Capt. Holt
Wendell Holmes ... Rev. Ulrich
Dayton Lummis ... Mr. Eddington, newspaper publisher
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
146 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
After this film was released, Burt Lancaster got a letter from a boyhood friend he had not heard from in years. The friend wrote him that Lancaster's part in this film was the closest to the way Lancaster acted in real life when they were kids. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: Sister Sharon is seen briefly outside a movie theater advertising a film. The title is not given but the stars names are given as Rudolph Valentino and Agnes Ayres, suggesting that the film is almost certainly _The Sheik (1921)_. But then in the scene with the newspapers in Sister Sharon's office, the headline on one is about death of Isadora Duncan, suggesting it was sometime shortly after Sept. 14, 1927 (date of her death). Since Zenith, Neb., wasn't exactly in the mainstream, it seems more logical that the movie house was playing an old movie since the first talkie, _The Jazz Singer (1927)_, wasn't released until a month later. So, the time line would place it in 1927, the year the book first was published. more
Quotes:
Clean-up man: Mister, I've been converted five times. Billy Sunday, Reverend Biederwolf, Gypsy Smith, and twice by Sister Falconer. I get terrible drunk, and then I get good and saved. Both of them done me a powerful lot of good - gettin' drunk and gettin' saved. Well, good night. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in A Dying Breed: The Making of 'The Leopard' (2004) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Battle Hymn of the Republic more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
14 out of 15 people found the following comment useful.
"You're all sinners! You'll all burn in hell!", 5 June 2005
8/10
Author: Billie from United States

"Elmer Gantry" is an amazing film that does not seem dated at all, having lost none of its bite or appeal with the passing of time. Taken from the classic Sinclair Lewis novel of the same name, director Richard Brooks garnered an Oscar for Best Screenplay for his adaptation, and Burt Lancaster won his sole Best Actor Oscar for his performance as Elmer Gantry. Gantry is an over-the-top opportunistic traveling salesman who teams up with evangelist Sister Sharon Falconer (Jean Simmons) to promote religion in 1920's America. Gantry turns out to be the perfect publicity compliment to Sister Sharon, who, unlike him, is a true believer. Where she is quiet and gentle with her manner of preaching, he is all fire and brimstone, literally throwing himself about the audience and inflaming them into repentance.

Burt Lancaster commands the screen: all flashing teeth, athletic energy, charisma, and wild hair, using his own physical prowess to great advantage. The angelic and lovely Jean Simmons, who had legions of adoring male fans when she was in her ethereal prime, portrays Sister Sharon (loosely based on a well-known real-life revivalist of the early 1920's, Aimee Semple McPherson, about whom I'd heard from my grandmother) in a manner reminiscent of her character in "Spartacus" - she was the perfect choice for this role, as was Lancaster for his.

Shirley Jones was awarded the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her lively portrayal of prostitute Lulu Bains, whose past history with Gantry comes back to haunt him, with some of the best lines in the film - gleefully laughing as she dances about a room full of her fellow prostitutes, she recounts that "He rammed the fear of God into me so fast I never heard my old man's footsteps!" Watching Burt Lancaster in his prime use his athletic ability (he was a circus acrobat before he became an actor) and physical grace helps make his performance truly electrifying. And he also manages to believably evolve Elmer Gantry from loud-mouthed salesman to a sympathetic and honest human being over the course of the film.

The top-notch supporting cast includes Arthur Kennedy, Patti Page, Dean Jagger, and John McIntire.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (54 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Elmer Gantry (1960)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Elmer Gantry vs. Carrie CahillSellers
Shirley Jones Won An Oscar For This??? kdboles
What about the funny? freelocalradio
Very relevant for America today diesel-magoo
Casting for remake of Elmer Gantry mudgejl
Arthur Kennedy was great in this! wtl471629
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
McCabe & Mrs. Miller The Day of the Locust Giant There Will Be Blood Edvard Munch
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Drama section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.