A Rex Humbard memory from Char

Charlene Nevada just couldn’t resist offering her Rex Humbard story which she recalls is the most bizarre reporting experience she ever had.

Here’s Char’s story:

By CHARLENE NEVADA
Among the many Rex Humbard stories on this site, there is one still to tell – how I wound up seeing a guy cut in half one night at the Cathedral of Tomorrow.

This was NOT a David Copperfield stunt. In three decades of reporting, this was my most bizarre experience.

It was 1973 or 1974, Rev. Rex was in financial trouble, and born-again celebrities were raising money for him. Johnny Cash was scheduled to come to the Cathedral on a Sunday evening. I accepted the offer of OT.

Mind you, this was the time of mini-dresses and no bras. I saw no reason to dress any differently for church. I got to the assignment early and sat in the front row.

The Beacon had asked to interview Johnny before the service, but the only time available was afterward – and would have required me to ride in Rex Humbard’s private plane as Rex’s pilot flew the star back to Atlantic City. I declined.

After an opening prayer, out comes Johnny. He says a few words, introduces a documentary he made about the Holy Land and bids folks farewell. That was it! How am I going to explain this to Scott Bosley, I wondered. No interview. No story. Not even a picture because no photog had been sent.

The film ended and Rex came out to give the benediction. Then came a strange noise and the bust of a man appeared at the back of the stage.

What happened next almost needs a blueprint. At the back of the cathedral stage was a smaller hydraulic stage. It had been lowered because a piano on the stage partially obstructed the view of the film. When lowered all the way, the smaller stage led to a set of double doors that opened into a basement social area.

During the movie, some college age kids had gone through the doors on the lower level to watch the movie (albeit with craned necks). They were caught off guard when the stage started to rise. Two made it back through the lower-level doors before the horizontal hydraulic stage met the stationary vertical back of the stage.

One – a 19-year-old from the Cleveland area -- didn’t make it.

Churchgoers started to scream and someone began to lower the hydraulic stage. I didn’t even think. I leaped up on the stage, past the astonished Rex (remember – very short dress, no bra) and jumped about two feet onto the moveable stage as it was being lowered.

There were lots of prayers down below. But it was very clear that only skin attached the young man’s torso and lower body. Strangely, nobody kicked me out. I was able to get the name of the youth who was killed from the coroner in time to make the deadline.

One post-script. Art was the first artist at work Monday morning. Somebody – Bob Giles we seem to remember – asked him if he could do an illustration to go with the story. “Of a guy in two parts?” Art wanted to know. After his objection, the diagram showed the kid dangling from the rising stage just before the accident.