'' is a
1927 novel by
Sinclair Lewis as well as a
1960 film which tells the story of a con man who teams up with a female evangelist to sell religion to small-town America. The film stars a young
Burt Lancaster as Gantry,
Jean Simmons as Sister Sharon,
Arthur Kennedy ,
Dean Jagger ,
Shirley Jones as Lulu Baines,
Patti Page ,
Edward Andrews ,
John McIntire , and
Chief Tahachee .
Adapted by
Richard Brooks , who also directed, the movie ends about half-way into Lewis's massive novel. Among the events in the novel not in the film is a later affair between Elmer and the now-married Lulu, whose earlier act of vengeance had led to his downfall.
It won
Academy Awards for
Best Actor (Burt Lancaster),
Best Supporting Actress (Shirley Jones) and
Best Screenplay Based On Material From Another Medium . It was also nominated for
Best Music, Scoring Of A Dramatic Or Comedy Picture and
Best Picture .
Also, Elmer Gantry is listed as the vocal artist for the song "May Be A Price To Pay" on The Alan Parson Project Album "The Turn Of A Friendly Card" (1980)
