Marjoe (1972)
Marjoe Gortner just died. For anyone who doesn’t know him, he was a former minister who was ordained when he was just four years old, then as a young adult preached on the revival circuit. The documentary in which he exposes himself (and other Pentecostal preachers) as a fraud, just called “Marjoe,” won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 1973, and is streaming on Tubi currently. It’s a fascinating film, and a lot of the shady techniques Gortner exposes are still used by a lot of grifters in their “ministry” today.
Also, Gortner went on to have a brief acting career after the release of the documentary, starring in some other B-movies that are also currently available on Tubi like Bobbie Joe and the Outlaw and probably most famously Starcrash.
So, RIP Marjoe, and thanks for your contributions to cinema.