[newscaster] this is 42nd and broadway, new york city, overlooking times square. abc tv news cameras are on the scene to report history as it's made in this culmination of sixteen weeks of the billy graham new york crusade... what a thrilling and wonderful sight this is. i wish that those that were sharing the service by television could see what i see. [narrator] billy graham was affectionately known as america's pastor. he had quickly become a national sensation. you say, "but billy, i'm different. "i don't think religion takes with me. "i don't think i'm the kind..." [narrator] but his unlikely journey began far from the glaring lights...