Tammy Faye hits airwaves with new talk show
Former evangelical queen starts anew on daytime television
By Lynn Elber
The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — Tammy Faye Messner, the former Mrs. Jim Bakker and
evangelical queen, is back on television sharing her gift of
gab.
"The Jim J. and Tammy Faye Show," a syndicated daytime talk show
she hosts with a different Jim – sitcom actor Jim Bullock – is
creeping onto TV sets across America.
Entertainment, not salvation, is the goal. Ratings, not
telephone pledges of cash and faith, are the measure of
success.
This could be proof that (A) there are indeed second acts in
American life, (B) God truly works in mysterious ways or (C) stock
in Maybelline might be a wise investment.
When last seen, Tammy Faye was weeping copious tears at the
downfall of PTL tycoon hubby Bakker, which began when he played
footsie with Jessica Hahn and ended with his conviction on fraud
charges.
The petite blonde, who faded into obscurity for a time, began
her resurrection by divorcing a then-imprisoned Bakker. She went on
to acquire a new spouse, a new attitude and a new hair color, racy
red.
"It’s a wig, honey," Messner confides with a winning giggle. On
this particular day, she and Bullock are on the road in Las Vegas,
pitching their show to TV station owners gathered at an annual
syndicated convention.
So far, the Los Angeles-based program airs in about half the
U.S. TV markets.
"It’s been wonderful," Messner says of her new career. "I’ve run
into hundreds of PTL partners everywhere I go. They say ‘Tammy,
we’re so glad to see you back on television again. We’ve missed
you.”’
"They come to the show and I sign their PTL Bibles and
memorabilia" from the PTL ministry – which stood alternatively for
People That Love or Praise The Lord.
The idea to return Tammy Faye to television was born of guest
appearances with supportive TV talkers, including Sally Jessy
Raphael and Leeza Gibbons.
"They said, ‘You really need to get back into television again.
You need your own show,”’ Messner recounted. Compliments turned to
deal-making with a Fox Inc. division and she began interviewing
potential co-hosts.
"We had immediate chemistry," she says of Bullock, adding that
both are "very grass-roots America." He’s from Odessa, Texas; she’s
a native of International Falls, Minn.
There are faint echoes of the PTL style, if not substance, in
"The Jim J. and Tammy Faye Show": The new show, Messner says, is
akin to her "Tammy’s House Party" segment of the evangelical
broadcasts.
What viewers get: a daily hour with Tammy Faye, trademark
triple-thick mascara and stretch-o-rama smile in place, and
Bullock, equally toothy and addicted to flashy threads.
There’s mildly lame banter ("Quick, take a picture, Tammy’s
petting the devil," Bullock squeals as she gingerly strokes a
visiting snake).
There are featherweight interviews in line with the Regis-Kathie
Lee gold standard. So far, guests are mostly noncelebrity types,
although Rosie O’Donnell (getting tips for her own forthcoming talk
show?) and a few TV stars drop by.
There are brief flashes of religion – one guest acknowledges she
was a PTL fan and God is in her life, drawing a small, approving
nod from Messner – but the show is billed as secular.
Bullock delights in risque quips, but the show’s heart is
essentially pure. It tends to leave sleazy tales of
dysfunctionalism to others.
Tammy Faye’s partner is a far cry from her previous TV co-host;
Bullock, whose big role was playing thickheaded Monroe Ficus on the
sitcom "Too Close for Comfort," is openly gay.
He and his companion appeared together on "Phil Donahue"
recently. Tammy Faye and husband Roe, who was chief builder at the
PTL’s Heritage USA South Carolina theme park, were on hand to make
it a family affair.
All, however, is not perfect for the Messners: Roe was convicted
in Wichita, Kan., in November of federal bankruptcy fraud. He’s
free on bond as he awaits sentencing.
But Tammy Faye seems to know how to cope. She’s done it before.
Think of those formidable eyelashes and coats of rosy blush as a
Berlin Wall separating her and unhappiness.
"You have to put the past behind you and move forward. And I’ve
had to do that," she says. "It’s too sad. And you can’t carry
sadness with you, you can’t carry hurt with you, you’ve got to move
on in life.
"That’s the message I hope to give people: Move on, get past it,
let it go."Comments to webmaster@db.asucla.ucla.edu