Double Stars and Double Takes

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The Hollywood Wax Museum is a top-notch tourist attraction where visitors are invited to “come play with the stars.” Luckily, you needn’t be in Hollywood to experience the acclaimed museum, although they appropriately boast a location there. You’ll find it on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles where close encounters with all your cinema faves await you.

Each figure reportedly takes three months to create, employing six artists at one time. Can’t find your favorite movie star? The museum’s website allows fans to vote for the subjects of future wax figures. If 500 million others share your tastes, you just might get your wish next time you drop in!

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But don’t yawn just yet. There’s no gazing behind glass panels here. Guests are encouraged to position themselves within imaginative set pieces for selfies. They even offer an array of props and accessories to make the pics legit.

Yes, you can finally dance with Marlene Dietrich, have a few yuks with Charlie Chaplin, pose with Marilyn Monroe, flex alongside Vin Diesel and run in fear from popular characters like King Kong, The Joker, The Terminator and Frankenstein’s Monster! It’s the place where you’ll mingle with the brightest stars in the world, no matter what list you’re on.

With three other locations in the U.S., there’s no reason not to go to Hollywood. The town is magically yours to behold in Branson, Missouri, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Only one drawback, of course — Don’t expect too many autographs.

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Christopher Robinson

Stars Frozen in Time

The golden years of Hollywood saw a nearly endless legion of talented actors and beloved stars come and go. At the Movieland Wax Museum in Buena Park, California, many of those figures actually gathered and lived together for decades... in wax.

Created in 1962 by Allen Parkinson, Movieland went through several shifts in ownership but enjoyed a hugely successful run as America’s biggest wax museum and a frequent tourist attraction. Visitors could gaze at their favorite screen icons and learn about their lives and work as they strolled through the building’s many ‘sets’ designed for the ambience of their Tinseltown subjects.

Those subjects included everyone from Rudolph Valentino and Tom Mix to Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable to Jennifer Lopez. An accompanying ‘Starprint Gallery’ collected famous cement hand prints to view as well.

Inevitably, time has cast a curious shadow on some of the choices that the artists made for the subjects of their creations. Bill Clinton, Billy Ray Cyrus, Ricky Martin and the Olsen Twins are a few that might have seemed appropriate for about a week or two but now only serve to forever boggle your pop culture mind.

In 2005 the waxy star palace finally closed its doors after 43 unrivaled years. The building itself has since been demolished and will apparently be set aside for what will be the world’s largest butterfly observatory!

Now only a fantastic memory of ‘celluloid heroes’, the Movieland Wax Museum is remembered for its first-rate showcasing of those greats of the silver screen with imagination and artistry that brought it all to the masses in style.

Acknowledgement: Thank you to Daveland for use of the photos in this story. Check out his blog, photography and art at davelandweb.com.

Contact Chris: Name: Email: Comment:

Christopher Robinson