Charles Phoenix’s Slide of the Week: Movieland Wax Museum, Buena Park, 1965

Movieland Wax Museum, Buena Park, 1965

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, www.movielandwaxmuseum.com

Here’s to MOVIELAND WAX MUSEUM and YOU

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Charles Phoenix

Visit Charles’ site, God Bless Americana, or join his Yahoo Group.