A recent article in the O.C. Register states that the city actually owns several of the old wax statues and sets from the Movieland Wax Museum. These figures, which include Shirley Temple on the Good Ship Lollipop, were donated to the city when their sales fell through. According to the article, the city was offered around $75,000 for the collection, but turned it down because they would like to incorporate these figures into whatever new development is planned for the site.
This is incredible! I was under the assumption that everything that sold at the auction was paid for, and that private collectors had these figures. Another amazing fact is that they say the figures are still inside the museum! It's rather spooky. Hopefully this whole issue will be resolved and we will be able to view these wonderful pieces of history.
View the article here.
Tags: Movieland Wax Museum Wax Figure
HOLY CRAP! They're STILL THERE?!?!
ReplyDeleteYour post says "several" of them are still around, and the Register article isn't any more specific. There are still a LOT of those figures I'd like to see up close.
If the city'd just let me LOOK at 'em and take some good pictures, that ALONE would be worth the cost of a plane ticket to me.
PLEASE let me know if you get ANY more details!
Richard Archer
purplepeanutjr@hotmail.com
Just adding some comments to the last post I made about the Movieland figures. Do you suppose they might still have the Greta Garbo figure from the "Queen Christina" set? Or the Norma Shearer "Marie Antoinette" figure? I always wanted to see the Jeanette MacDonald-Maurice Chevalier "Merry Widow" display, too, but as I recall, that was bought.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the Chamber of Horrors?
Later ...
Richard
purplepeanutjr@hotmail.com
The article says that the city values the collection at $150,000. Depending on which figures they are, there could be from a few sets to many. The Shirley Temple set "sold" for a big chunk of change, but many sold for quite a bit lower. Although, I still don't know what they're using as their estimates. I assume that they are using the auction prices. (However, how can you assign a price based on what someone bid but was unable to pay) Also, the company that was going to do the first develpoment bought several figures. I remember hearing that they had bought the Liz Taylor Cleopatra set. So that may be one of them. I really don't know much about it. Hopefully there will be more reported on it.
ReplyDelete