Transcript for How Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker developed their Christian talk show and network: Part 2
We’re just two ordinary people. I was born in international falls, Minnesota. He was born in Muskegon, Michigan. We have never felt famous, ever, in our life. Even with ptl, we didn’t feel famous. And now here are ptl president and Mrs. Jim Bakker! In a sense, there’s nothing that would’ve predicted that Jim and Tammy Bakker would become television stars, from their beginnings. Look at there, there is a picture from the old Bakker family album. He grew up in this environment where you didn’t dance. You didn’t drink. You didn’t smoke. That that was not the world he wanted to live in. The only part of high school that he really did well at was in theater. I’m the oldest of eight kids. We had an outdoor bathroom all the time I was growing up. That’s the way we looked when we got married. Jim and Tammy met at north central bible college. They went on three dates in one week. That’s just after we were married. On the third date Jim asked Tammy to marry him. And fairly soon thereafter were traveling the road and entertaining at different churches, pentecostal churches. Jim and Tammy Faye were part of the charismatic movement. You are healed in the name of Jesus. Oh bless your name. Whoops. They decided to do a puppet show. Those puppets are the reason we got into television eventually. That’s the puppet family. We made ’em our-self. They ended up landing with a new Christian broadcasting station that was run by a guy named pat Robertson. Its time for the nation’s biggest yard party, the Jim and Tammy show! Hi everybody. Hi Jim and Tammy. I gotta tell you, this is the hint for the mothers unwrap the soap. How come you don’t unwrap ours? Jim! Praise the lord may I help you? What he really wanted to do was to create a Christian version of “The tonight show” with Johnny Carson which was really the first of Bakker’s big innovations, the Christian talk show. I don’t have a tie on today. Because — well, it’s a long story why I don’t have a tie on today. But it was either this or nothing. So I — He was a guy who didn’t look like Billy graham, or like a televangelist. Jim Bakker looked like a golfer. He looked like a PGA golfer. Ptl’s second big innovation after the Christian talk show was the creation of the satellite network and this changed everything. The transmitter satellite dish just behind me is the ptl’s new world wide message carrier. Jim Bakker was the gatekeeper to the heavens. He controlled the only broadcast satellite for religious broadcasters. From this moment on, ptl television network plans to broadcast 24 hours a day until the second coming of Jesus Christ. And now here are your host and hostess, ptl president and Mrs. Jim Bakker! The ptl television empire revolved around Jim and Tammy’s daily talk show. Welcome to this hour of the ptl club. Thank you. His mom and dad would be there in the audience every single day. The kids, Tammy sue, Jamie. They were just utterly so real, Jim and Tammy. One of the things we did while we were there — ah! Tammy had a — a sort of a daffy quality. You’ve got to be serious on this broadcast. Ok, let me powder your nose a little bit. We have the counselors here on the telephone to take your prayer requests and to pray with you right now. They would pray for people over the phone. And low and behold, they would get healings and miracles. I’m a new person. The 11 years of alcohol and drug addiction are gone. My ulcers are gone. And Jesus is now a part of my life. Thank you again, Tammy. Praise the lord. Jim’s parting line at the end of every show was — God loves you. God loves you. God loves you. He really does! He really does. We do have a great program lined up for today. Bakker had a — just a tremendously wide variety of guests on his daily talk show. The captain of “The love boat” is back. ??? The “Love boat” ??? Lisa Whelchel is Blair on “The facts of life.” It’s always been a real natural thing for me to be a Christian. We’re here in California with Lou Ferrigno, the incredible hulk for many many years. I want to say Mr. T, I think you’re the only one who loves jewelry better than me! Please welcome little Richard. ??? The lord is on your side ??? Pat Boone! ??? Oh, brother this could be that very day ??? and there were Bebe and cece Winans. I remember at the time two young black kids who could sing like nobody’s business. I’m Bebe Winans. I’m from Detroit, Michigan. That’s good Bebe. Speak it right out. ??? Whispers of love ??? “Whispers of love” got me my job as a ptl singer. I sang it just like that. And Jim Bakker came over and said “Who did those whispers?” And he said “You’re in the ptl singers. I want more of those.” The one song that pretty much launched me and my sister’s career which Jim Bakker came to the rehearsal with the idea and said “You guys are gonna sing a duet.” ??? Love lift us up where we belong ??? and it was from “The officer and a gentleman,” “Up where we belong.” And it blew up in inspirational gospel and across the board. Bebe and cee Winans are here. The show works. And it becomes popular. And they eventually built up a network that spanned the united States. If you read ratings, our rating are higher than they’ve ever been before. They became celebrities. And they became really kind of television stars, kind of national celebrities really on that stage, on the televangelistic stage. They started this whole thing down there in the late ’70s. By the mid ’80s, they were rocking. They had lots of money coming in. That’s the prayer the lord heard. That’s when it all went bad.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
