The Gospel Bill Show Explained

Runtime:30 minutes
Creator:Willie George
Executive Producer:Willie George
Country:United States
Network:syndicated
Num Episodes:65

The Gospel Bill Show is a Christian-values based television show that was produced by Willie George Ministries from June 4, 1981 to May 12, 1993. (Later episodes were titled as Adventures in Dry Gulch but featured the same characters and premise.)

During its main run it was broadcast on the CBN and TBN networks. It is currently seen in syndication on the Daystar and Smile of a Child networks, and on other small independent Christian television stations.

It was also broadcast on the Australian Christian Channel in Australia.

Characters

Before the Elmer Barnes character was introduced, Jeff Merrill appeared on early episodes of the show as a geological surveyor, who advised Luther Bedlow of gold deposits to be found underneath Dry Gulch.

John Witty and Rodney Lynch also appeared as the town doctor in several episodes.

Premise

The Gospel Bill Show was set in the fictional town of Dry Gulch, portrayed as being in the Old West. However, there were many anachronistic references to the present day, such as television and answering machine, which did not exist back when the show was supposed to be set. Dry Gulch was so named because the citizens voted it as a "dry" city (i.e., one which prohibited alcohol sales).

Format

The show would center around a topic, where Gospel Bill would be heavily involved in providing moral guidance to one of the citizens (usually Nicodemus or Elmer Barnes) and/or preventing catastrophe (mainly stopping Luther Bedlow's criminal activities).

Oogene and Jeannie Mae segments

A typical episode would be interrupted several times by puppet segments depicting Biblical stories as well as the adventures of Oogene, a young boy who squabbles with his sister Jeannie Mae (but the fights are always resolved by a moral lesson) and narrates "Oogene at the Zoo", in which Oogene studies an animal and relates its role to a lesson from the Bible ("Oogene at the Farm" replaced the "Oogene at the Zoo" segment in some later episodes). Segments with Oogene and Jeannie tend to be unique, but the zoo and farm field pieces are repeated frequently throughout the series as filler for the show. Willie George voiced the majority of the various puppet skits, most notably Oogene and his sister Jeannie Mae.

Music video and lesson

The episode would also feature a Christian song and music video (usually by Ken Blount) towards the end of the show. Sometimes he would appear in character as Nicodemus, but often he will appear as himself, singing about a dramatic story which is acted out by others. Some of the music videos not contributed by Blount included the songs, "We've Got the Power" by long-time KCM worship leader Len Mink and "It's God" by Kellie Copeland Swisher (daughter of Kenneth Copeland), as well as "A Merry Heart" where Blount is joined by unnamed puppets wearing blue and orange-striped shirts. An unknown band was occasionally seen opposite Blount in some later videos.

At the end of most shows, Gospel Bill reappeared with props in hand to spell out a lesson to the viewer, generally relating to the main plot of the episode. He would often use the props as a visual aid to demonstrate a particular concept he is emphasizing. In some later episodes, Nicodemus will give the lesson instead of Gospel Bill.

Adventures in Dry Gulch

Later episodes of the show were titled as "Adventures in Dry Gulch" rather than "The Gospel Bill Show", many of which did not feature Willie George at all. Instead, Nicodemus would be in charge while Gospel Bill is "out of town" on some unspecified task.

Home media

The series is available for DVD purchase through George's church website. Episodes included in the collection include;

Spin-offs

Willie George Ministries launched three direct-to-video spin-offs of The Gospel Bill show: The Candy Store, Bill Gunter, U.S. Marshal, and The Cimarron Trail.

Dry Gulch, U.S.A.

See main article: New Life Ranch Frontier Cove.

Shortly after The Gospel Bill Show first aired, Willie George opened Dry Gulch, U.S.A. (now known as New Life Ranch Frontier Cove) in Adair, Oklahoma, a Western-themed Christian children's summer camp nestled near Lake Hudson with over 1.25 miles of shoreline.[1] [2]

Bill Gunter, U.S. Marshal

A more traditional western-style program that was shot on location at Dry Gulch, U.S.A. Gospel Bill is renamed Bill Gunter, while the other characters retain their names. Bill Gunter, U.S. Marshal is not as campy as The Gospel Bill Show, and takes itself much more seriously. The show was sold strictly as part of a video club and was sold at Church on the Move later on as well.

Bill Gunter is a United States Marshall in the difficult days of the Oklahoma Indian Territory. Striving to maintain a strong Christian testimony in the midst of lawlessness, Gunter is a powerful role model for young children. The action, excitement and romance of the Old West combined with solid Biblical principles for the unforgettable viewing experience

The Candy Store

The Candy Store was a television show that was a tie-in to The Gospel Bill Show that shared some of that show's characters. It was a program for pre-schoolers that featured Miss Lana and Nicodemus as well as a newcomer, Lefty Wright (Jim Wideman).

Characters

Episode Titles

The Cimarron Trail

Contrary to popular belief this show was not a new series but was actually the Bill Gunter U.S. Marshal series renamed. Pastor George had wanted the series to be called this originally but when shooting for the series began it was relayed to him that the name The Cimarron Trail was copyrighted and could not be used for the name. While Pastor George did not like using the name Bill Gunter U.S. Marshall it was the name chosen at the time. Later on towards the end of the series it was found out that the name The Cimarron Trail was not taken or copyrighted so the series was renamed as Pastor Willie George had wanted it to be.

The Wichita Slim Trilogy

In addition to the aforementioned spin-offs, there were also three related movies. The cast was left mainly intact, but the Gospel Bill/Bill Gunter character was now teamed up with (now U.S. Marshall) Wichita Slim (Kenneth Copeland).

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.drygulchusa.com Dry Gulch, U.S.A. - official website
  2. The Gospel Bill Show Episode#8820 - The Wicked Man's Trap

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