King's Business - 1953-11

Producer-director Dick Ross is today the number one man in evangelical Christian film world.

V e t e r a n C h r i s t i a n f i lm p r o d u c e r R i c h R o s s h a s c o m e u p w i t h a

I t was at a dinner party in Topeka, Kan. Among the guests were a prosperous turkey farmer and his wife. The conversation got around to Christian films and the couple— staunch Mennonites—said they were certain the Lord would never use mo­ tion pictures to His glory. In fact they sincerely believed it was wrong for a consecrated Christian to view even a Christian film. The Billy Graham film Oil-Town USA was showing in Topeka and aft­ er much persuasion the couple final­

cess of Christian films is based to a large degree on one man—Dick Ross. Ross, president of Great Commission Films, has produced such widely shown films as 38th Parallel, De Shazer, China Challenge, Decision, Mid-Century Crusade, The Flame, Mr. Texas and Oil-Town USA. This month in Hollywood Ross an­ nounced what may well be the great­ est forward step yet taken in Chris­ tian films: the use of 35mm plus Technicolor. Ross has long wanted to produce films that came up to the

ly agreed to attend. That night 49 people made decisions for Christ. The turkey farmer and his wife were so deeply touched that they signed up to come back the next night as coun­ selors. Seventy-six accepted Christ at that showing. This picture of souls being saved and of Christians being convinced that the first century message of the gospel can be carried in a Hollywood package, is constantly being repeated across the country today. And, hu­ manly speaking, the present-day suc­

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THE KING'S BUSINESS

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