Patty Dunning, Mike Niday, Coleen Niday, Maryann Rachford, Tom Rachford, Duane Coller, Russell Daughten Jr, Clarence Balmer
and
The Fishmarket Combo
singing "I Wish We'd All Been Ready"
Words and Music by Larry Norman
FIlmed on location in Iowa
in color
Beast Movie Club Rating
The Characters
Fun Facts
The Thief in the Night Game
Are You Ready?
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This is the story of six 20-something friends (could this be the inspiration for the 1990s tevevision show Friends?) The five friends, Patty, Diane, Jenny, Jerry, and Jim are at a rec center listening to Jenny's new boyfriend preach a message of salvation and the end times. The message is backdropped with a rendition of Larry Norman's "I Wish We'd All Been Ready"
Later, while Patty and Diane are out meeting 'nice guys', Jim and Jerry at a carnival, Jenny decides to go back to the teen center to meet Jesus. Diane later reveals that the evangalist is Jenny's new boyfriend. The six friends go water skiing at the dam, have a picnic, and sit under a tree discussing the end times.
It is during such a discussion that Jerry boldly declares, " I would never let anyone tattoo my forehead" (He speaks the truth, he gets the mark on his hand) .
When Jim, a zookeeper, gets bit by a cobra, Jenny and Patty nervously wait. Jenny uses her new found faith to pray for a miracle. A man who has built up antibodies in his blood is flown in and gives Jim a blood transfusion.
Forced to take a closer look at his life, Jim attends Jennys church and again hears the salvation message. Hearing about the rapture scares Jenny's little sister and when she comes home to find no one there she screams thinking she has missed the rapture.
Patty and Jim get married and begin to build a happy life together. But Jim is still searching for something more. In a discussion with Jenny's Pastor, he surrenders his life to Jesus.
Patty awakes the next morning and finds Jim razor plugged in but running. The AM radio news reports that people all over the world are missing . Over the next few days the United nations forms UNITE. Churches become Unite Id Centers where masses of people flock proudly proclaiming, "Im not afraid to be a good citizen."
When Patty is caught in public without the mark, she is arrested but then escapes and leads Unite officials on a chase through a forest and ending up on the dam surrounded by Unite officals clad in miltary garb with nazi-esque UNITE armbands.
I wont reveal the ending......
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Patty Myers (Patty Dunning) The primary character. A 20-something girl who wakes up to find she has been left behind. She knows enough to know she doesnt want to take the mark, but still doesnt want to accept Jesus as her Lord.
Jim (Mike Niday) Patty's boy friend/husband. Works in a zoo, but careless about keeping animals(especially dangerous Cobras) locked in their cages. Likes to go shirtless. Gets saved just hours before the rapture.
Jenny (Coleen Niday) Patty's friend. Gives her heart to the Lord at a teen center. Makes a stand for Jesus when her friend Diane wants to discuss sex. Shows up at the hospital in huge plastic curlers when Jim is bit by a Cobra.
Diane (Maryann Rachford) Also Pattys friend. Diane is the "bad girl" of the group.
Jerry (Thom Rachford) Diane's boyfriend. An EMT. Does really bad (I mean REALLY bad) Humphrey Bogart impersionations. Jokes that he is the anti-Christ. Drives awesome MG convertible.
Reverend Matthew Turner (Russell S Doughten) Patty's Pastor. Preached a Gospel of love and not salvation. Mourns the fact that so many of his flock were left behind because he did not preach the truth. In Patty's dream Unite officials tell her that he has taken the mark, though we learn in later movies that he hasnt.
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Released: 1972
Film Tagline: ........and there will be no place to hide.
Runtime: 69 minutes
Two characters appear in all four films: Rev Turner and Jerry
Jerry (Thom Rachford) made a guest appearance on the sitcom Night Court in 1984.
UNITE Vehicle of Choice: White van with red and blue stripes
Look closely at that helicopter chasing Patty near the end of the film, is that Jim?
In one scene Patty steals a UNITE van to get away. This theme is repeated in each BEAST movie. For a people intent on making sure everyone has the 'mark' they are certainly not very cautious about leaving the keys in the ignition.
