Louisiana Movie Poster Museum
Welcome to the the Louisiana Movie Poster Virtual Museum. Since 1895 more than 3,000 movies have been made in or about Louisiana. These posters advertised a few of them. We have hundreds to add, so check back with us as we grow.
Ed and Susan Poole, renowned movie poster experts and authorities on Louisiana film history, curated this initial exhibit. It is based on the Backdrop Louisiana! exhibit that premiered in Slidell, Louisiana in January, 2020 and we’re looking forward to a post-pandemic tour. A smidgen of their knowledge can be found at Learn About Movie Posters, known worldwide as LAMP. Visit Hollywood on the Bayou for a deeper dive into Louisiana film history.
This museum is funded in part by grants from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation and the New Orleans Entertainment Coalition.
Take a Tour – We love your stories!
Click on a poster to view larger image. Then click “i”. Post your story in Comments. We love to hear about films you remember and your experiences. It’s a highlight of our live exhibits that we hope to recreate in the virtual museum.
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New Orleans
Location shooting was rare during the World War II years. However, as soon as the war ended, filmmakers soon returned to New Orleans.
Native son Louis Armstrong marked his 30th anniversary as a musician with the largest film role of his career to date by starring in the 1947 film New Orleans. The motion picture also starred Arturo DeCordova and Dorothy Patrick as a notorious gambler of Storyville and a New Orleans society girl, respectively. The film also featured blues and jazz legends Billie Holiday and Woody Herman. New Orleans marked the first and only feature film appearance by Holiday. It was directed by Arthur Lubin and produced by Jules Levey.
The script was written by Elliott Paul, a noted novelist and authority on jazz. The story is set in 1917 and is a dramatization of the history of jazz from its humble beginning in New Orleans, through its growth and spread in becoming an international musical institution.
Portions of the film were shot on location in New Orleans, including the front steps of Gallier Hall, the then city hall building, which, as reported in the New York Times, had remained unchanged since 1917. Other locales included Audubon Park, on the riverfront docks and in the French Quarter.
About 500 New Orleanians were employed as extras. One of the scenes featured an old stern-wheeler "Dixie Belle" pulling up to a dock with a load of waving passengers dressed in the styles of 1917. The "Dixie Belle" was in reality the "General John H. Newton," which made its movie debut through the courtesy of the War Department.
The opening credits included a "grateful acknowledgement" to the National Jazz Foundation based in New Orleans for its assistance in the production of the picture.
New Orleans had its world premiere at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans on April 26, 1947. In honor of the occasion, Mayor deLesseps S. Morrison proclaimed the week as National Jazz Week.
Poster: UK British Quad