I'm curious to know if anyone else grew up hearing that Ron Howard is a Mormon?

No, but I remember the Steve Martin is a Mormon rumour. Don't know where these things get started.

how about non-actors? We had a guy in our SF Bay Area ward back in the late 70's who was the ward mission leader and one of the biggest jerks I had ever met. He got up in a stake priesthood meeting of some sort (I wasn't there) and went on and on about how he had been the driving force in the conversion of Coach John Wooden to the church. Man, everyone was just swooning over this guy and he was lapping it up. Well, someone who knew someone who knew John Wooden checked it out and it was a total lie. The real story came out that this ward mission leader worked at one of the airlines at SFO and had handed Coach Wooden a Book of Mormon.

The ward mission leader got excommunicated for telling such a blatant lie to such a large group of people in a priesthood meeting.

Are u joking? Noone can be exed for lying

Well, this guy was. The reason given is that he lied to a large congregation of priesthood holders about a public figure. I also recall that John Wooden was upset that his name was bandied about in the mormon church, so it might have been to make an example of this ward mission leader. But, I assure you he was exed.

I heard Steve Martin talk about the rumor that he is a Mormon. (He's not, obviously.) He said it was because a picture of him looked a little like he was wearing garments, and he described what garments are. It was on some NPR interview.

I haven't heard that Ron Howard is a Mormon, but it makes sense now why my mother gathered us around the TV to watch Happy Days.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/01/2013 04:00PM by Makurosu.

Back in the '80s, my mom used to swear that she heard Lionel Ritchie on an interview, say that he was Mormon. I never bought it. I never believed anything said about anyone being a Morg cult member unless it came from their own mouths - the Osmonds, the Coles (daughter Tina was also on My Three Sons), Gordon Jump (who incidentally showed up at SM in my ward about 3 years after WKRP ended; he was just passing through & wanted to take the sacrament), etc.

Jonnny Whitaker from Family Affair was a mormon. He did some Youth Fireside speaking gigs in the 1970's. Apparently he even went on a mission to Portugal.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/01/2013 04:00PM by Devoted Exmo.

I got so sick of my mom reminding me that Johnny was a Mormon, when I was a little kid watching reruns of Family Affair & Sigmund & The Sea Monsters (this is still a show I love). This would have been around the time that he was still a member & on his mission.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HMtgoGr0prY

Sigmund was Mormon too-at least the actor who played him was, Billy Barty.

If you want a special treat watch or go to the end of the video for "You better run, you better hide, we gotta keep you outta sight, be careful Sigmund"

Kooky!



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I was shocked because he just seemed like the type of person who was the complete opposite of what the cult stands for, especially with founding the Little People of America. Was he a convert perhaps? I haven't been able to find anything about it. Anyway, Barty was such a great actor, & I always enjoyed his work.

I knew the Barty family when we lived in Studio City Ward back before he was in the Princes Bride. I worked with his wife Shirley in Primary and taught his daughter. He was a nice funny person. We were in the Young Marrieds group with them. I don't remember whether or not he was a convert, but he and Shirley were very active then.

Tina Cole and a couple of the King sisters were also in that ward. So was Jon Huntsman, Sr. and family. The husband of one of the Kings--name slipped my mind right now--once griped about the members who were always trying to get him to read a script they'd written.

I was in HS at the time & my mom mentioned it to me. It was the first I'd heard that she was living in Sacramento.

The funny part is that my mom was always getting Kelly Harmon & Tina mixed up. She would see Kelly on TV when she was still the Tic Tac spokeswoman, & say things like, "I'm pretty sure that's Tina Cole. She's over in your aunt & uncle's ward." I guess Kelly & Tina look a little bit alike, but Tina was a few years older.

& I don't mean to be a nitpicker, but I think you meant "Willow" & not "Princess Bride".

I was in the Pacoima Ward with Johnny Whitaker. His Dad was the wood shop teacher at Pacoima Jr. High...so, yeah, he definitely was a mormon.

Both wrong.

The mormons were a desparate bunch back in the 70's, I guess! Hahaha!!

Actually I do remember when Lionel Ritchie was baptized, but I guess it didn't stick, because he turned around and had an affair at some point.

Most of the information out there about Lionel Richie being a mormon is being characterized as urban legend. I'm kind of sceptical on this one. Do you have more info?

Devoted Exmo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Most of the information out there about Lionel
> Richie being a mormon is being characterized as
> urban legend. I'm kind of sceptical on this one.
> Do you have more info?

I just remember everyone being all abuzz about it, just like everyone was when Gladys Knight was baptized. I think I remember that I heard it from someone who'd read it in the Church News.

It was a long time ago though, so the memory is dim on it. I'd forgotten about it until his name was mentioned.

Interesting. From what I'm reading, it was a rumor floating around BYU. We're you in Utah County in the 80's?

Just remember that Adolph Hitler is now a mormon.

Ha! That's the perfect answer to "XXX is a Mormon." --> "Really? I didn't know he died."

Excellent, Mak!

ROFLOL!

A long time ago, when I lived in Memphis for awhile, folks in the ward would talk about how Elvis would meet with the missionaries late at night, and how he was about to be baptized when he died....


I really rather doubt that was true, but alot of folks in the Memphis area believed it.

Let us play "Let's Pretend." Let's pretend that some famous porn actress joined the church. Let's then pretend she makes millions of dollars, do you think the church would tell her to stop, or would they make an exception in order to get their hands on all that tithing money.

Courtney Simpson?

They'd get her to play Eve in a new version of the Endowment movie.



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I'm from Toronto. I just remember a friend's Mom saying that she read it in the Church News. Hmm. Weird. I don't know.

holyfetch.com has a list of famous people rumored to be mormon and if there is any truth to it.

From an earlier time: everybody was just so sure that Walt Disney was a Mormon- and if not him, then surely his wife had to be.

I guess in a roundabout way, he sort of was, if by "Mormon" you really mean someone who championed the middle-class American suburban 1950's lifestyle.

Googled Ron Howard and Mormonism and the only thing that comes up is that he is making a movie based on, "Under the Banner of Heaven." My guess is that he was researching the church for his movie, and some LDS idiots assumed that he was joining.