Original subtitles

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to what we modestly call the

greatest show on earth.

Becoming an animal trainer is not difficult at all.

Anyone who has raised children already possesses the proper humility.

Our star performer Gordon will now jump from this stool to

this one.

I think you will appreciate his performance more when you realize that

a flea.

He's getting ready. By the way, Gordon is the one in the blue trunks.

There he goes.

Well done.

As for those trunks, he can pick them up when he returns.

Now for a riddle.

What has no legs?

is a bit thick, definitely does not fly and is one minute long.

Here is the answer.

You got a sick car there.

Don't get out. Leave the engine running.

We're 60 miles from a special meeting and late.

It's the carburetor. You can shut it off now.

Seems like it was just worked on, but whoever did it sure messed it up.

How long will it take to fix?

I can do it while you wait.

How much will it cost?

Oh, about two dollars should do it.

Two dollars?

I hope I didn't upset you.

Well, it's rare indeed to be upset by honesty.

Two dollars indeed. Why, most mechanics usually hit me for eight, ten dollars.

Sure, because they don't like their work. They gotta charge more.

Me, I love engines.

Look in here now.

What's wrong?

Nothing.

Leastwise, nothing be helped.

It's an ulcer.

I'm on milk, potatoes, and prayer to heal it, but I don't believe you really

know who I am, do you?

Otis Jones.

Healer Jones, they call me.

200 radio TV stations coast to coast carry my faith meeting. I don't hold

radio and TV.

From what I hear, there's a load of sinful stuff on them.

drinking and killing and sinful women. There is no sin, no temptation on my

show. Just healing, brother.

Do you have faith, brother?

I've prayed, yes.

I've prayed till my knees were skinned raw. Take my hand.

Go on, take it.

Now let the power pour into you. Let it pour!

You got faith, brother.

You come to my meeting tonight, and I'll turn all my power on you and heal you

from this day henceforth.

Daughter, the address, please.

Emily Jones, this is Aaron Menifee.

Aaron Menifee.

Come along, you hear?

You've got to have faith, sister.

Oh, I do. I do.

Turn around.

Now let me soothe with the power of love.

Now hold your head high.

Hold it proud, sister, in faith.

Now let me unbind and set you free of this agony.

Do you feel power, sister?

I do.

Say the power is in me.

The power is in me. Say I am healed.

I am healed.

Walk tall, sister. Show them your pain -cleansed face. Show them.

Alleluia.

Alleluia.

Thank you. Next.

Is Brother Menifee in the house?

Aaron Menifee?

Aaron Menifee. That's me.

Come forward, brother.

Come right along.

What is your affliction?

Ulcers. Do you hear that? This big, good -looking young man in the prime of life

is being eaten away by a sickness that defies man's medicine.

And yet, he has the faith to come before me and seek deliverance. Do you believe

he can be healed?

Yes!

Aaron Menifee, do you believe you can be healed? I can be healed. Then bend your

head. Bend your head and make sure that your faith is as strong as my power.

Do you believe?

I believe.

Then seize this hand. Seize it!

We will let the other hand descend to drive the evil out. Drive it out.

I'm healed. I'm healed.

Say it again, brother.

Cry it aloud in your jubilation. It's gone.

It's a miracle.

Dump it, brother.

Dump it.

Did you see him, Daddy?

First time a heel person ever got so grateful, he just took the basket out of

hand and ran through the audience asking for faith offerings.

Look. You're really grateful, huh?

I'm healed.

So is my car.

You did a fine job.

How would you like to go to work for me?

Be my chauffeur.

You mean really?

All the time?

All the time.

I'll bet he's the kind of young man would give back half his salary each

a faith offering to help some sinner.

Oh, I will.

I will.

What kind of a life is that? An auto mechanic for a traveling tent show.

Chauffeur? Mechanic. Working day and night.

And for less money than Abe Nolan pays you at the gas station.

Making a holy show of yourself at those meetings.

And living with a bunch of swindling strangers.

You'll find out what it's like, boy.

Doc Buckles, I've been called.

And I'm following the call.

Called?

You were called to rid yourself of lustful thoughts by rolling around naked

the snow one night.

So as I had to pull you through pneumonia.

You were called to bust up Glenn Lyman's rabbit traps every time he set them

out. Told you you had to go to jail twice already for doing that.

Seems like every time you're called, it means trouble for you, Aaron.

My body was healed. Bunk.

You never had an ulcer.

You ain't got one now.

Trouble is, ever since you were a kid, your dad's filled you so full of his

hellfire and speaking in strange tongues in fear of the devil that no wonder

he's got your stomach all tied up in knots.

And this Otis Jones is no better than your pop. He can't cure anything.

Whatever I got, could you ever cure it, Doc?

Goodbye, Aaron.

Goodbye, Doc.

If I pass this way again, I'll drop by and say hello.

We moved along town by town, and the faith offerings kept pouring in like the

great flood itself.

From people who wanted to heal as good work carried on.

It was a fine time.

But then the trouble began.

What trouble?

Emily Jones, the healer's daughter.

She was everywhere.

The devil rose up terrible in my mind.

I broke into sweat.

I had to take cold baths to rid the devil from my mind.

today you've been soaking.

You keeping count?

Aaron, you'll catch your devil cold. Get out.

Get out, you hear?

It's a fine afternoon.

You're gonna take me for a row in a boat.

Or you're fired.

The healer's daughter speaking.

Fired and left.

Well?

I'll be right there.

Miss Emily, the devil is in me.

The devil's in us all, Aaron.

Yes, but he says to me, feel that wind.

It's a fine wind.

Listen to them birds.

Fine singing. Yes, but then he says Hold her hand

Touch her hair

I'll help you Aaron.

Oh, thank you Miss Emily, that's no

help at all.

The good book says Arise, my love, my fair one, and come with me.

There's a legal and holy way of doing it.

You mean get married?

Do you have any objections to matrimony, Aaron?

I don't guess I have, but I never thought that I was ready for it.

You're 25 and long overdue. That's what those thoughts have been trying to tell

you.

Emily, what's the healer going to think about this?

Everything I am, I owe to him. We must ask his blessing.

Aaron, I'm Pa's only child.

Let's skip off first and get married and then ask for his blessing.

No, that'd be sharpening a serpent's tooth. We can't do it that way.

We can't?

No.

Now, it's got to be done right or not at all.

Testing. One, two, three.

One, two.

Isn't that fine, Brother Fish?

Fine new microphone. Brand spanking new loudspeakers.

Brother Menifee, how do you like the new equipment?

You may leave, Brother Fish.

What have you two been up to?

Sit down, Emily.

You got something to say, brother?

Sir, could we talk private?

I can hear you fine.

Now stay where you are.

Well?

Well, the fact is we're going to be married.

No, sir.

That is not a fact. That is a desire. The fact is you want to get married.

Well, yes.

There is a lot of difference between wanting and having, brother.

Sir, I leave it up to you whether I'm worthy or not.

Although I have hopes that you'll see it in the way Miss Emily and I do.

Brother Menifee, you are one of the worthiest souls that I know. But there's

lot more to it than that.

Emily, my only begotten child, is heir to all that has come my way. And believe

me, a lot has come my way this past year. If you're saying Aaron wants to

me for my money, you can take my word for it, he doesn't.

I do not say that.

What I do say is that I've got a mighty big proposition on my hands here, a

mighty big proposition.

What were the offerings from the meetings, the national hookups, and the

sales? It will take a big man to step into my shoes. If you're talking about

Charlie Fish, I wouldn't marry him if he were the last man on earth. He makes my

skin crawl.

All right.

All right. Not Charlie Fish.

But someone with his talents.

When the power came down to me, I reaped a mighty harvest.

Tax -free.

Now someday, Emily, that will be yours.

worthy as Brother Menifee may be, he is not the right man for your wedded maiden

partner. I cannot give my blessing.

I have faith in you, healer.

But it's a tough row you've given me to hoe.

No woman ever made me feel the way Miss Emily does.

As long as I am on Earth, I reign over Emily.

When I've gone to glory, then she is free to walk her own path.

But that won't be for a long time, brother. A long time.

Not with the way my health is and the power that is in me.

So I suggest that you hold that long row and keep your eye peeled for another

woman.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do.

Brother Fish, come back in here, please.

I believe. I do believe in him.

I believe in him.

I believe in him.

I believe in him.

Aaron, I'll never marry anyone else. I'll wait for you all my life if I have

Emily!

Come in here, Emily.

we traveled the circuit.

And at last came full round again to my old hometown.

Doc?

Who is it?

Aaron Menifee.

Oh, hello, Aaron.

What do you mean, hello? I come to visit.

Not tonight, Aaron.

Not tonight.

I've been away a long time. I come here special now.

Doc, I got problems.

We all got problems.

I don't know what yours is, but this is mine.

Doc, what's going on?

You sure picked a fine time to come barging in, Aaron.

Who's he?

What does he want here? He's a friend. Let him be.

No good making trouble for everyone just because you're messed up.

I examined you.

Told you God's honest truth.

Your legs are paralyzed.

Shut up.

Your legs are paralyzed.

And nothing can be done for it.

Not by me, nor anyone.

Is there another doctor in this jerkwater stop?

No. You lie, you lie.

Mister, I wouldn't risk my everlasting soul by one lie. All right, all right.

But who do you go to around here if you hurt bad?

Don't tell me everybody uses this old quack?

You can't walk?

You can't walk? I can't walk, I can't, no. Do you think I'd be sitting here if

could? I can't, no.

And you really want to? Want to?

Want to? Oh, Doc.

Doc, sometimes I think it's foreordained. What's with him? Oh,

just... Excuse me, Doc.

Oh, do excuse me.

Brother, Doc is a good man, even if there are lots of things outside his

But I can take you to someone whose power has never failed. Aaron, shut up.

healed me when Doc couldn't. I'm sorry, Doc.

He heals all those who come to him, no matter what their affliction.

It's true. You realize who this is? This is Vern Byers. He's been shot by the

police. He's the killer. Where is this guy that's in front of yours? Five

minutes away.

There's a thousand dollars.

Pick it up.

That's to bring this doctor friend of yours here.

Tell him there's another thousand waiting for him when he gets here.

All right.

Brother Byers, the healer, won't take payment for his work.

But if this is a faith offering... Call out what you want. Bring him here.

Aaron, I told you there's nothing anyone can do to help. He can't be cured.

His spine's been damaged.

You keep out of this, Aaron, and you keep this healer friend of yours out of

too. Hal.

Lock this quack up.

Go on now.

Clear it.

Clear it. Shut the door.

Now listen.

I killed the doctor at Crescent City that operated to take the bullet out of

And left me so I can't walk.

Brother Byers, he heals all those who come to him.

Listen again.

I'll kill any man that takes my money and doesn't put my legs right again.

Do you hear?

Have faith, brother.

Healer? Healer Jones!

Healer Jones!

Oh, praise glory you're here.

Healer, there's a man here needs your help for a friend of his. At this hour,

must be mighty serious. It's serious. Look at this faith offering. $1 ,000.

And there's more where that came from.

Well, Brother Fish, add this to the tally. Yes, Healer. I guess this is

the biggest single evening we've ever had. $1 ,000. Now, where is this sinner?

I've got the car. We'll take you there, Healer, but you better hurry.

Yes, I'll hurry. Thank you, daughter. Thank you.

Yes, yes.

There's a worrisome thing about that sinner up there.

Now, brother, you're not going to tell me my business, are you? Oh, no, sir.

It's just this sinner.

Though he needs your power, he's short on faith.

He's smell of fire and brimstone, healer. He's a fearful sinner all the

Brother Menifee, you're ignorant.

Anyone who can make a faith offering like the one you just gave me is ready.

Ready for my power to enter him.

What Aaron means...

Healer? Oh, thank you, brother, but I don't figure to need your company long

this mission.

Well, well.

Now, brother, just what is your affliction?

So much for life and death under the big top.

By the way, the police finally caught up with Vern Byers, but not before he had

done in Otis Jones.

My final appearance in a moment. But first, to convince the cynical that

does exist, he will now jump through this hoop.

This always happens. I must remember to use thinner paper.

But as Gordon would say, that's show business. Which reminds me, you have

the show.

Now we give you the business.

Good evening. Good to have you ringside again.

Gordon was miffed as a result of the accident with the hoop and has

He first changed into street clothes, however, so he will be much more

to find.

He's wearing a dark grey flannel suit, pearl grey felt hat, a blue necktie

and three pairs of suede shoes.

Now until next week at this same time, good night.