R.I.P. Movieland Wax Museum

I just saw that Movieland Wax Museum in Buena Park is closing it's doors Oct. 31st

http://www.movielandwaxmuseum.com/

I know it's really cheezy but I hate to see it go. A pizza place will be taking over the building...

Buena Park is losing all it's cheesy tourist attractions. Gone are Japanese Village/Deer Park, that alligator farm across the street from Knotts Berry Farm and now Movieland Wax Museum

There use to be a museum in Buena Park called "Cars of the Stars and Planes of Fame" which displayed movie props and custom cars by Ed Roth and George Barris. Pin Stripping legend, Von Dutch, use to be employed there and would camp in the parking lot.

http://www.laweekly.com/ink/02/44/art-harvey.php

http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/04/18/cover-douglas.php

I'm not sure if it was part of Movieland Wax Museum or a separate entity in itself.

This really is sad. I was planning on taking my son to see the Wax Museum for the first time this Christmas holiday.

I have such great memories of that place as a kid.

The Alligator Farm!?! Wow, now there's a flashback. How fun was that place?? It's ashame that it went by the wayside as well all those years ago.

You are right, history in that area is dying. Even parts of Knotts are not the same anymore.

(sigh)

I had a birthday party there once.
Japanese Village/Deer Park, that alligator farm. Movieland Wax Museum, Cars of the Stars and Planes of Fame.
All great memories.

I've got VERY old B-Day photos of me as a kid and my buddies celebrating my b-day over many years at the Wax Museum in Buena Park. Every photo was taken with the Frankenstein prop - think I've gotta go before they shut it down and see how Frankie's held up!
Holden

I heard they're making a tiki pizza place there. Bummer! Kill the old with the new!

Let's see the pics smoggy. You were so cute as a child.
Hey Ben boo bam, pizza is not new.
Maybe they couldn't keep up with all the dust on the wax. eeeewww, so morbid.

On 2005-10-21 23:52, smogbreather wrote:
think I've gotta go before they shut it down and see how Frankie's held up!
Holden

Let me know Smoggy!
I see a "Tiki Time Shell" in the works!

On 2005-10-23 01:01, Unga Bunga wrote:

On 2005-10-21 23:52, smogbreather wrote:
think I've gotta go before they shut it down and see how Frankie's held up!
Holden

Let me know Smoggy!
I see a "Tiki Time Shell" in the works!

When's the official shut down date? Should we do a pilgrimage? I'll try to dig up some of the old b-day pic's - they're pretty hilarious! They're circa approx. 1971-5; classic!
Holden

I want to go Too!!! Let's figure it out!!!
Later,
Spermy

Man - I'd love to see it one last time.... anyone have a date in mind?

What - no takers?

If I didn't have so much going on before Halloween, I'd definitely go. Why oh why couldn't they have chosen a different month to close in :(

Oh goodness! Well, we'll be passing through just in time then to stop in before it closes. I wonder what's going to happen to the sculptures?

Rae

Apparently, when your a kid, things are more acceptable (reg. visually)? Some of the photos from their website are plain lousy.
They sure did a lousy job on John Lennon.

What the hell is Jethro sittin on with that shit grin.

This one's supposed to be Jim Carrey

I think he looks more like Jim Nabors...

On 2005-10-26 15:06, Unga Bunga wrote:
They sure did a lousy job on John Lennon.

Are you sure? I think it's actually a good image of Bea Arthur...

Here's a story on Mouseplanet on Movieland Wax Museum and Buena Park back in the old days

Mouseplanet: Movieland Wax Museum

[ Edited by: King Bushwich the 33rd 2018-07-30 13:58 ]

Here's an email I got from Charles Phoenix's list. It is closing MONDAY-HALLOWEEN!!!

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, http://www.movielandwaxmuseum.com

Here’s to MOVIELAND WAX MUSEUM and YOU

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Charles Phoenix

October 27, 2005.

FYI, Movieland is owned by the same folks who own the wax museum at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. I predict we'll see lots of Movieland stuff up north really soon!

Movieland Wax Museum, Buena Park, commercial

Some Movieland Wax from Zac Efron:

**W O W :up: **
I just about hakmybreakfast!

seriously did you HEAR me? I didnt SEE that coming...lmao...foul! :lol:
I find earwax harder to look at than seeing shit in random places(dog or other)...seriously...

[ Edited by: Tom Slick 2010-05-02 10:02 ]

From a post by Orange County California History on other social media

"Apparently a longtime landmark in Buena Park is coming down today. Yes, the Movieland Wax Museum sign on Beach Boulevard is looking like it has seen it's last in the center of the Southland."

And news story

Orange County Register: Buena Park leaders approve removal of well-known Movieland Wax Museum sign

[ Edited by: king bushwich the 33rd 2018-07-30 16:44 ]

Didn't know this thread existed. I was a lighting designer at Movieland Wax Museum, mostly for the Black Box attraction, where I also repaired a number of broken special effects. I worked directly with their wax sculptor, Logan Fleming, and with former Disney Imagineer Tom Rogers, and his team. I pretty much had free run of the place, including what remained of the old and then-closed Palace of Living Art. I did attend the final day of operation and took lots of photos. I have lots of memories of the place and am fortunate that I was able to go back and take some photos before it was closed and the collection was sold off.

Butterfly Pavilion to be built on site of the former Movieland Wax Museum!?

Butterfly pavilion approved as Buena Park’s next big attraction, replacing Movieland Wax Museum