When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?

Having left his past as a fraudulent child evangelist behind, Marjoe Gortner decided that his talents would be put to better use as an actor. After years of television work and roles in mostly second-tier (or worse) theatrical releases, he went for broke with a self-produced adaptation of playwright Mark Medoff's WHEN YOU COMIN' BACK, RED RYDER (1979). Backed by a solid cast and with major studio distribution, Gortner set out to launch himself into A-lister territory. He does display a filthy charisma while verbally and mentally torturing his roadside captives, but that wasn't enough to keep his vanity project from sinking like the Titanic when it hit theaters. And that's a shame, since its cast makes it more than watchable, even if its tone is bleak and unpleasant from start to finish. Only readily available for viewing via uploads of truly risible quality, as it has never been (legally) released on any home video format in the U.S.A. Sadly, there is no indication that this situation will end anytime soon.