DVD looks at Mormon folklore

Ever hear one of those fanciful tales at church that sounds too good to be true?

Mormon folklore abounds, and a new DVD, "Mormon Myth-ellaneous: Amazing True Mormon Stories — and Some That Should Be," successfully explores that realm.

The film is entertaining and informative. It is only able to just "stir the pot" of Mormon myths, though.

However, it takes special care not to make judgments or leap to conclusions on issues. The validity of every single story addressed on the DVD is not answered. Some are left up to the viewer to decide.

For example, whether Elvis Presley would have joined the LDS Church if he had lived is not firmly answered.

This may bother some viewers who want definitive answers on all LDS folklore. That omission was the one thing my 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, who wanted closure to every tale told, didn't like about the DVD. Otherwise, it kept her attention as much as any Hollywood production.

I've delved into Mormon myths fairly extensively over the years, and yet there were a few stories told on the DVD that even I wasn't aware of.

J. Golden Kimball, the "Vanishing Hitchhiker," the so-called Brigham Young hearse at Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, Cecil B. DeMille's possible Book of Mormon movie, Jaredite barges, tunnels under Salt Lake City streets, "Star Wars," and the Hawaii Temple and attack on Pearl Harbor are all addressed.

The possibilities of church membership for singer Alice Cooper and actor Steve Martin are also included on the DVD.

At least one of the tales addressed isn't specifically a Mormon story but rather a Great Salt Lake legend of whales living there in the 19th century. The Deseret News' most veteran employee, Twila Van Leer, is interviewed on that pioneer-era story.

The DVD ends with six first-person stories that may seem like folktales but which are all true.

The format of the DVD includes narrator Shawn Rapier setting the stage, interviewing some regular church members about what they've heard or believe and then addressing a tale's validity to some extent. Various university professors or scientists are asked about their beliefs on some of the stories.

After watching this video you will likely be a little more cautious about what to believe or not. And, as the video states, Jesus Christ used fictional stories — parables — to teach the gospel. So, folklore has its place in the church.

This approximately 40-minute production was produced by Issimo Productions in Pleasant Grove and is distributed by Covenant Communications.

Its retail price is $16.95 but sells for just under $14 at some LDS bookstores.

Some of this production already aired on KSL-TV following the Saturday afternoon general conference session earlier this month.

E-mail: lynn@desnews.com