Former Louisiana Gov. Huey P. Long addressing people once againin the Old State Capitol may seem odd, but that is exactly what heis doing in the “Huey Long Live! The Kingfish Speaks” exhibit.
The exhibit, which opened Aug. 30, features an animatronic,gold-painted Long. The mechanical Long speaks in his uniquesouthern drawl, all while moving his body and eyes.
Long has six different dialogues, in which he addresses theaudience with help from a 1930s-era talking radio.
“It’s what looks like a statue of Huey,” said Scott Madere,public information officer for the Louisiana Secretary of State.”Motion sensors pick you up, the radio comes on and the statuecomes to life in response to the radio.”
Long speaks on topics such as abolishing the poll tax, his song”Every Man a King,” the new State Capitol building, hisassassination and even LSU.
“I’m a big Tiger fan,” the mechanical Long announces. “GoTigers.”
Madere said there were two reasons they chose an animatronicLong for the exhibit. First, they wanted to bring Long’s physicalpresence back into the Old State Capitol, the building in which heserved as governor from 1928 to 1932.
Madere said the more important reason for the exhibit wasbecause Long had so much personality he could not be displayed intwo dimensions or even with a three-dimensional statue.
“If you look at a statue of him it doesn’t convey him properly,”Madere said. “He’s a big talker. He’s a big speaker. He moves whenhe speaks. We’re trying to convey this person’s personalityproperly.”
Madere said the Old State Capitol contacted Life Formations, acompany that makes animatronics. The company studied Long’smannerisms from films and used Long’s great-grandson for a physicalmodel because he is roughly the same size as Long.
John McConnell, known for his Long impersonations, lent hisvoice to the mechanical Long, Madere said.
Madere said the exhibit took several years to complete and cost$250,000, most of which came from private donations. A small amountof public funds were used, Madere said.
So far, the reaction to the exhibit has been positive.
“I think that for most people, the primary reaction is amusementbecause of the novelty of the exhibit itself,” Madere said. “Onceyou get past the novelty you’ll get the message of what he’s tryingto say. A lot of Huey Long’s accomplishments aren’t particularlyinaccessible to the common person. Road construction, bridgeconstruction, school books for children — these are things thattouched everybody.”
Adjacent to the “Huey Long Live!” exhibit is the assassinationroom, which houses memorabilia and information about Long’sassassination such as his body guard’s watch and the gun used byhis assassin.
Freddie Deblieux, an archival specialist at the Old StateCapitol, said she is fascinated by the animatronic Long.
“I think it’s fantastic,” Deblieux said. “I’ve been speakingabout Huey since 1974. And this just brings it all together. When Ifirst saw it, I was stunned.”
Jean Armstrong of Baton Rouge saw the exhibit for the first timeTuesday. She expressed the importance of keeping history alive, andsaid the exhibit was a perfect example of this.
“I thought it was fabulous,” Armstrong said. “I think the OldState Capitol have themselves a main attraction.”
Deblieux said the exhibit has received a lot of feedback sinceits opening.
“We have people who come in here — it’s like an Elvis thing –they think he’s still alive,” Deblieux said.
The exhibit is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.