Women Whose Lives Would Make Great TV: Nellie Bly

In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re publishing a series of features about women in history whose lives we think would make for amazing television. Read more in the series here.

Elizabeth Jane Cochran was born on May 5, 1864 in the now defunct small town of Cochran’s Mill, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When she was a little girl, her family moved to the small river town of Apollo – which just so happens to be my hometown. In fact, her childhood home, a historical landmark, is located a mere five blocks from my childhood home.

Photo Credit: Kelly Zawodniak

What is so special about Elizabeth Jane Cochran? She became the legendary journalist known as Nellie Bly. Who is Nellie Bly…well, her storied past is a lengthy one, taking her from that small mill town, to my hometown, to Pittsburgh, to Mexico, to New York City and eventually all over the world.

At the tender age of 16, Elizabeth responded to a Pittsburgh Dispatch newspaper column entitled “What Girls Are Good For”. Unsurprisingly for the times, the author posited that girls were principally for birthing children and keeping house. Young Elizabeth wrote a response to that article which caught the attention of the newspaper’s editor who offered her the chance to write a piece for the paper. Her first article was a bold topic for that time period: how divorce affected women. She was a heavy-hitter even then. Taking on the pen name of Nelly Bly – mistakenly misspelled as Nellie – she was offered a full-time job with the Pittsburgh Dispatch.

At age 21, Elizabeth headed to Mexico as a foreign correspondent, where she reported on the lives and customs of the Mexican people. In 1887, she moved to New York City and ended up writing for the New York World (owned by Joseph Pulitzer), taking on an undercover assignment at the Women’s Lunatic Asylum. Her report on the deplorable conditions was later published in book form as Ten Days in a Mad-House. The book caused a sensation, prompted reforms, and brought “Nellie Bly” lasting fame.

Nellie Bly, Around the World in 72 Days

Nellie Bly wasn’t finished there. In 1888, her editor suggested that she attempt to turn Jules Verne’s fictional tale Around the World in Eighty Days into fact. It was her goal to make the around-the-world trip in 79 days. She started her trek in November of 1889, and completed it in January of 1890, spending 72 days traveling the globe.

At the age of 31, she married millionaire manufacturer Robert Seaman, who was 42 years her senior. She retired from journalism and succeeded her husband as head of the Iron Clad Manufacturing Company (which made steel containers). Sadly, she passed away in 1922 – at the age of 57 – of pneumonia and is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

Elizabeth’s life is practically made for Hollywood. In fact, there have already been two movies made about Nellie Bly: The Adventures of Nellie Bly in 1981 and 10 Days in a Madhouse, based on her book, in 2015. Two additional productions are currently in development, one starring actress Christina Ricci and actress Kate Mara attached to the other.

But why limit her life to a two-hour movie? My TV series based on Elizabeth Jane Cochran’s life would be a mixture of romance, high adventure, and intrigue with a little bit of mystery thrown in the mix, covering her entire life – jumping back and forth in time to cover not only her legendary travels, but also her impoverished childhood and her luxurious later years. I think this series would be best suited to a smaller cable network that would allow it to grow and find its footing such as WGN America or Paramount Network.

I think actress Kathryn Newton from Supernatural and Big Little Lies as well as the upcoming PBS small screen adaptation of Little Women would make a great Elizabeth Jane Cochran aka Nellie Bly.

Were you familiar with Nellie Bly or is she a new women in history for you? Would you like to see the new proposed Hollywood productions on this legendary woman and/or the TV series that I would love to see on the small screen? Please share your thoughts on Nellie Bly in our comments section below.