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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Swamp Fire
Many of the films released immediately after the end of World War II addressed the problems experienced by returning members of the armed services. Such was the case of the Louisiana-shot 1946 film Swamp Fire.
Swamp Fire is the story of the hazardous lives of the Louisiana bar pilots who steer ships through the channels and over the sand bars. It stars Johnny Weissmuller as its hero, Johnny Duval, a Coast Guard veteran returning home after World War II. Feeling responsible for a wartime shipwreck, his fellow pilots trick him into regaining his confidence. This film marked former Olympic swimming champion Weissmuller's first starring role in thirteen years in which he did not portray "Tarzan."
Other members of the cast include Buster Crabbe (known to many as Flash Gordon and also as Tarzan), Virginia Grey, Carol Thurston and Pedro de Cordoba. It was directed by William H. Pine.
A written foreword to the film states:
"Here in the delta country of Louisiana where the Mississippi merges with the Gulf, at Pilot Town ninety river miles below New Orleans lives a courageous and colorful group of men, the associated bar pilots....Always members of the Coast Guard Reserve, the bar pilots enlisted for active duty during the war….”
The film features a fight scene between the two former-Tarzans (Weissmuller and Crabbe) and a huge swamp fire. There's also a scene where Weissmuller, as Duval, kills an alligator - Louisiana's most prolific performer. Pontchartrain Billy. This was Pontchartrain Billy's 487th feature.
The film was shot on location around New Orleans, including the French Quarter, and at the Bar Pilots Headquarters in Pilot Town. Commander Rene F. Clerc, Jr., USCCR of New Orleans acted as technical advisor.
Poster: U.S. One Sheet