Movieland Wax Museum, Buena Park, CA, 1965
MOVIELAND WAX MUSEUM CLOSING!
Pale wax movie stars embrace at MOVIELAND WAX MUSEUM, BUENA PARK, 1965. If they had a wick you could burn them. They are practically candles.
I’ll never forget the day in third grade when my friend Kevin Moore turned to me and said “I have so much wax in my ear I could make a candle!” Wax is one of the weirdest things on earth. We burn it, we shine our cars with it, color books with it and for a fee licensed professionals use it to painfully remove unwanted body hair. Wax comes from a wide variety of sources. Honey bees make it and so we- in our ears. And there are those among us who model the substance into life-size figurines that resemble famous people and display them in so-called museums.
MOVIELAND WAX MUSEUM is closing its doors for good after 43 years on October 31, 2005. Silent film star Mary Pickford dedicated the original 300 wax figures at the grand opening in 1962. According to the legend she arrived for the ceremony in the gold Rolls Royce that was parked out front for years.
I haven’t been to the MOVIELAND WAX MUSEUM since 1969. I was six. We took relatives there who were visiting from Oklahoma. They were SO impressed and I was SO proud. But frankly, I don’t remember much about the place except for the nude statues that totally embarrassed me and that oh-so elegant facade.
There is no way this place is gonna close without me seeing all those wax wonders for the last time. I wanna see how they’ve all aged! SO, I’LL BE THERE LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON HOPING TO RUN INTO YOU!
Movieland Wax Museum is located at 7711 Beach Blvd., in Buena Park, CA, Just one block north from Knott’s Berry Farm, movielandwaxmuseum.com
Here’s to MOVIELAND WAX MUSEUM and YOU
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
When this Slide of the Week first showed up in my email in box, I remember that my first question was, “Who are these pale wax movie stars?”
Movieland Wax Museum must have thought these were some heavy hitters in their day to immortalize their embrace in wax. My first clue came from Mr. Phoenix himself who only knew that the woman was Hedy Lamarr. A little research first had me thinking that she was about to smooch Victor Mature in a scene from Samson and Delilah, but the man’s clothing put an end to that assumption. A bit more digging and I came up with an even older film called “White Cargo” from 1942, where Hedy played the role of Tondelayo on an African plantation. And that would make the man in the safari pants, Walter Pidgeon.
Here’s to movies, wax, and you Mr. Phoenix!
Hi there,
To solve the mystery of the man in the movieland Wax museum with Hedy Lamar, its Robert Taylor from the 1939 movie Lady of the tropics,glad I could help.
Take care, Greg
The woman figure looks like Hedy Lamarr
but the male figure doesn’t look like Robert Taylor.
I recall going to the wax museum in the back of a 1976 mopar rental wagon with my cosions from Mass. and my grandma she would not let us look at the nudes out front!!! Lots of fun I think it is stil open?
Could you please tell me where I could find the actual figure or a picture of Rosemary Kabibi (sp?). This was a figure that the Movieland Wax Museum used to advertise in the early to mid 80s, when I was a child. And help would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Nazanin
I went to the antique row in Pomona and got to chatting with one of the workers in a store. When the Wax Museum closed last year, they auctioned off all the sets. What you could not carry was dumped. Some of the old slate boards are for sale in pomona as well as some of the wax heads!
What ever happened the the “Gold Rolls Royce” that sat in front of the Musuem for years? Where is it now.
I loved Movieland Wax Museum. My boyfriend and I had one of our first dates there and were sad to see it go. But I did have good times there. It was especially fun to go there drunk and high and trip on all the wax figures. Sometimes scary, but always fun.
Rosemary kabibi was not a wax figure but a charactor from a commercial for “The Black Box” at Movieland Wax Museum.”The Black Box” was Halloween,Alien, and Altered States.There was sound and light effects.The wax figures moved also.It was like being in those three movies.The commercial showed Rosemary Kabibi with eyes bugged out and hair all crazy from being scarred.Then the voice-over would say “The lights are on but nobodies home.”
This is a horrible picture (bad lighting or bad application of makeup). I worked here from 1977-1984. The original artist was fabulous. But his replacement did a poor job at recreating these figures and maintenance. You can tell the difference between these two artists. It was a great time there, and we have been enjoying reunions the past three years.
Kathy, what department did you work in? I worked there sometime close to those years. The first week I started was the week they had Vincent Price host the opening of the Black Box. Started out at the snack bar in the middle of the place, then worked in the country-themed gift shop (Statler Brothers sound-track permanently etched into my memory), then the front door and the gorilla picture spot. I eventually was sent across the street to Kingdom of Dancing Stallions gift shop, during the time the owner’s husband killed himself on the property. Hated the jobs, LOVED Movieland!
Lucy
You worked with Suzie Sully in the gift shop at Kingdom. I was one of the Aussies working there. Gday to you all.
David
Does anyone know where the Gold Rolls Royce is now that stood in front of the Wax Museum for many years.
George
blackdiamond8@juno.com
Kathy or Lucy what happend to the Gold Rolls Royce!!!! where is it now!!!
I have the picture of the Gold Rolls Royce that my dad took Circa 1964 e-mail me if you want to see it.
Hi all,
I loved Movieland, and was there a lot during the end. Collected and purchased some of the stuff. I know the Gold Rolls Royce was auctioned off. I’ll try and dig up more details on it. I know I have video of it from just before it closed.
Lucy – I’d love to interview you and get some info from you. Post if you’d be up for it. I’ll check back often.
Take care,
Lands
Lands, if you check back, I’m not sure if the Boss can connect you with my email address. Happy to chat about it.
David McEvoy: Wow, you wild rascal! Where are you riding these days?
Mr. Charles Phoenix: Sorry if this clutters up your comment boards. Post only if its not a problem.
I pitched Ira Glass’ PBS show to do a story on “where are these works now.” I hoped they might like to explore the human psyche as to why we as a culture are so fascinated with celebrity and icons (wax and real) that many would spend thousands to own a piece and display them in their homes (creepy I think, but that’s where a number of these works are now). I thought it would be a great story, but I have never heard back from them.
Having run across this neat site, I wonder… if enough of you are interested in the same story, perhaps I could repitch them … this time with a petition of potential listeners? What do you think?
Please drop me a line at bcastgrrl (at) gmail.com if you’d allow me to use your first name, city and email address in a petition. It won’t be post it, or sell it- I promise and I can send you a copy of the response (I did get one last time). Thanks!
-Kris
THESE PEOPLE DON’T LOOK REAL !!!
Wow, that place was creepy for me at the time. And what about the Aligator Farm right down the street? Good times.
Wow, just ran into this while doing some research for another project… I’m lighting designer and effects technician that worked on the Black Box. I worked directly with the original sculptor, and with some very talented (some were ex-Disney) folks who had been contracted for various elements of the show. Good to see that some folks still remember the Black Box. Poor Rosemary. I don’t think she’s quite recovered yet! –Frank
f n o s a l e k ‘at’ e a r t h l i n k . n e t
Movieland was a great place to work. I worked there about 8 years. Early on in the gift shops…then later on in public relations. Wonderful co-workers. The Palace of Living Art was outstanding. The Pieta was an exact duplicate of Michelangelo’s masterpiece. The crucifixion scene was very moving. Bye for now.
Well, i was going to go there with my grandmother today, while i looked on the website to find out it had closed down. I was looking foward to go there, because i never have and it looked vey cool. now i have to wait to go to the one in holly wood until summer. It should reopen its doors with newly made statues!!
Wow – what a blast to the past! I worked at Movieland Wax Museum, too – it was my first job at age 16! I worked in the Superman Shop, dressed in a Superman costume, listening to the theme for Superman and people telling me all day that I was “Supergirl” as if it was the first time anyone had ever thought of it! Those were definitely some fun times – the Palace of Living Art was amazing…and meeting Tommy Smothers, Vincent Price, Ed Asner, Anthony Perkins and Elvira! So, David McEvoy remembers me at the Kingdom of Dancing Stallions??? I will never forget my time working there either – and my relationship with a handsome and charming Australian equestrian… memories