Episode 49: 042: Two Waco Projects And Marjoe

The twenty-fifth anniversary of the standoff at the Branch Davidian compound is approaching, and with it comes a veritable barrage of material on Waco, David Koresh, and how it all went pear-shaped. Toby Ball and I selected two of the higher-profile, A&E's documentary event Waco: Madman Or Messiah and the just-born Paramount Network's big-splash mini-series starring Taylor Kitsch, Waco. Does either project make sense of the tragedy that took place in Texas in 1993? Do you need to watch both -- or either? And do projects devoted to the events need to pick a side?

Toby suggested that we use our Cold Case time to look back at a Best Documentary winner from 1973: Marjoe, a peek behind the Pentecostal curtain with former child-prodigy preacher, (then-)current cheerful whistle-blower Marjoe Gortner. And you thought YOU were cynical about religious fund-raising...

SHOW NOTES

• Watch Waco: Madman Or Messiah on A&E
• Watch Waco on Paramount
• Watch excerpts from Marjoe (full film available for rental/purchase on Amazon)