Morgus Lives!

For the past month I've been secretly working on an ad campaign for the return of Morgus the Magnificent to television screens in New Orleans. I no longer have to remain quiet as Dr. Momus Alexander Morgus himself announced his comeback at a press conference at the Old City Icehouse in the warehouse district this morning. It was a great event and Morgus is as lively as ever. Ernest Collins of the Mayor's office came out and proclaimed April 1st, 2005 Morgus the Magnificent day in New Orleans. The real highlight for me was seeing people's faces light up as they passed on the street and realized who they were seeing.

Morgus' new show will air Fridays at 10:30 on Cox 10. I'll post some pictures of the press conference as soon as I get home this evening.

Comments

[Jaime]

too weird. official morgus day one day, the DA's office is liquidated the next.

[oscar]

Chopsley, you idiot, go to da store and get me a roast beef po-boy.... sloppy!

[Tess]

Happy that you're back!!

[Garland]

I am so glad that The Great Doctor will once again be
on T.V.locally!

[midnightferret]

Hooray for Morgus! I am linking you to refer friends to this bit of news, if that's okay! I am ... beside myself with glee.

[Bill]

Where is the pictures of the good doctor's press confrence at the Old City Icehouse. All the students of the Good Doctor are glad for his return! We need some more training.

Bill

[Laurie]

Oh Cool- Morgus is Back!!
I found your blog when I googled Morgus after my dad told me he was going to be back on TV. This makes me so homesick. I'm a New Orleans expat and I really loved Morgus growing up in N.O. I heard that the show will be the wrap arounds only and no movie?? Can this be true? I'm going to have Dad tape these for me so I can get my nostalgia fix.

btw... I love Pho Tau Bay bahn mi!! Somebody said Madison WI has good Vietnamese food?! Well, being a resident of Madison, it is my opinion that the Viet food in New Orleans is much better. A po-boy with grilled shrimp for under $5- wow, just can't beat that.

I heard of a place out Chef Menteur called something like (Doung Phong?) that is supposed to make awesome Viet po-boys. I'm going to try and visit when I come down for Jazz Fest.

best wishes,
Laurie

[.Joshua]

Those of us of the "Higher Order" eagerly await the good doctor's return.. and Eric's as well...

[Sidney]

NOPD HIRES MORGUS AS LATEST CRIME SOLVER!

I just saw it on the midday news, is it true? I wonder if Chopsley has any experience as an educational administrator. Hmmmmm!!!!!

[Mark P.]

I am so excited to see morgus' return. I will be watching tonight!!! /_\

[CINDY]

Morgus baby... you are the Greatest horror host that has ever been. I am so looking forward to the airing of your show tonight. It should be awesome as it always has been. See you soon !!!! Keep on being magnificient!!!!! Tell Chopsley and Eric hello !!!

[Kasey]

I'm so excited Dr. Morgus is back on the air even though I can't see his show because I don't have cable access. This is wonderful news however. I do have some of his shows on homemade video and I'm hoping he'll release more on DVD. I will be in heaven in my old age, watching Morgus the Magnificent, Chopsley and Eric on my little DVD player into eternity. What a way to go!

[JBW]

I remember you would scare the hell out of me back in 1959 when you first came on TV. We need you for Police Chief, District Attorney or even Mayor you could probably handle all 3 jobs at one time in that dump they call New Orleans You need to scare the hell out of the criminals in Dat Filty City now known as the Big Sleezy. Glad your back Morgus. You can even work out of the old ice house to clean up that joke of a city. We will rebuild it for you. If they can do it for Tom Benson. Why not for the GREAT MORGUS. Thanks for all the memories Morgus.

[Wayne]

I agree with the person's statement above mine. Morgus you will always be Number 1!!!!!!

[Robert Graziano]

I anxiously tuned in to watch Morgus, Chopsley & Eric's first episode on Friday night and wasn't disappointed. It was great to see the master at work once again in New Orleans. Morgus truly lives up to his "magnificant" title. I can't wait until next Friday's installment and all that follow.

New Orleans, don't let him go again.

[Leighton G. Smith Jr.]

Great to have you back. I kept hoping you would return. I hope you never leave us again. Very Truly Yours, Leighton G. Smith Jr.

[glenn]

great to see you back on tv but when are you on ? what nite what time?

[Roberto.M.]

Chopsley you idiot pick that up you idiot

[Mike]

Morgus
What in the heck happened to New Orleans? HELP!!!!!!

[Scott S.]

Can anyone tell me where to get "Morgus" on DVD or VHS? I'd like to surprise my Dad with some copies of the show. He grew up loving it, but no longer lives in New Orleans. HELP!!!

[Darrel Srader]

As a kid living on the west bank I saw Morgus at the Sainger Theater on Canal street for the opening of Ray Maland's Premature Burial.My younger brother got a Morgus T-shirt, I was perfectly content just to get to see him. This had to be 1959 or 1960. Remember it like it was yesterday.

[Alexa Richard]

Absolutely love this guy. I just recently watched my tape of The Wacky World of Dr. Morgus -- too funny. Also went looking for my old copy of Dixie Roto Magazine from October 1962 when the movie first went to theatre screens. Morgus is on the cover with a big pumpkin and a huge hyperdermic needle. Also saw the again at The Robert E. Lee Theatre around 1987 or so. What a guy! He's still my hero. Thanks for the memories.

[Pavan Mccay]

Morgus For Mayor sign and Chopsley signs were on floats from the Krewe Of Mid city Parade at Mardi Gras Check them out!

[gary thibodeaux]

new orleans born and raised..long time fan transplanted to monroe,la. miss chopsley eric and morgus.. is it possible to see morgus presents.on the monroe local cable called time-warner???

[Dennis Simpson]

I worked for WWL TV in New Orleans for several summers in the mid 1960s, where I was involved with the Morgus productions in one way or another. It was for 3 summers starting either 1963 or 1964 when I went to college.

I worked there when Sid Noel was doing his Morgus show. It was every Saturday night, and it was great.

It was an amazing time, and I have some interesting "war stories".

Back then, initially, all the Morgus shows were live. While we had black and white video tape machines, they were used for commercials, not any of his live productions. So everything was live. Sid was really fast on his feet, and was what I would call a true performer. The 'show must go on' type of person.

War Story One:

One night, he was giving his show. The set consisted of 3 very large, tall plywood walls that were painted and somehow fastened together to form the set, which was a back of the old ice house room, plus the left and right sides of the set. The plywood was painted to show windows, a night view of New Orleans, and in general a very creepy, disgusting room. We used those three "walls" every episode, by standing them up and fastening them together. However, this evening while walking about the set during this live session, Sid accidentally bumped into one of the walls. That wall to our astonishment fell backwards to the floor. Then the two side walls likewise fell backwards to the floor. There was Morgus standing obviously in the middle of a television studio, with all kinds of props for other shows, unused TV cameras, cables, etc. We were in shock. But to our surprise, Sid just kept on with his episode as if nothing had happened. A couple minutes later, we went back to the next segment of the movie, and we very hastily put the back "walls" of the set back up, and the rest of the Morgus evening went on as if nothing had happened. The show must go on.

War Story Two:

On another time, we had a movie where a group of people were in a small paddle boat on the Amazon, where they were always being attacked by piranhas. So Morgus decided he would match the plot. He rented the largest aquarium/tank we had ever seen. It was about 5 feet high, 3 feet wide and about 6 feet long with glass sides. It was just like what you probably had as a kid for your goldfish, just really big. It was placed on the floor in the set, and was filled with water. It took forever to fill it. It had a set of wooden steps outside it and inside it for Sid to walk up and then down into the water. He had rented a wet suit and a spear gun. He was going to get on his wet suit, and climb into the aquarium and "study" the piranhas. This is the spooky part. He actually rented a couple of REAL piranhas. For about an hour before the show, we were throwing every type of meat we could think of into the tank so the piranha would not be hungry when Sid entered the aquarium. We threw in beef, chicken, fish, hot dog weenies. Everything we could think of.

Again, remember, this was LIVE. The movie segment ended and we gave SID the cue. He talked about not being afraid of piranhas, and that he was going to do a scientific study on them. He had on his wet suit, grabbed his spear gun and climbed up the stairs to the top of the aquarium. He then started to descend into the tank, and threw his spear gun in first. He then started stepping down. All of a sudden, he screamed like we had never heard before, and it was NOT part of the script. We were terrified and in a state of shock. But before we could do anything, Sid continued with is dialog as if nothing had gone wrong. We were so scared. We could just see the piranha tearing him up.

When we finally went back to the movie, we RAN to the tank to see if we could help. No, he had not been attacked or eaten by the piranhas. Remember I said when descending into the tank he first threw in his spear gun? Well, it happened that Sid stepped on the tip of the spear and it stuck his foot. Of course with the pain and the suddenness, he probably thought of the piranhas, too. But he got over it, I guess, and just went on.

War Story Three: The Archer

This Saturday night, the movie was something about a medieval castle doing battle. It had nothing to do with horror, as Morgus movies usually were. I guess he was hard up and that was the best he could find. That happened occasionally. But as usual, even if the movie was bad, he made up for it.

Part of the plot of Sid's parallel story, was for him to get fatally shot by an arrow. Now remember, there were no real ways for us in a TV studio to do special effects. So Sid hired a REAL archer to shoot him! Sid put on a bunch of protection over his chest, like plywood, and then put his clothes over it. So one could not see he was wearing "protective armor". We were pretty impressed. So during his scene, the archer was behind those on camera. Sid stood facing the cameras directly, which had him facing the archer. The archer was given time to aim. The arrow flew, and Sid screamed almost as convincingly as with the piranhas. His yell was likewise not in the script. But he kept on with his scene, really limping and really showing pain, and then dying. Then we went back to the final portion of the movie. He then sat up and had us call an ambulance. The archer missed the plywood and actually shot him in the chest next to his shoulder, blood and all. No wonder it was so realistic!

War Store Four: Special Effects

We got what I believe were the first color TV cameras and color video tape machines in New Orleans, and Morgus was one of the first programs where they were used.

I remember one time the movie was about a mummy that in the end turned to dust. As usual, the Morgus program paralleled the movie of the night, and at the end of his parallel plot, he would have something go wrong, and he would turn to dust, also. Sid had an interesting idea, which at that time was a "first" as far as I know. We were video taping the Morgus shows then for playback on Saturday nights. Sid had us put a lot of sand on the floor of the set, in the shape of a decomposed body and taped it on a separate reel of video tape. Then Sid had us tape the entire show. But at the end, as he fell to the ground and started to die (like the mummy), the production director started the other video tape machine playing the pre-recorded video of the sand, and the director slowly faded the video taped program that had Morgus dead on the floor - to the video tape machine with the pile of sand. It looked like Morgus really did decompose to sand. By those day's standards for special effects, it was absolutely great. It was Sid's idea to do this special effect. And since it was in color, it was very realistic.

The Cast:

I remember a few people on the Morgus project. I was usually in projection (reels of movies and commercials, color slides, video tapes), but occasionally on camera. The producer/switcher was Alan. The audio person was Sid Warren. The master control operator was Bob. A college student Bill Freeburger was there one summer. The station manager was the legendary J.D. Bloom.

After that third year, I no longer worked for WWL, but worked for a TV station in Baton Rouge during college and graduate school. We had funny things go wrong, too, but nothing like Sid Noel's Morgus.

...Dennis Simpson