Jim And Tammy Faye Bakker's Old Shows Up For Sale

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An Atlanta investment banker is auctioning off more than 15,000 videotaped episodes of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's iconic Christian talk show.

"The PTL Club," which aired from 1974 to 1987, featured Jim Bakker offering upbeat sermons from a couch and Tammy Faye, wearing her trademark heavy mascara, singing about Jesus. Most episodes were taped at their empire _ which included a hotel, campground and theme park _ just south of Charlotte.

PTL, which stood for "Praise The Lord," came crashing down in 1987 when Jim Bakker went to prison for fraud after a sex scandal. The couple divorced and Tammy Faye remarried and changed her last name to Messner. She died in 2007 from colon cancer.

The 15,069 hourlong tapes went to a Charlotte church, then a cable content provider, said Ben Dyer, president of Gospel Properties.

The cable provider defaulted on a loan from Dyer's company and he got the tapes, which he plans to auction in San Francisco on March 27.

A spokeswoman for Jim Bakker, who now lives in Branson, Mo., said the televangelist has been told the tapes have been appraised at around $8 million. He considers them part of his legacy.

The tapes provide enough content to create a channel exclusively showing "The PTL Club," said Dean Becker, vice chairman of Ocean Tomo, the Chicago-based merchant bank handling the auction.

And, Dyer pointed out, the audience already knows about PTL's fall.

"People can watch these shows knowing how their story ended," he said. "It makes them even more intriguing to watch."

Comments

[DrCRD]

Actually, the PTL appraiser is the most recognized archival film appraiser in the US, same guy who appraised the Zapruder film of JFK assasination. Hey, people like nostalgic TV! Kids still watch I Love Lucy and I Dream of Genie (the most sexist show ever of woman calling her man, "Master"!), and Hee Haw was recently digitized and syndicated. Reagan was on PTL, Art Linkletter. And, there is an audience for gospel, black gospel, and bluegrass music which is part of the PTL content. Who knows? Maybe Soros will buy it and destroy it, but content is king in media. The PTL auction was mentioned on SNL news update last night!

[ignorantwillyharper]

They were good as any two con-artis we've every had on T.V., but the king of Con is and always will be Oral Roberts!

[Behr904]

Wow, this brings back memories. I used to love to get stoned and watch PTL and Ernest Angley 's faith healing programs. Best comedy on television at the time!

[me again]

True, we could bring back the make-up smudged "I ran into Tamy Faye at the Mall Today" T-Shirts as collectors items!

[lastone]

"People can watch these shows knowing how their story ended," he said. "It makes them even more intriguing to watch."

For the lot of fools who first watched this human ringworm secrete his trail of slime a replay would probably be NEWS! inbreeding tends to decrease gray matter.

[timregler]

I think I've just figured out a way for Mystery Science Theater to make a comeback!

[JScott]

8 mil? Thought it would be more like $8.00.

But then again there's always the recycling/salvage value.

[steakman55]

Glad I read this. I had always thought that PTL stood for Pass the Loot.

[cirrus9]

...Pimp The Lord? Preach The Lie? Punk The Laypersons? Pocket The Largess?...

[jnik]

...or Pay The Lady!

[davidwparker]

I was on their show when they had one before PtTL club. It was called the Jim and Tammy show. I was less than 10 and sitting in the audience. We got cookies. It was fun. I still remember the mailing address: "Jim and Tammy, Box 111, Portsmouth, VA, 23705" (And you shouted out the 5 ). Memories.

[prog]

Sounds like a show the SciFi Channel should invest in.

[instagladiator]

Required viewing for rethuglican wannabe congress-persons maybe?

[mudbones]

I actually enjoyed Tammy's singing. She had a wonderful voice.

[merrill1]

I wonder what happened to Kevin...

[mudbones]

OMG I was just thinking the same thing. Iremember they would have him rollout on stage and then do a pitch to send money for Kevin's Home.

[me again]

Could be new Sunday morning hilarity for Comedy Central!!!!

[OneTop]

I wonder if Jessica Hahn will make a bid ?

[larry278]

Where were HP's editors/monitors when Taiyo did the double post? Was it shift change or cocktail hour? Give us users of HP the excuse or excuses. We like to laugh too. Maybe HP's geeks can work out a system or hardware to prevent double posts like Taiyo's. Hey, I said maybe.

[sparkey]

I'd just like to get a comment posted without the editors/monitors sending it down the gravitational well of disappearance. You can't say 'bl@ck h0le.