51 years ago in 1968, Dennis Hopper and his brother in law went out scouting for locations for a low budget movie called Easy Rider. The job was to scout the locations and report back to the crew. Between Taos New Mexico and New Orleans, They found Morganza Louisiana. On the edge of the Mississippi river, Morganza is a small, sleepy little southern Town, with not much of anything around it. In the heart of town, was a local cafe called Melanchon’s. It was perfect for the film.
They originally had hired a local acting troupe lined up to play in the Movie, but upon arrival, Dennis decided the locals were a better fit. It was in Morganza that the famous Cafe Scenes were filmed.
Over 3 days they filmed in Morganza.
The town has never forgotten it.
They’ve been doing various events over the last year commemorating Easy Rider and next month they’re doing a big Easy Rider Festival.
I’ve gotten to know this crew a little bit over the years, and I love these guys. The gal who is spearheading this is a firecracker, and a helluva sweet lady. They’ve got some good stuff planned.
Worth checking out, this one should be a blast. Meet some of the people in the movie, and they’ve got a few more surprises. If you’re an ER fan, this is a must see.
Go Morganza!
