Cancelled Soap Operas Given New Life

Recently, it was announced that longtime ABC Soaps 'All My Children' and 'One Life to Live' that were recently slated for cancellation in September will continue online. The following is a guest post from C. Lee Harrington, co-editor of the Survival of the Soap Opera: Transformations for a New Media Era. 

As a longtime soap fan and co-editor of The Survival of Soap Opera (with Sam Ford and Abigail De Kosnik), I was thrilled to learn that the online distribution company Prospect Park has licensed the rights to All My Children and One Life to Live, slated for cancellation by ABC in September 2011 and January 2012 (respectively). I have followed both programs for decades and was saddened by these series’ demise – and more importantly, by what it seemed to herald for daytime as a whole. 

Hopefully, the multi-year, multi-platform deal with Prospect Park, which will make AMC and OLTL accessible both online and on emerging platforms, represents one possible strategy for keeping the genre alive. Similar efforts were made to find new homes for Guiding Light (cancelled in September 2009) and As the World Turns (cancelled September 2010) but without success.  

Two things about this give me pause, however.

The Life and Times of Mississippi John Hurt

Mississippi John Hurt remains one of the most popular musicians of pre-war country blues.His intricate and lively style made him the most sought-after musician among the many talents the revival brought to light.

 Mississippi John Hurt: His Life, His Times, His Blues the first biography of this legendary bluesman. Author Philip Ratcliffe story is laced with anecdotes from Hurt’s childhood and teenage years, such as his mother purchasing his first guitar for $1.50 when he was only nine years old and how William Henry Carson taught him how to play the popular tunes of the time The youngest of ten children, Hurt’s personal story is embedded within the social history of his community and is brought to life along with the stories of his neighbors and friends, both of his wives, and his extended family. 

Many unique documents are presented, including U.S. census records, Hurt’s draft certificate, and personal letters written in his own hand. Ratcliffe details Hurt’s musical influences and the origins of his style and repertoire. The author also relates numerous stories from the time of his success, drawing on published sources and many hours of interviews with people who knew Hurt well. In addition, some of the last photographs taken of the legendary musician are featured in the book. 

Mississippi John Hurt: His Life, His Times, His Blues is now available from UPM.

New In July

The following titles are out from UPM this month. All books are currently available.

Confederates in the Tropics: Charles Swett's Travelogue of 1868
By Sharon Hartman Strom and Frederick Stirton Weaver

 Conversations with Michael Crichton
Edited by Michael Golla

I'm Feeling the Blues Right Now: Blues Tourism and the Mississippi Delta
By Stephen A. King

 Legend Tripping Online: Supernatural Folklore and the Search for Ong's Hat
By Michael Kinsella

 Sitting Pretty: The Life and Times of Clifton Webb
By Clifton Webb with David L. Smith

Spirit of the Delta: The Art of Carolyn Norris
By Dorothy Sample Shaw

On the Horizon: The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak

Randy Fertel’s The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak: A New Orleans Family Memoir is a poignant and bittersweet portrait of one of New Orleans’ most legendary families, as well as the famous steak house that bears their name. 

A masterful storyteller, Fertel weaves the larger-than-life stories of his parents – Ruth, founder of Ruth’s Chris, and Rodney, known as “The Gorilla Man” for his quixotic 1969 run for mayor – with the sights, sounds, and tastes of New Orleans. 

Rodney became known as the “Gorilla Man” when he ran for mayor of New Orleans on a single campaign promise—buying a pair of gorillas for the zoo. He managed a paltry 308 votes but he purchased the gorillas anyway.