NEW ORLEANS — WYES will premiere a new documentary on Jan. 22 examining the career of Arthur Hardy, the longtime publisher of the “Mardi Gras Guide” whose five decades of writing and broadcast work have shaped how Carnival is documented and covered in New Orleans. Titled “ARTHUR HARDY: OUR MARDI GRAS GUIDE,” the program coincides with a milestone anniversary for the publication and Hardy’s planned retirement.
Documentary Premiere And Scope
The WYES documentary “ARTHUR HARDY: OUR MARDI GRAS GUIDE,” produced, edited and narrated by Dennis Woltering, will premiere on Thursday, January 22 at 7:30 p.m. on WYES-TV. The program will also stream live at wyes.org/live and on the PBS app. Following the broadcast, the documentary will be available permanently on WYES Passport, a member benefit.
According to WYES, Hardy’s friends, family and Carnival colleagues discuss his long involvement in Mardi Gras and his role in expanding awareness of the celebration’s cultural and economic impact in New Orleans and beyond. Interviews, archival photos and footage trace Hardy’s career and his decades of media coverage of Mardi Gras.
When Hardy and his wife Susan, both educators, founded the Mardi Gras Guide in 1977, his interests were in music more than Mardi Gras, as the band director at Brother Martin High School. Seeing a need for improved coverage of the Carnival parade calendar, the couple set out to create “the complete companion to the parade season.” It was not an overnight success, but the Hardys continued developing the publication.
Business grew and by the end of the next decade, Hardy and his signature bow tie were making television appearances that expanded the visibility of the Mardi Gras Guide. Since 1987, his encyclopedic knowledge has been featured in Carnival coverage on WWL, WDSU, WVUE, WYES, NOLA.com and WWL Radio. He has appeared in nationally produced documentaries about Carnival history and six times on NBC’s Today show.
Career Beyond Carnival Coverage
The fifth-generation New Orleanian and Warren Easton High School graduate has also played a role in the post-Hurricane Katrina success of his alma mater, where the school auditorium is named in his honor. He was a founding member of the Warren Easton Charter Foundation, helped raise millions for the school and spearheaded its Hall of Fame.
In addition to the Mardi Gras Guide, Hardy has written and published several editions of his book, “Mardi Gras in New Orleans: An Illustrated History,” and writes daily features during the parade season for local media.
During his 50-year career, he has written and broadcast extensively about Carnival through magazines, books, articles and television appearances. The documentary includes reflections from colleagues, friends and family members.
Interviews include: Arthur Hardy, Susan Hardy, Peggy Scott Laborde, Errol Laborde, Dr. Stephen Hales, Henri Schindler, Dominick Caronna, Jimmy Clark, Joe Duke, James Henderson Jr., David Johnson, Alexina Medley and John Snell.
About WYES
WYES is a storyteller for New Orleans, southeast Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. For 68 years, WYES has produced PBS programming, local documentaries and cooking series.
