I lived in Charlotte during the PTL heyday as well, and I remember Murphy in the Morning and the “Pass the Loot” club. I saw Tammy walking through SouthPark mall one day, surrounded by three or four men carrying her garment bags from Coplon’s and Montaldo’s, which you will remember as being the most expensive, high end stores at that time (Charlotte’s version of Sak’s and Neiman Marcus). She wore a lot of St. John knit suits which in the 1980s were $1,000+ per outfit off the rack. No expense spared by or for Tammy Faye!
Our office manager was at lunch one day and she and her friend were recounting stories of the Bakkers and making fun of Tammy Faye. When they got up to leave, they saw that Tammy was sitting right behind them. She felt some embarrassment but only briefly. Just about anything you could say about the Bakkers was true.
I grew up outside of Charlotte in SC.
Jim & Tammy were not liked at all from what I remember. Even as a kid, he struck me as a phony.
I remember going to a theme park in N. Carolina in the late 70s when my in-laws came to visit while we were stationed Shaw AFB, SC. They were visiting from California and were into the PTL Club to a minor extent and since the PTL location was only a couple miles away we went there first out of curiosity. I was amazed and the obvious misuse of money, I’m talking herds of life size fiberglass cattle and other farm animals. Speed limits were posted in fractions like 4.35 MPH, a stange sese of humor I ecall thinking. It was only days later it all fell apart for the Bakers and when it did I remembered what I saw and was not surprised.