FERRIDA, La. – A CBS producer is in Concordia Parish this week interviewing locals for a one-hour biography of the Rev. Jimmy Swaggart, a native of Ferriday — a trip that also brings producer Gregory Orr back to his roots.

On Wednesday, Orr held initial interviews with mayors Glen McGlothin of Ferriday and Hyram Copeland of Vidalia — the latter of whom is Swaggart’s cousin.

Others interviewed include members of the Ferriday Museum Committee and the Rev. Hugh Bradford of Ferriday First Assembly of God, where Swaggart attended church as a youth. Today, Orr will film on-camera interviews.

&uot;What people want locally is for Rev. Swaggart to be portrayed in a positive light, and I can understand that,&uot;&160;Orr said. &uot;And I can say that we have every intention of portraying him in a fair light.&uot;

The biography will air on the Arts & Entertainment network, although Orr is not yet sure when the documentary will air.

This is not Orr’s first trip to Ferriday, for he is the grandson of famous Ferriday native Ann Boyar Warner, wife of Warner Brothers movie mogul Jack Warner.

Orr traveled to Ferriday eight years ago to film footage for a biography of his famous grandparents. But that had little to do with his being asked by CBS to film this documentary. &uot;I&160;was just visiting the CBS office recently when they asked me to work on this project,&uot; Orr said.

Still, he acknowledged that he finds the life of Swaggart a compelling subject. &uot;He led a fascinating life. Great men are often conflicted,&uot; Orr said. Orr believes that being intensely religious while living in Ferriday, an entertainment crossroads in its day, caused such a conflict in Swaggart’s life.

Orr also finds it fascinating that while Swaggart and cousin Jerry Lee Lewis grew up in the same environment, Swaggart turned to the ministry while Lewis turned to rock ‘n’ roll. &uot;In a way, they are two sides of the same coin,&uot; Orr said.

Prior to his Wednesday afternoon interview with Orr, Copeland said he hopes the A&E Biography episode will fairly depict Swaggart.

&uot;People remember all the negative things that were reported about him in the media,&uot; Copeland said. &uot;But there were a lot of positive things about him as well, such as his gift for the ministry and the fact that he had one of the largest ministries in the world at one time. And I hope that comes out in this (program).&uot;

On Friday, Orr will travel to the Baton Rouge area to attempt to interview Swaggart himself, although representatives of Swaggart Ministries have not yet returned his calls.