Billy Graham, the Christian evangelist who died Wednesday at age 99, had a long and remarkable career using modern media like radio and TV to promote his religious message.
And one of his more unusual encounters with pop culture came in 1969, when he sat down for an interview with Woody Allen for a TV special that aired on CBS.
The two debated the Commandments and the existence of God — and took questions from a studio audience about everything from sin to premarital sex to marijuana (neither indulged in the latter, though Graham did confess to coffee as a vice).
At one point in the interview, Allen made an offer to bridge the gap between them. “If you come to one of my movies or something, I’ll go to one of your revival meetings,” he told Graham.
“Now that is a deal,” Graham replied.
Allen went on to note that Graham might even be able to win him over. “You could probably convert me because I’m a pushover — I have no convictions in any direction,” Allen said. “If you make it appealing enough and you promise me some sort of wonderful afterlife with a white robe and wings I might go for it.”
“Well, I don’t promise you a white robe and wings but I can promise you a very interesting, thrilling life,” Graham replied.
“One wing?” Allen joked.
At another point, Graham reaffirmed his belief that “the Bible teaches that premarital sexual relations are wrong.”
Allen replied, “That’s funny — to me that would be like getting a driver’s license without a learner’s permit first.”
After playing out a hypothetical, Allen then asked the preacher, “What if I marry the girl and then I finally do get to investigate her carnally and it turns out she’s an absolute yo-yo?”
“Well, I don’t think that will happen to you,” Graham replied.
Watch the full interview above.