Today In History... with The Retrospectors

Praise The Lord, It's Billy Graham

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Episode notes

Billy Graham’s Los Angeles Crusade started modestly on 25th September, 1949. But after newspaper giant William Randolph Hearst told his editors to "puff Graham", the nightly revival meetings exploded in popularity, becoming a ‘sin-smashing sensation’, and Graham soon became America’s favourite preacher.

His style was perfect for the Hollywood backdrop. At just 30 years old, Graham had a youthful, energetic presence, dashing good looks, and a flair for the dramatic. His sermons, packed with urgency and fast-paced delivery, connected worldly threats like communism with personal struggles, and always offered a strikingly simple answer: Jesus. By the end of this first eight-week crusade, 350,000 people had attended, with 3,000 recorded conversions.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider the skills that set Graham apart from other evangelists; consider his global influence, including a record-breaking run at London’s  Haringey Arena; and recall how a singing cowboy transformed Graham’s fortunes… 

Further Reading:

• ‘Billy Graham's star was born at his 1949 revival in Los Angeles’ (Los Angeles Times, 2007): https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-sep-02-me-then2-story.html

• ‘How Billy Graham became the most famous preacher in America’ (CNN, 2018): https://edition.cnn.com/2018/02/21/us/how-billy-graham-became-famous/index.html

• ‘WEMBLEY: BILLY GRAHAM IN LONDON’ (Gaumont, 1955): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGPQpQb_dDM

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