Museum to highlight Louisiana's rich film history
August 17, 2009 By The Associated Press STACEY PLAISANCE (Associated Press Writer)
http://www.newsday.com/museum-to-highlight-louisiana-s-rich-film-history-1.1374837
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans movie buff is putting the spotlight on the memorabilia he has collected from some of the more than 400 major motion pictures, documentaries and television series that have been produced using Louisiana as the backdrop.
Jeffrey Pipes Guice's Louisiana Film Museum is starting small. When it opens Sept. 1, it will occupy a 300-square-foot room in the existing Southern Food and Beverage Museum at the Riverwalk mall in New Orleans.
"We have to start somewhere," Guice said Friday, taking a break from hanging dozens of pictures and posters that were to be shown Saturday at the "soft" opening for media and invited guests. Among the items was a "Tarzan of the Apes" poster from the 1918 movie based on the novel byEdgar Rice Burroughs.
Guice said there are plans to expand the film display to a more than 1,000-square-foot section of the food and beverage museum.
"I think it's a natural fit," said Liz Williams, president of the food museum, which opened last summer and in its first year drew some 35,000 visitors. "In movies, food and beverage give you a sense of place, a sense of identity. You couldn't do a movie in Louisiana without food."
The film museum will include photos and posters from about 50 films, along with a timeline of the movies shot in Louisiana. Eventually, Guice said, props and costumes on loan from private collections will be added to the exhibit on a rotating basis.
In all, Guice has pictures and posters from more than 200 movies shot in Louisiana, but the small display space he's currently working in only allows room to showcase about 50, he said.
The collection now includes posters from 1951's "A Streetcar Named Desire" starring Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh, 1958's "King Creole" starring Elvis Presley and 1969's "Easy Rider" starring Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopperand Jack Nicholson.
"Louisiana has contributed tremendously to the history of film," Guice said. "I can't believe somebody hasn't done this sooner."Some movies not yet represented in the display were the 1989 romantic drama "Steel Magnolias" — filmed in the northwestern Louisiana town ofNatchitoches — and last year's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett.
Guice said he is working to expand his collection but is using his own money to do so while pursuing grants and private donations. He said he has a board of about six advisers that includes Alan Citron, a south Louisiana native and president of the Los Angeles-based entertainment news Web site Buzz Media.
"My board members are advisers who can open doors in the entertainment world and help build the collection I've started," Guice said. "What I have is the foundation."
Beyond being a museum for film history, Guice said he would like to see the facility become a place where the public can learn about how movies are made and the variety of job opportunities available in film, from catering to costume design.
Guise is a self-described marketing executive whose resume includes such media companies as Warner Music Group, Hearst Publishing, Clear Channel Entertainment and NewsAmerica Marketing. He said he envisions the film museum also being used for special events such as film premiere parties.
"Film is such a sense of pride for our community and the hard work that's gone into creating this industry here," said Jennifer Day, director of the New Orleans Office of Film and Video. "We welcome a facility like this."
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On the Net:
Louisiana Film Museum, http://www.louisianafilmmuseum.org
Southern Food and Beverage Museum, http://www.southernfood.org
