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Eyes on Louisiana:
Movies and Television Series Featuring Louisiana Locations
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Photo from Louisiana Plantations. Used with permission.

Movies

Last updated 06/15/06. All movie information verified either through viewing or through the IMDB.

  • Above and Beyond (2001). Features Costas Mandelyar and Alexandra Paul.

  • Adventures of Captain Fabian (1951). Errol Flynn buckles and swashes through the Gulf Coast, accompanied by Agnes Moorehead, Vincent Price, and Micheline Presle.
  • The Adventures of Jim Bowie (1956).
  • Albino Alligator (1996). Three fugitives are trapped in a New Orleans bar by pursuing police.
  • All The King's Men (Columbia/RCA Pictures Home Video, 1985). Based on the book by Robert Penn Warren. While Louisiana is not the setting of the film or the novel, the main character, Willie Stark, bears a strong resemblance to Huey Pierce Long. 
  • All the King's Men (2006). Also based on the Robert Penn Warren novel, this film stars Sean Penn as Willie Stark. Filmed in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Morgan City.
  • Alligator People (1959). Thriller about a newlywed who discovers her husband has become a human/alligator mutant. Features Beverly Garland, later "Steve Douglas"'s wife on My Three Sons.
  • Angel Heart (1987).
  • The Apostle (1998). Robert Duvall attempts a new life as a preacher in Louisiana.
  • The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Some scenes were shot at Ashland/Belle Helene Plantation.
  • Bad City Blues (1999).
  • The Badge (TVM 2002). Billy Bob Thornton is a Louisiana sheriff who investigates a murder mystery and political corruption in his parish. William Devane is the judge involved in the cover-up and Sela Ward is Thornton's prosecutor wife.
  • Badge of the Assassin (1985). Police chase three killers through the US to New Orleans.
  • Band of Angels (Warner Brothers, 1957). Band of Angels was shot on at Ashland/Belle Helene Plantation. The plantation is now owned by Shell Oil Company.
  • Bayou Romance (1982).
  • The Beguiled (1971). This early Clint Eastwood thriller was filmed at Ashland/Belle Helene Plantation. A soldier is cared for by some mysterious women in a Southern home.
  • The Big Easy (HBO Video, 1987). The sensational film starring Dennis Quaid as a "dirty" NOPD cop and Ellen Barkin as an eager U. S. attorney. Later a tv series.
  • Blaze (Touchstone Home Video, 1992). Dramatizes the later years of Earl Long.
  • Body Count. See Codename: Silencer.
  • Bonnie and Clyde (Seven Arts, Warner Brothers, 1957). A dramatization of the career of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, killed in a shootout with police near the Louisiana border.
  • Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995). The mysterious killer heads to New Orleans.
  • The Cat and the Canary (1939). Relatives gather for the reading of a will. 
  • Child of Glass (TV Movie, 1978). 
  • The Cincinnati Kid (1965).
  • The Client (Warner Home Video, 1994). Based on the novel by John Grisham. A down and out lawyer takes on a young boy as a client, defends him from killers and the ambitious U.S. attorney (played by Tommy Lee Jones).
  • The Collectors (1999). Set in New York, but features two gangster types from Louisiana tracking down their prey in the Big Apple.
  • Con Air (1997).
  • Codename: Silencer (1996). Action flick starring Brigitte Nielson as a hired killer. Also called Body Count.
  • Crossroads (1986). A blues musician makes a Faustian bargain.
  • The Dangerous (1994). Ninja warriors on the trail of their sister's killers.
  • Dark Angel (TVM 1996). A cop is suspected of being a serial killer.
  • Dead Man Walking (Gramercy Films, 1995). Based on the book by Sister Helen Prejean.
  • Deadly Relations (television movie, 1993). A young woman suspects her father of murdering her brother in law and her husband.
  • Delta Heat (1992).
  • Docks of New Orleans (1948). A Charlie Chan outing in the Big Easy. Roland Winters is Chan, with Victor Sen Yung as his son Tommy. 
  • Double Jeopardy (1999). Filmed partly in New Orleans. Features Tommy Lee Jones and Ashley Judd. Woman convicted of her husband's murder is paroled, finds out he is still alive, decides to kill him figuring she's entitled to a free murder since she has already done the time.
  • The Drowning Pool (Warner Brothers, 1975). Based on the novel by Ross Macdonald.
  • Evangeline (1913), (1919), (1929).
  • Eve's Bayou (1997).
  • The Evictors (1979).
  • Fait Accompli (1998). Crime thriller set in Louisiana, starring Rosanna Arquette and James Russo.
  • False Witness (television movie, 1989). Also called: Double Exposure. Based on a Dorothy Uhnak novel.
  • The Farm: Angola, USA (1998). This documentary details life at Angola, the maximum security prison in Louisiana.
  • The Feast of All Saints (TV Mini series 2001). Based on an Anne Rice novel. Set in New Orleans but filmed in Canada.
  • Felony (1995). Reality tv meets "reality" in this action flick.
  • The First 9 1/2 Weeks (1998). A banker tries to persuade a wealthy New Orleanian to switch financial institutions.
  • Fletch Lives (1989). This Chevy Chase comedy was partially filmed at Ashland/Belle Helene Plantation.
  • French Silk (TVM 1994).  A designer is accused of murder. Based on the Sandra Brown novel.
  • The Fugitive Kind (1959). A New Orleans musician holes up in a town somewhere between New Orleans and Memphis to escape the law.
  • Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Father (1994). A New Orleans bookstore owner investigates supposed voodoo murders. IMDB indexes this as a movie but the remarks indicate it is a video game.
  • A Gathering of Old Men (1983). Feature film version of Ernest J. Gaines' novel. Features Holly Hunter.
  • 'Gator Bait (1976). A "swamp rat" gets revenge against the law enforcement types that victimize her and her family.
  • The Glass Cage (1996). A former CIA operative gets a job in a New Orleans bar and gets involved in drug smuggling.
  • The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag (Touchstone Pictures Video, 1992).
  • Hall of Mirrors (2000). A desperate young man is drawn into financial conspiracy.
  • Hard Target (1993). A down and out seaman helps  a girl investigate a murder.
  • Heaven's Prisoners (New Line Cinema Video, 1996).
  • Highway 61 (1991). A Canadian tourist unwittingly helps a girl smuggle drugs to New Orleans
  • House of Secrets (1993). Remake of Diabolique, set in New Orleans, and featuring Melissa Gilbert and Bruce Boxleitner as the evil husband, Frank Ravinel. Cecily Tyson does a great job with a thankless role as the heroine's friend.
  • Hurry Sundown (1967). Integration and a courtroom battle. Directed by Otto Preminger. Stars Jane Fonda, Michael Caine, John Phillip Law, Robert Hooks, Burgess Meredith.
  • Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964).
  • Interview With the Vampire (Geffen Pictures, dist. by Geffen/Warner, 1994). Based on the Anne Rice novel, Interview with the Vampire was filmed partly at Oak Alley Plantation, known for its spectacular landscaping, including a double line of 28 oaks that lead to the plantation's front door.
  • The Invisible Avenger (1958). Lamont Cranston (The Shadow) tracks down a killer in New Orleans. Features Richard Derr as the Shadow.
  • JD's Revenge (1976). A law student is possessed by a 1940s mobster who wants revenge on the man who killed him and his sister.
  • JFK (Warner Home Video, 1997). Kevin Costner is DA Jim Garrison and Tommy Lee Jones is Clay Shaw in this controversial docudrama.
  • Judgment (TV Movie, 1990). Catholic families believe a local priest has molested their children, and try to make the Church admit responsibility.
  • Kingfish (TVM 1995). Biopic of Huey P. Long, starring John Goodman as Long.
  • King Creole (Paramount Pictures, 1958). Elvis Presley as a singer in trouble in New Orleans.
  • Lady from Louisiana (Republic Pictures, 1941).
  • Life and Assassination of the Kingfish (Television movie, 1977).
  • A Lion Is In the Streets (Warner Home Video, 1992).
  • The Long Hot Summer (1985). This made for television miniseries was filmed partly at Oak Alley Plantation
  • Louisiana (miniseries, 1984).
  • Louisiana Purchase (Paramount, 1941).
  • Mardi Gras for the Devil (1993). Also called Night Trap.
  • The Mississippi Gambler (Universal International Pictures, 1953).
  • Moon of the Wolf (Filmways Pictures, dist. by Worldvision Enterprises, 1972).
  • The Mummy's Curse (1944). A mummy buried in a Louisiana swamp is dug up and proceeds to wreak havoc on the countryside.
  • Murder at the Mardi Gras (Television movie, 1977).
  • Murder Between Friends (Television movie, 1994). Based on a real case.
  • A Murder of Crows (1999). Cuba Gooding Jr. is the Louisiana lawyer who is disbarred for deliberately obtaining a client's conviction. He starts life anew in Florida, plagiarizes an acquaintance's novel to make money.
  • Night Trap (1993). Also called Mardi Gras for the Devil.
  • The Night Rider (TVM 1979). A masked avenger story. Stars David Selby and Percy Rodriguez.
  • Nightmare (1956). Based on a Cornell Woolrich story. New Orleans musician is framed for murder. Stars Edward G. Robinson. Remake of Fear in the Night (1947).
  • Night of the Strangler (1972). A man investigates his sister's murder.
  • Night Trap (1993). A man gets into trouble with evil forces and seeks help from a New Orleans police officer and his girlfriend..
  • No Mercy (Tristar Pictures, 1986).
  • Obsession (1976). A New Orleans businessman (Cliff Robertson) loses his wife and child in a kidnapping, later falls in love with a woman who looks strangely like his dead wife.
  • Panic in the Streets (1950). A Navy doctor tries to halt an epidemic before it overtakes the city.
  • Passing Glory (TNT, 2002). A Catholic priest encourages two high school basketball teams, one black and one white, to play an historic game. For varying views of the film, see the Josephite webpage on this movie and the TNT official webpage.
  • The Pelican Brief (Warner Home Video, 1994). 
  • Pretty Baby (1978). Keith Carradine as the photographer Bellocq who immortalized Storyville, and Brooke Shields quite affecting as a child prostitute he falls in love with.
  • Rag and Bone (TVM 1997). Dean Cain is a New Orleans police officer sleuthing a murder, assisted by a ghost. Carroll Baker plays a nun. Based on an Anne Rice story.
  • Ruby Bridges (TVM 1998). Docudrama telling the story of the girl who integrated New Orleans' school system.
  • Revenge of the Zombies (1943). An evil Nazi takes refuge in a Louisiana swamp where he carries out nefarious experiments.
  • Sealed With a Kiss (TVM 1996). Set partly in New Orleans. A detective chases down a mysterious killer.
  • See How They Run (Television movie, 1964). See How They Run was the first made for television movie ever aired.
  • Southern Comfort (1981).
  • The Saint Francisville Experiment (2000). Derivative thriller based on the popular The Blair Witch Project.
  • The Skeleton Key (2005). A nurse's aide takes a job in Terrebonne Parish helping a stroke victim, soon discovers that something is not right in the house. Kate Hudson stars, along with Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgaard, and John Hurt. Filmed in and around New Orleans.
  • Storyville (Davis Entertainment, 1992). A political candidate is haunted by secrets from his family's past.
  • A Streetcar Named Desire (Warner Home Video, 1996) (Television movie, 1984) (CBS Television movie, 1995).
  • Suddenly, Last Summer (1959). A wealthy widow loses her son under mysterious circumstances, plans to have her niece lobotomized to cure her of the insanity that set in after the man's death.
  • Swamp Thing (1990). The classic "monster from the swamp" story, starring Louis Jourdan and Adrienne Barbeau. Actually filmed in Charleston, South Carolina. The first of many "Swamp Thing" films.
  • Taking Back Our Town (2001). Based on the real life story of a woman fighting Shin-Tech's plans to place a factory in her small town. She received assistance from Tulane University's Law School clinic, which caused a change in the Louisiana Supreme Court rules regarding representation of non-profit groups by law students.
  • Thunder Bay (1953). An engineer comes to Louisiana to start an oil drilling operation but runs into dangerous local opposition.
  • Two for Texas (TV Movie, 1998).
  • Undercover Blues (1993). Two ex spies travel to New Orleans to rest and are asked to take on one more mission.  
  • Unholy Matrimony (Worldvision Home Video, 1988). Based on a crime committed in New Orleans. Filmed in Arizona.
  • Vendetta (1999). Based on a true story.
  • Video Voyeur: The Susan Wilson Story (Made for TV, 2002). Angie Harmon plays Susan Wilson, the victim of a video Peeping Tom. See also http://tv.zap2it.com/shows/features/features.html?23312. The Louisiana law subsequently enacted is L.R. S. 14:283 (2003).
  • WUSA (1970). Paul Newman is a disk jockey who gets a job at a strange radio station in New Orleans.
  • Yancy Derringer (1958).
  • Zandalee (1991). An illicit affair leads to violence.

Television Series

  • The Big Easy (Fox, 1996-1997). Based on characters from the film of the same name.
  • Bourbon Street Beat (Warner Brothers Television, 1959-1960). This series featured Andrew Duggan and Richard Long as New Orleans PIs and Van Williams as their friend, a law student. Arlene Howell was Williams' beauty queen girlfriend and Duggan and Long's secretary. A complete list of episodes is available at the IMDB site.
  • The Client (television series) (CBS 1995-1996).Based on the Grisham novel The Client and the 1994 film starring Susan Sarandon. The series starred JoBeth Williams in the Sarandon role of Regina (Reggie) Love.
  • Frank's Place (1987-1988). Series starring Tim Reid as a Boston professor who inherits a New Orleans restaurant. Well written and well acted.
  • Longstreet (1971). James Franciscus is a blind investigator working in New Orleans.
  • Orleans (CBS, 1996-1997).Starred Larry Hagman as Judge Luther Charbonnet and Ralph Waite as Otis Leblanc. Legal trivia: Larry Hagman's father was a district attorney. 

 

TELEVISION SERIES EPISODES

  • Quantum Leap: "So Help Me, God" (air date November 29, 1989). Sam leaps into the body of  Louisiana lawyer Leonard Yancey who takes on the case of a black woman accused of murdering the son of the town's richest man. Features Tyra Ferrell as Lila Berry, the accused woman, William Schallert as the judge, and Kathleen Noone as the mother of the dead man. 

  • Murder, She Wrote: "Big Easy Murder" (air date October 12, 1995). Jessica visits New Orleans for research, and becomes involved in voodoo and murder.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

May, John R., Louisiana Writers in Film, 23 Southern Quarterly 18.
Mott, Donald R., Louisiana Filmmaking: A Grassroots Perspective, 23 Southern Quarterly 59.
Schuth, H. Wayne, The Images of Louisiana in Film and Television, 23 Southern Quarterly 5.
Schuth, H. Wayne, The Image of New Orleans on Film, 19 Southern Quarterly 240.

 

Southern Quarterly includes many other interesting articles on the subject. 


For more sites featuring Louisiana in the movies check out the following

 

African-Americans in Motion Pictures

The Apostle: Interview with Robert Duvall

Greenwood Plantation

Louisiana Film Commission

Louisiana Hayride

Louisiana History: Louisiana in the Movies

Louisiana Plantations (more pictures of plantations at Louisiana Plantations)

Lower Mississippi: Red and Atchafalaya Rivers

or search the Internet Movie Database for Louisiana locations.



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