62 years later, New Orleans horror host’s foray into film remains a local classic (2025)

In the pantheon of New Orleans’ greatest minds, he stands alone.

Unafraid to eschew orthodoxy (or orthodontics), he was the man responsible for such indelible discoveries as the speed of dark, the Instant People Machine and, of course, the Morgusotronic Electro Magnetic Weather Prognosticator.

Far and away, though, the greatest achievement of Dr. Momus Alexander Morgus is one that has eluded humankind for eternity:

Immortality.

Beginning with the debut of his “House of Shock” on WWL-TV on Jan. 3, 1959, and continuing for parts of four decades, Morgus the Magnificent — the New Orleans horror host known away from the camera as local actor Sid Noel Rideau — worked his way into the cultural fabric of the city as few others have managed without a horn in their hand.

Morgus was an instant hit

Campy, kooky and kitschy, the wraparound segments he recorded with hooded assistant Chopsley as introductions for televised B-movies were an instant hit, transforming him into a bona fide local pop-culture phenomenon.

He made public appearances. He rode in parades. D.H. Holmes and Godchaux’s hawked shirts adorned with his toothy visage. Maison-Blanche sold a Morgus hand puppet.

“Half the town is trying to look like Morgus the Magnificent for Halloween,” read a 1959 Times-Picayune piece.

Although Rideau died in 2020, his legacy endures even today — particularly at this spookiest time of year.

Still, as wide as Morgus’ appeal is, it is not universal.

“I just don’t get him,” an otherwise tasteful acquaintance once confessed to me with a shrug. “Never have.”

Tragic.

Morgus movie is a 'Wacky World'

Fortunately, there is a cure for such a malady. It takes an hour and a half to administer, and it stands to explain Morgus and his brand of weird science to the unenlightened like no other treatment.

It is “The Wacky World of Dr. Morgus,” the low-budget, New Orleans-shot feature, was filmed in “spectacular black and white,” as the good doctor would later introduce it, and released into local theaters on Halloween 1962.

Whatever else it is, it is a fascinating bit of local movie history and an unassailable New Orleans cinematic classic.

Directed by Raol Haig, it is also an undeniable product of its time. In addition to offering a peek at midcentury New Orleans — including a cameo by a maracas-shaking Chris Owens — the Cold War fears of the day also creep their way into the plot.

That admittedly thin plot, for the record, centers on the invention by Morgus of his Instant People Machine, which is capable of dehydrating humans — transforming them into a tidy pile of sand — for later reconstitution.

When an agent from the fictional, Soviet-flavored nation of Microvania learns about it, he hatches a nefarious plan for its use.

The groundbreaking Dr. Morgus

To be sure, Haig’s film is by no measure a technical achievement, boasting low production value, amateurish lighting and equally sketchy sound. Neither can it be characterized as sophisticated in any way. This is goofy, cartoon-styled humor, by design.

At the same time, it was also groundbreaking. Tonally, it is best compared to the low-key humor of “The Addams Family,” the gold standard for such light, playfully macabre silliness.

Like the Addamses, Morgus was always more amusingly clever than rolling-in-the-aisles funny, but the zaniness on display made both equally hard to resist.

But it’s worth noting that upon the 1962 release of “The Wacky World of Dr. Morgus,” “The Addams Family” was still two years from making the jump from the funny pages to TV, debuting in September 1964 on ABC.

(And because you’re wondering, the similarly themed “The Munsters” would make its debut a week later on CBS.)

A gentle horror-satire pioneer

In other words: Morgus, already recognized as one of American TV’s first horror hosts, also pioneered the brand of gentle horror-satire for which those two better-known series became known.

From a storytelling standpoint, “Wacky World” is also without question Morgus’ most fully formed misadventure, unencumbered by the spatial restrictions of the TV studio in which his wraparound segments were recorded.

Instead, he got to run amok throughout the city. In that regard, “Wacky World” doubles as a fun midcentury time capsule, with scenes shot in such places as Pirate Alley and Cabildo Alley in the French Quarter; at Christian Brothers School, which doubled as a Microvanian embassy; and Owens’ old Bourbon Street-adjacent haunt, the 809 Club.

Perhaps most of all, the film offers a rush of nostalgia, transporting generations of New Orleanians to an earlier time.

And they still can’t get enough of it.

Dr. Morgus lives on

On Friday (Oct. 18), WYES-TV will host its second annual Morgus Madness fundraising soiree. On Oct. 26, just in time for Halloween, they will air three restored Morgus episodes.

As of this writing, there are no announced plans to air “The Wacky World of Dr. Morgus” locally, although dedicated fans can find it on YouTube. Granted, it’s a rough-around-the-edges, low-res home-video transfer, but in a way that feels like a match for Morgus’ DIY vibe.

If so inclined, you might want to hurry and watch it now, before it falls victim to a copyright complaint.

Contrary to popular belief, the internet isn’t eternal.

Unlike Morgus.

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MORGUS MADNESS

WHAT:WYES-TV hosts a Morgus-themed fundraising soiree, with a costume contest.

WHEN:7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18.

WHERE:WYES studios, 916 Navarre St.

TICKETS:$45; available at WYES.org.