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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Easy Rider
The 1969 counterculture classic Easy Rider was filmed in the early part of 1968 and released in the United States on July 14, 1969, Easy Rider made stars out of actors Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson and pulled in over $19 million in its initial run. Fonda produced and Hopper directed the film.
Easy Rider featured two young men on motorcycles who leave Los Angeles with very few problems and no timetable apart from the fact that they want to be in New Orleans in time for the Mardi Gras which is several weeks away. As a symbolic act, they throw away their watches before setting out.
Most of the film was adlibbed. The script contained only the bare camera outlines and was written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Terry Southern. Easy Rider was filmed between Los Angeles and the East Coast. The stars and technicians, although they had a story on paper, traveled until they found locations that they felt best fit their needs.
Upon finding such a place, the group would set up cameras and recording equipment and then scout around for interesting onlookers, many of whom usually ended up in the film itself. Director Hopper would then describe an Easy Rider script situation and ask them their reactions. Reactions were filmed and incorporated into the finished products. Fonda and Hopper felt that by keeping the people in local conditions and in local groups their reactions to a given situation would be completely honest and without strain or pretense.
Louisiana locales were featured prominently in the film. The first such scene includes a trek over the Long-Allen Bridge over the Atchafalaya from Berwick to Morgan City. Along the route, they pass the old post office on the north side of East Main Street, Garden City, opposite Oak Street; and ride down West Main Street, Franklin, between Commercial and Jackson Streets.
Poster: U. S. Half Sheet