The Weird, Wonderful World of "Mormon" Cinema with Brad Witbeck

LDS Uncorrelated: Mormon Cinema, Acting Origins & the Java Jive Coffee Date (with Brad Whitt) On LDS Uncorrelated, the hosts welcome guest Brad Whitt (Ward Radio, Escape from Germany, BYU Physical Science course videos) and discuss acting backgrounds, LDS culture, and LDS “homegrown” cinema. Arantxa shares starting acting at seven through auditions and agents, while Brad traces his start to school improv and studying acting at BYU, plus his mission in New York. The group debates key LDS films like God’s Army, Brigham City, and Singles Ward, and talks about Mormon-adjacent films like Napoleon Dynamite and Gentlemen Broncos. They highlight Brett and Jessica Bergen’s short film Java Jive, about an awkward first date at a coffee shop and the pressure around the Word of Wisdom, then digress into stories about schismatic figure Phil Davis and other Mormon folklore. They close by encouraging more LDS-coded filmmaking and teasing a future episode analyzing Hollywood depictions of the temple endowment.  00:00 Cold Open Banter  00:35 Show Intro Guest Brad  10:56 Arantxa Acting Origins  12:14 Stage Names Bits  13:29 Three Nephites Sitcom Pitch  14:06 Ages And Generations  15:24 LDS Cinema Beginnings  17:51 Gods Army And Dutcher  22:06 Singles Ward And Stars  24:51 Broadway Will Swenson Story  25:43 Acting as Service  26:39 Brad Acting Origins  28:58 Loving the Character  30:39 Napoleon Dynamite Mormon Cinema  32:10 Gentlemen Broncos Deep Cut  35:12 Java Jive Spotlight  36:29 Word of Wisdom Comedy  39:48 Chocolatier Prophet Lore  45:18 Tin Pot Messiahs Folklore  47:52 Make the Movies  49:56 Utah Storytelling Call  52:36 Wrap and Next Episode Tease