This is the website of Penny Lane, maker of things. The kind of things you might like, if you like that kind of thing.
DOCTORED! Or, The Noble Doctor John R. Brinkley [in progress]
Est. length 70:00
Est. release date: June 2011
Dr. John Romulus Brinkley of Milford, Kansas became a household name in the early 1920s by "discovering" a surgical cure for impotence involving the transplantation of goat testicles into men’s scrotums.
His popularity in that part of America H.L. Mencken had recently dubbed "the Bible Belt" was heightened with his pioneering radio broadcasts, use of direct mail advertising, and his thunderous political populism. Beloved by many as a righteous crusader against the establishment, he was denounced a fraud and a charlatan by the American Medical Association.
To evade the regulators who would shut him down, Doc Brinkley moved just over the border into Mexico, building the world's most powerful radio station and blanketing the U.S. (and 14 other countries) with a special blend of homespun medical theories, anti-establishment rants, religious pronouncements, hillbilly music, and endless late-night infomercials.
His amazing life story ended in ignominy after a highly public court trial branded him for all time as a quack "of the most pernicious sort."
John Brinkley was probably a genius and definitely a hustler. DOCTORED! Or, The Noble Doctor John R. Brinkley reminds us that the lines between faith, folk, science and quackery are not as clear as we would like them to be. In trying to figure out what is best for our health, we grapple blindly somewhere between a healthy skepticism of authorities and a dumb belief in the best advertising campaigns, searching for something or someone to believe in. For a time, Doc Brinkley was that man for many people. Perhaps he still is.
This little promo features images and headlines I've dug up in archives, beautiful archival footage of Brinkley himself and some samples of his radio talks. I am currently fundraising and concocting my master plan to put together a kickass film. Stay tuned, and you will once again hear the beloved voice of Dr. J.R. Brinkley again...