Pray TV (also known as KGOD)[1] is a 1981 American comedy film spoofing televangelism, directed and co-written by Rick Friedberg.
| Pray TV | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Rick Friedberg |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Terry Clairmont |
| Edited by | Peter H. Verity |
| Music by |
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Production company | |
| Distributed by | Filmways Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The film stars Dabney Coleman, Archie Hahn, Nancy Morgan, Joyce Jameson, Lewis Arquette, Marcia Wallace and Roger E. Mosley, with cameos by Dr. John and the band Devo (who play a Christian rock band named "Dove"). Film critics David Nusair and Scott Weinberg note that the 1989 film UHF is very similar in both plot and style to Pray TV.[2][3]
Plot
editFailing UHF TV station KRUD, Channel 17, is "reborn" as Christian television station KGOD. The new format is a big success but attracts an incompatible mix of fringe ministries and broadcasters wanting time on the station. A series of humorous vignettes show the different religious shows the station broadcasts: a faith healer, a radical black nationalist preacher, a preacher with a drive-in church, a Christian game show, etc.
Cast
edit- Lewis Arquette as Fred Wilson
- Jaime Lyn Bauer as Mary of Nazareth
- Stymie Beard as Willie Washington usher
- Charlie Brill as Dr. Ramirez
- Dick Chudnow as newsboy / Mexican / wino / Hassidic Jew / possessed boy / legally-dead Harold / Bruce the orderly
- Dabney Coleman as Marvin Fleece
- Devo as "Dove"
- Archie Hahn (actor) as Fletcher Peebles
- Charles Haid as Buck Sunday
- Deidre Hall as Sarah of Nazareth
- Bobby Herbeck as Scooter Hayes
- Joyce Jameson as Millie Peebles
- Dr. John as self
- Bill Kirchenbauer as Elvin
- Biff Manard as Billie Bob Joe Brown
- Anna Mathias as Freedom Sunshine
- Nancy Morgan as Peggy Williams
- Roger E. Mosley as Willie Washington / Leroy Washington
- Paul Reubens as Jack
- Marcia Wallace as Alice Kidd
Release
editPray TV was picked up by Filmways Pictures in 1981 (under its original name, KGOD).[4] The film premiered on television instead of theatrically,[5] and aired on Showtime in 1983 under its present title.[6] It was issued on DVD on November 15, 2005.[3]
References
edit- ^ Associated Press (AP) (June 5, 1983). "Being Nice Didn't Get Coleman Where He Is". The Victoria Advocate. p. 9TV. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ^ Nusair, David (November 29, 2005). "Six Comedy Cult Classics from MGM". Reel Film.
- ^ a b Weinberg, Scott (November 20, 2005). "Pray TV". DVD Talk.
- ^ "Acquisitions (p. 26); No title available (p. 41)". Film Bulletin. Vol. 49. Wax Publications. 1981. pp. 26, 41. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ^ "Pray TV". VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever 1997. Visible Ink Press/Gale/Cengage Learning. 1996. p. xiii. ISBN 0-7876-0780-0. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ^ "Television movies". The Telegraph-Herald. March 18, 1983. p. 19 (Entertainment Section). Retrieved November 14, 2011.
External links
edit- Pray TV at IMDb
- Pray TV at Rotten Tomatoes