Admittedly I’ve haven’t seen my old friends Superman and Batman for a while, even though they were only a few miles away. But when I heard that they were about to lose their home, I had to drop by to see them one more time. And Indiana Jones, Captain Kirk, General Patton, Butch and Sundance, Frankenstein, Dracula, Ben Hur…
After 43 years of operation, the formerly world famous Movieland Wax Museum in Buena Park, California is closing on Halloween night. :cry:
The museum website is:
http://www.movielandwaxmuseum.com/Press coverage are at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-101805movieland_lat,1,3495377.story?coll=la-story-footer&track=morenewshttp://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2005-10-19-museum-closing_x.htm?csp=34http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20051027-094123-5026r(Note – I have NO IDEA how long these links will remain active, as news stories are constantly being updated and the Movieland site will most likely be taken down immediately.)
I used to visit the museum fairly often as a kid, but over the years the exhibits grew dusty and dated. The wax sculptors couldn’t keep up with the constant flood of new celebrities, and I suspect many Hollywood publicists gave up on Movieland. But there was a time when stars were SO enthusiastic about being immortalized in wax that they endured the measuring process (though no life casts were taken – the heads were all sculpted in clay first), donated personal items (some figures wear the actual movie costumes) and participated in the grand unveiling ceremony. Many returned to visit their wax alter-egos -- Vincent Price sometimes “replaced” himself in the “House of Wax” scene, scaring tourists to death when he suddenly “came to life”. :twisted:
I paid my “last respects” to Movieland on Friday, and I was quite saddened to see how far things have deteriorated. Even under perfect climate conditions statues need to be recast every so many years as the wax dries out. This is extremely time-consuming and expensive, as all hair must be individually inserted. Apparently the hands aren’t replaced as often as the faces, so I saw many figures with relatively recent heads, but cracking grayish hands that looked almost reptilian. And the dingy costumes (some fading under harsh spotlights) look like they were never cleaned.
As an example of Movieland’s sad decline, I took a close look at the Christopher Reeve statue (in a Superman costume donated by Warner Brothers). He was still impressive and in recognizable condition surrounded by his Fortress of Solitude set, but Supe’s trademark single “spit-curl” had frayed apart, and his costume was showing signs of sagging and stretching. (Granted, even a “super suit” was never designed to be worn 24/7 for over two decades.) And for some inexplicable reason he was sharing the same space with the female android from Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” movie! :shock: (Nice try in squeezing together “theme” subjects, Movieland, but she’s from the WRONG Metropolis!) :wink: There were similar odd groupings throughout the museum, as figures were removed from their original sets and crammed together in space-saving montages – Jerry Lewis and Eddie Murphy sharing a chemistry lab as the two “Nutty Professors” was inspired, but what was Brigitte Bardot from “And God Created Woman” doing in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”? :roll:
Poor Batman. I couldn’t believe what Movieland did to the Michael Keaton Caped Crusader. Actually, I suspect they just stuffed a generic figure into that dust-covered Batsuit – his cowl and belt were awry, and he was unnaturally propped up in a closet-like cubbyhole… IN THE CHAMBER OF HORRORS! :shock: (Perhaps that was a not-so-subtle editorial comment on the state of the current Dark Knight?) :wink:
After Movieland closes, most of the statues will be transferred to the more-successful sister museum in San Francisco, while others will be auctioned off. I’m sure Superman will be one of the fortunate ones, but Bats looks like he already suffered a “meltdown”. A sad end of an era, but at least I can still remember them in their glory days, when you could view a Man of Wax and visualize a true Man of Steel… :cry:
(By the way, Great Rao -- I have a postcard of the Superman figure. If you want this image for this website, let me know and I'll scan it.)
Dilber MC Theme by HarzeM