The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Tammy Faye: I THINK THE EYES ARE SO IMPORTANT.

I BELIEVE THEY ARE THE EYES OF THE SOUL. I TRULY DO.

AND I THINK YOU CAN LOOK IN SOMEONE'S EYES

AND REALLY TELL WHAT KIND OF A PERSON AND WHAT THEIR HEART IS.

AND SO WHEN MY PRECIOUS FRIENDS DIE,

I ALWAYS ASK IF I COULD PLEASE HAVE THEIR GLASSES.

WHEN MY MOM DIED,

I GOT MY MAMA'S GLASSES,

AND THEY'RE VERY, VERY PRECIOUS TO ME.

I LIKE TO PUT THEM ON SOMETIMES AND THINK,

"YOU KNOW, MAMA LOOKED THROUGH THESE.

RuPaul: TAMMY FAYE IS THE FIRST LADY OF RELIGIOUS BROADCASTING.

TOGETHER, WITH HER HUSBAND JIM BAKKER,

SHE PIONEERED THE ELECTRIC CHURCH.

FROM THE SIXTIES THROUGH THE MID-EIGHTIES,

THEY BUILT NOT ONE, BUT 3 RELIGIOUS NETWORKS,

GROWING THE MEDIUM FROM A MOTLEY GROUP OF LOCAL STATIONS

INTO A GLOBAL CONCERN.

AT THEIR PEAK, THEY PRESIDED OVER THE LARGEST

AND MOST SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN TELEVISION MINISTRY OF ITS DAY.

THEIR CHRISTIAN RETREAT, HERITAGE U.S.A.,

WAS, AFTER DISNEY WORLD AND DISNEYLAND,

AMERICA'S MOST POPULAR THEME PARK.

THEN, IN THE MID-EIGHTIES,

THEIR WORLD CAME CRASHING DOWN.

Reporter: TROUBLES FOR JIM BAKKER BEGAN

WITH THE REVELATION OF HIS SEXUAL ENCOUNTER WITH JESSICA HAHN.

Second reporter: TAMMY BAKKER CAME OUT OF THE CLOSET

TO REVEAL HERSELF AS A DRUG ADDICT.

WE DID NOT ASK JERRY FALWELL

TO TAKE OVER OUR MINISTRY.

Third reporter: THE MINISTRY IS NOW STRUGGLING WITH A $16-MILLION DEBT.

THE U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT IS NOW...

Fourth reporter: THE GOVERNMENT SAID BAKKER WAS A SLICK CON MAN,

CHEATING HIS FOLLOWERS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

RuPaul: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO TAMMY FAYE?

12 LONG YEARS AFTER HER FALL FROM GRACE,

TAMMY LIVES IN VIRTUAL EXILE

IN A GATED COMMUNITY IN PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA.

Tammy: OK, I'M GOING TO READ YOU MY POEM.

ARE YOU READY?

"LONELINESS CLINGS TO ME LIKE A SECOND SKIN,

"THREATENING TO SMOTHER ME FROM WITHIN.

"WHY GET READY FOR THE DAY?

"WHAT DOES IT MATTER TO MYSELF, I SAY?

"MY BODY ACHES ALL NIGHT, ALL DAY,

"AND I'M TOO TIRED TO EVEN PRAY.

"MUNDANE HOUSEHOLD CHORES I DO,

"VACUUM FLOORS AND PICK UP POO.

"I TRY NOT TO THINK OF DAYS GONE BY,

"TO DO SO ONLY MAKES ME CRY.

WHY ME, GOD, I SAY, WHY?"

IT'S A LITTLE DRAMATIC, I GUESS,

BUT IT'S HOW I FELT AT THE TIME.

I'VE OFTEN THOUGHT I SHOULD PROBABLY BE ON BROADWAY--

WITH ALL MY DRAMA.

Both:...

WHEN SHE WAS BORN, SHE HAD PERFECTLY MANICURED FINGERNAILS.

RuPaul: THE ELDEST OF 8 CHILDREN,

TAMMY FAYE LaVALLEY GREW UP IN INTERNATIONAL FALLS, MINNESOTA.

Virginia Fairchild: THEIR HOUSE WAS BIG ENOUGH FOR ALL OF THEM,

BUT NOT A NICE ONE.

IN THOSE DAYS, YOU DIDN'T SPEND MONEY

FOR ANYTHING BUT FOOD AND CLOTHES,

BECAUSE YOU JUST DIDN'T HAVE IT, YOU KNOW?

I DON'T THINK SHE HAD A VERY HAPPY...

GROWING-UP YEARS, YOU KNOW?

I MEAN, WHAT DID SHE REALLY HAVE TO BE OVERLY OVERJOYED ABOUT?

I MEAN, HELPING TAKE CARE OF KIDS, YEAH,

BECAUSE SHE HAD TO.

RuPaul: BUT EVEN IN HER TEENS,

TAMMY HAD HER FAITH TO TURN TO.

SHE HAD A LITTLE WART ON ONE FINGER.

SHE ASKED GOD,

AND THE MESSAGE THAT SHE GOT WAS,

"PUT THAT FINGER IN THE COMMUNION CUP BEFORE YOU DRINK."

AND SHE BROUGHT IT OUT,

PARTOOK OF THE BREAD AND THE JUICE,

AND THE WART WAS GONE.

WE HAD BEEN RAISED IN THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD.

AND WE ALWAYS SORT OF FELT

THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD PREACHED THAT

GOD WAS LOOKING DOWN AT YOU FROM HEAVEN

WITH A BIG HUGE HAMMER IN HIS HAND

AND THAT IF YOU DID ANYTHING WRONG,

HE WAS GOING TO HIT YOU OVER THE HEAD WITH THIS HAMMER

AND SEND YOU STRAIGHT TO HELL.

Johnny Grover: SHE WAS ALMOST SCARED INTO STAYING CLOSE TO GOD.

I STILL SAY ADA DEHREN IS HER SAVIOR,

BECAUSE SHE WAS THE ONE THAT BOUGHT THE MAKE-UP AT THE RUMMAGE SALE.

THEY WERE THE FIRST ONES TO TRY MAKE-UP.

SEE ALL THIS STUFF? LOOK AT ALL THIS STUFF.

THAT'S MY BLUSH. IT'S ALMOST GONE.

I GOT TO GO TO THE SWAP MEET AND GET SOME MORE.

I BUY IT AT THE SWAP MEET.

MY POWDER THAT KIND OF--

WHEN I CRY, IT TAKES AWAY THE TEARS.

THIS IS MY EYEBROW STUFF,

ALTHOUGH I DON'T REALLY NEED TO PUT ON EYEBROW STUFF,

BECAUSE ME EYEBROWS ARE PERMANENT.

THIS TURNS PINK WHEN YOU PUT IT ON.

SEE? BUT IT'S WHITE TO START WITH.

EYELASH GLUE.

OH, HERE'S-- I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS.

OH, HERE'S MY MASCARA THAT I'M SO FAMOUS FOR.

AS YOU SEE, IT IS L'OREAL WATERPROOF LASH OUT MAKE-UP.

AND, UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S MUCH USED.

MUCH LOVED.

THEY ARE PUT ON SINGLY,

AND, UH, WITH LOTS OF MASCARA.

THEY DON'T COME OFF, I MEAN, THEY'RE...

THEY HAVE TO, LITERALLY, KIND OF WEAR OFF.

AND SO, ONCE IN A WHILE, ONE WILL DROP OFF,

AND WHEN IT DOES, I PUT ANOTHER ONE IN.

WITHOUT MY EYELASHES, I WOULDN'T BE TAMMY FAYE.

I DON'T KNOW WHO I'D BE, BUT I WOULDN'T BE ME.

RuPaul: IN 1960, AGED 17, TAMMY WENT TO BIBLE COLLEGE

WHERE SHE MET AND FELL IN LOVE

WITH A YOUNG, CHARISMATIC PREACHER NAMED JIM BAKKER.

THE NEXT YEAR, ON APRIL FOOL'S DAY, JIM AND TAMMY WERE MARRIED.

THE YOUNG NEWLYWEDS LIVED ON THE ROAD,

STRUGGLING TO MAKE A LIVING AS ITINERANT PREACHERS,

JOINING A TRADITION OF TRAVELING EVANGELISM

PIONEERED BY MINISTERS LIKE ORAL ROBERTS.

EVERYTHING THAT'S EVERY BEEN DONE THAT'S WORTHWHILE

HAS BEEN DONE BY MEN,

BY WOMEN WHO SAID, "I DON'T CARE WHAT THE COST IS,

I'M GOING TO DO THIS FOR THE GLORY OF GOD."

RuPaul: A BLEND OF CHRISTIANITY AND SHOWMANSHIP,

IT WAS A GROWING TREND THAT WOULD CULMINATE

IN THE CREATION OF TELEVANGELISM...

THE ELECTRIC CHURCH.

TODAY, IT BOASTS OVER 2,500 RADIO AND TV STATIONS,

REACHING AN ESTIMATED AUDIENCE OF 20 MILLION PEOPLE.

SATELLITES CIRCLE THE GLOBE,

BEAMING OUT THOUSANDS OF PROGRAMS

24 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK,

AND GENERATING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN REVENUE.

Announcer: THE CHRISTIAN SHOPPING NETWORK.

THE ONLY NETWORK WHERE YOU SOW THE KINGDOM OF GOD,

WHILE YOU PURCHASE YOUR FAVORITE PRODUCTS AT LOWER THAN RETAIL PRICE...

RuPaul: BUT IT ALL STARTED OUT WITH PUPPETS,

JIM AND TAMMY'S PUPPETS.

OH, YEAH, WE PRACTICALLY STARTED THE ELECTRIC CHURCH.

WE HAD BOUGHT SILKY BUBBLE BATH, OF ALL THINGS,

AND WE SAW THESE LITTLE HEADS ON THE BUBBLE BATH,

AND I--I STARTED TALKING FOR THEM.

YOU KNOW, MAKING LITTLE VOICES.

"HELLO, THERE."

THOSE KINDS OF LITTLE VOICES.

AND JIM SAID, "TAMMY, WE COULD MAKE PUPPETS OUT OF THESE THINGS,

AND WE COULD USE THEM IN CHURCH FOR THE KIDS."

WE TOOK THE SILKY BUBBLE BATH, IT WAS PORKY PIG,

WE MELTED THE EARS DOWN AND MADE A LITTLE GIRL PIGGY.

SHE HAD TO HAVE A FRIEND,

SO WE MADE AN ALLIGATOR THAT TALKED LIKE THIS,

"HELLO. I'M ALLIE THE ALLIGATOR.

"AND I'M SUSIE MUPPET."

I WORKED THEM WITH MY HANDS, LIKE THIS.

THIS WAS THEIR LITTLE HANDS, AND THIS WAS THEIR HEAD.

RuPaul: SUSIE MUPPET AND ALLIE THE ALLIGATOR

ATTRACTED THE ATTENTION OF TV MINISTER PAT ROBERTSON.

HE RAN A SMALL LOCAL STATION

AND DREAMT OF BUILDING A CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING NETWORK.

Jim Bakker: WE GOT A CALL FROM PAT ROBERTSON.

HE WANTED TO MEET WITH US. AND HE SAID,

"WOULD YOU CONSIDER JOINING THE NETWORK?"

WELL, THE NETWORK WAS ONE STATION,

A ONE-KILOWATT TELEVISION STATION.

IT HARDLY WENT DOWN THE BLOCK AT TIMES.

Announcer: IT'S TIME FOR THE NATIONS BIGGEST YARD PARTY,

THE JIM & TAMMY SHOW.

HI, EVERYBODY!

All: HI, JIM AND TAMMY!

Jim Bakker: WE DID NOT HAVE A SCRIPT,

SO EVERYTHING WAS REALLY AD-LIBBED.

I THINK JIM, ACTUALLY, WAS A LITTLE NERVOUS AROUND THE PUPPETS,

BECAUSE HE NEVER REALLY KNEW WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO SAY.

JIM, YOU JUST ATE MY SHRIMP UP.

OH, I WAS JUST STANDING HERE--

SHUT UP!

Jim: SUSIE WAS THE BAD TAMMY FAYE,

AND ALLIE WAS ALWAYS SOMEHOW--

SHE HAD A SPLIT PERSONALITY,

'CAUSE ALLIE WAS ALWAYS NICE TO ME,

BUT SUSIE MUPPET WAS ALWAYS ARGUING WITH ME.

AND I MEAN, IF THOSE PEOPLE AT HOME,

I DON'T KNOW IF THEY KNEW...

WE WERE HAVING LEGITIMATE FIGHTS,

ONLY WE WERE DOING IT THROUGH THESE PUPPETS.

BUT FOR SOME REASON,

THE SHOW BECAME THE NUMBER ONE PROGRAM ON C.B.N.

I MEAN, WHAT DID JIM HENSON HAVE

BUT JIM AND TAMMY GONE BERSERK.

RuPaul: JIM AND TAMMY HAD AGREED TO WORK FOR PAT ROBERTSON

ON CONDITION THAT THEY COULD ALSO START A LATE-NIGHT TALK SHOW.

HE SAID, "I'LL MAKE A DEAL WITH YOU.

"IF YOU GET THE KID SHOW UP AND RUNNING,

THEN YOU CAN DO THIS LATE-NIGHT SHOW."

AND SO PAT HONORED HIS WORD ON THAT,