Hollywood South: Film Production and Movie Going in New Orleans
Tour Description
This tour tells the stories of different moments in the formation and evolution of Hollywood South in New Orleans. Sites reveal the important people, films, theaters, and locations from the silent era to the present. New Orleans has become a major hub in the film production world. A city so infamous for its revelry and the disasters it has endured, its connections to the film industry has often been overlooked.
Locations for Tour
Courting 1910's Film Industry: New Orleans Association of Commerce
The New Orleans Association of Commerce was established in 1913 by local businessmen and originally headquartered at 315 Camp Street before relocating to 635 Common Street sometime prior to 1922. The association outlined plans in 1918 to increase the…
Saenger Amusement Company
The Saenger Amusement Company, organized in 1912 by brothers Julian and Abraham Saenger, grew into one of the largest motion picture chains in the south, with a peak total of 324 Saenger theaters operating in 12 southern states, along with Cuba,…
Saenger Theater
The Saenger Amusement Company purchased this lot on Canal Street in 1921 for $250,000 with plans to erect a lavish million-dollar theater. [1] The Saenger Theater opened its doors on February 5, 1927. [2] The venue began as a silent movie house, with…
Liberty Theatre
The Liberty Theatre owned by the Saenger Amusement Company and managed under the auspices of Boehringer Amusement Company opened in 1918. The theater was lavishly designed with the intention of being “the most complete motion picture theater in the…
Projectionist Strike of 1914
The projectionist strike of 1914 is one of the earliest examples of film workers organizing in New Orleans. Few details are known about its origins or outcomes, but accounts of its unfolding offer insight into the shifting cultural landscape of the…
Metro Film Exchange
In the early years of the film industry, few aspects of the industry were more important than distribution. Film exchanges handled the repair, rental, and advertisement of motion pictures both locally and across geographic regions. Exchanges worked…
Filming Location: The Belle of New Orleans
The Old Jockey Club of New Orleans was a primary filming location of the 1912 silent film "The Belle of New Orleans." The film was created and produced entirely in New Orleans by the Kalem Film Company. The Jockey Club provided a beautiful…
Diamond Film Company Studios
Diamond Film Company operated entirely in New Orleans from 1918 to 1920. Located on Bayou Saint John, the complex was equipped for a range of production activities, including carpentry shops for set design and scenery, makeup and costume rooms,…
Prytania Theatre
The Prytania Theatre is the oldest operating theater in New Orleans, dating back to 1915. It is the only single-screen, suburban theater in the state of Louisiana. It caters to film buffs and families alike with its eclectic selection of film…
A Streetcar Named Desire
A Streetcar Named Desire is the title of a 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Tennessee Williams, adapted in 1951 for the big screen by director Elia Kazan. It is undoubtedly one of the most famous film depictions of the City of New Orleans, despite…
Filming Location: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 Oscar winning film by director David Fincher, filmed primarily in uptown New Orleans. The film was adapted from a 1922 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald by the same name, from the collection “Tales of…