Short Takes

Among the most visible excesses of the '80s were those of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker whose Heritage USA fraud scandal ultimately brought the high-profile, high-dollar televangelists to their knees. Mind you, not in prayer. Jimbo eventually blubbered himself into the pokey. But whatever happened to Ms. Mascara? Pop documentarians Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato go to the source in this bizarre chronicle narrated by RuPaul detailing how PUPPETRY would launch not one but three major powers in religious broadcasting, how the seeds of greed were sown early amid the best intentions and how Tammy Faye's weathered the inevitable whirlwind including near-Biblical plagues of divorce, drug addiction, cancer and persona non gratis status among fellow believers and even her own daughter. Though through her often hysterical warts 'n' all candor, the former first lady of the "Praise the Lord" cable empire proves her oddly inspiring resilience even if she still can't quite grasp what it is she and Jimmy done wrong. Whether it's due to some sort of weird Tammy Faye personal magnetism, or the flick's subtle seduction, CineSchlockers initially laughing AT her may stray into tittering WITH and perhaps begin to understand this rather unique personality. Oklahoma Baptist University alum Jim J. Bullock says it best of his "Jim J. and Tammy Faye Show" cohost and friend: "The one thing you can say about Tammy Faye is she is a survivor. After the holocaust, there will be, like, roaches, Tammy Faye and Cher." (1999, 78 mins, Fullframe, DD 2.0, Trailers)