The spirit of former Gov. Huey P. Long is alive and well at the Old State Capitol. The Kingfish appears in animatronic form in a year-round exhibit in the museum. A motion sensor detects when visitors enter the dimly lit room and activates the bronze animatronic figure. It shifts slightly as a spotlight shines on a vintage radio and the figure positioned behind a podium. The animatronic figure makes hand gestures and mouths the words that emanate from speakers in the dark room. Mary Louise Prudhomme, Old State Capitol executive director, said the animatronic figure has a “Disney-type effect.” Chuck McCoy, former Old State Capitol Advisory Board member, proposed placing the animatronic figure in the museum two years ago. Prudhomme said McCoy, who died in January, committed himself to improving the museum. “He wanted to do something he called a ‘really wow exhibit,'” Prudhomme said. Prudhomme said visitors used to pay a fee to enter the exhibit, but Secretary of State Jay Dardenne ended all admission. Prudhomme said the animatronic figure accurately resembles Long. “His [great-]grandson, Robert Mosley, was actually the model for it because [Long] and his [great-]grandson were about the same size,” she said. Long’s animatronic double rotates his conversations among several topics with a radio announcer’s voice coming from the speakers. They talk about Long’s contributions to Louisiana, his commitment to the University and his political philosophy.
The animatronic figure spoke about Long’s role in terminating the poll tax in Louisiana, which charged citizens $1 to vote. Long nullified the tax in 1934 because he believed all people, regardless of class level, should be able to vote for free. “That was an oppressive law designed and created to keep the poor folks from voting,” the figure said in Long’s signature Southern accent. Prudhomme said the exhibit shows Long’s “personal side that not everyone knows about.” “This is the way he thought about things, and we know that because his family was very involved with the exhibit,” she said. Long, a self-proclaimed Tiger fan, wrote the song “Touchdown for LSU,” which is still played before all Tiger football games. “I loved going to the games and giving Coach [Russ] Cohen my two cents worth,” the figure said. “You can do that when you’re the governor.” The animatronic figure spoke about when Long put the whole student body on a train to travel to the Tigers’ away game in Nashville. “Now that’s school spirit,” the figure said. “Go Tigers!” The animatronic figure also sings “Every Man A King,” which he co-wrote with Castro Carazo. Long appointed Carazo, who led a band at the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans, as the University’s band director. “I love to hear him sing ‘Every Man A King,'” Prudhomme said.
—–Contact Angelle Barbazon at [email protected]