Hollywood Wax Museum- Terminator 2

After a long break from the blog, here's a quick post from the Hollywood Wax Museum. This shot shows former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in a scene from Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Because he played the same character in this series of movies, some entertainment wax museums used the same figure and just changed the title of the movie to make their figures seem more relevant.

Another view of the figure which shows more of its leather outfit.

I plan to start posting again since the hectic schedule I've had the past few months has somewhat gone back to normal.

Stars Hall of Fame Wax Museum- Sunset Boulevard

This shot from the Stars Hall of Fame Wax Museum in shows a scene from the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard. The film stars Gloria Swanson, Williams Holden and Erich von Stroheim. The film noir has been praised as on of the top films in motion picture history by the American Film Institute.

A closer view of the three stars. Many of the sets at the Stars Hall of Fame were identical to their counterparts at Movieland, and this tableaux seems to be no exception. I sometimes wonder if they used some of the same photos for both attractions. If so, the subtle differences in sets were be lost.

Madame Tussaud's- Severiano Ballesteros

Here's a vintage image of Spanish professional golf Severiano Ballesteros. He won fifty events on the European tour which is the most all time. Ballesteros golfed professionally from 1974 until his retirement in 2007. He also won the Master's twice; 1980 and 1983.

A close up up the quite dramatically posed figure.

Visit the Severiano Ballesteros website here.

Visit the Madame Tussaud's London website here.

Movieland Wax Museum- Donny and Marie

The brother and sister duo of Donny and Marie Osmond are seen here at the Movieland Wax Museum. The pair hosted their own variety show from 1976-1979 and have been in the entertainment spotlight off and on ever since. This scene represents their 1998 talk show of the same name.

Here is Donny Osmond with his arms crossed.

Marie Osmond holding one of her dolls. Osmond has had a doll making business since 1991.

A close up on the doll, Adora Belle. Even the Disney parks have sold Marie's line of dolls.

A clapboard sign of their show.

One more view of the two figures. They were sold together at the Movieland auction for $1,700. Exact copies of these two figures are still available to view at the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf. Both museums had the same owner and most figures from the 1990s and 2000s had duplicates.

Country Music Wax Museum- Rod Brasfield

(1910-1958)

This photo shows Grand Ole Opry comedic legend Rod Brasfield. Although he died young, 48 years old, Brasfield made a huge impression on the country music scene by being the main comedian at the Opry. He partnered with Minnie Pearl, and they both shared the spotlight. He died in 1958 due to heart failure.

Tags: Country Music Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Rod Brasfield

Movieland Wax Museum- The Thin Man

This shot from the 1934 movie, The Thin Man, shows William Powell and Myrna Loy in an amusing, yet slightly morbid scene. Powell plays Nick Charles, a retired detective and Loy is Nora, his wife.

Here's another view without the flash.

A close up Powell. Although he looks it, he actually is not the thin man.

A close up of the smiling Myrna Loy figure.

This small version of Asta the dog was once an animatronic figure. You can see how the arms are made to swing.

The clapboard sign, showing information on the film.

The William Powell figure sold for an impressive $3,000. The Myrna Loy figure sold for $700, and the set sold for $500. That included Asta the dog and a male extra figure that was lying on the couch. I'm not sure how detailed that figure was.

Tags: Movieland Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax The Thin Man

Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf- Willie Mays

The San Francisco Giants recently won the World Series and the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf did their part to celebrate the title. Many of the figures throughout the museum had Giants baseball caps on. Here we see legendary baseball player and San Francisco Giants center fielder Willie Mays sitting in the rotating carousel of figures in the museum's Lobby time Chamber. The figure is quite old, and has for years been shown in this sitting pose.

A closer view with newspaper articles in the background. Mays played for the Giants (Both New York and San Francisco) from 1951-1972.

A close up of the "Say Hey Kid".

Visit the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf website here.

Tags: San Francisco Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Willie Mays

News- Gwen Stefani at Madame Tussauds

The Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in Las Vegas unveiled their new Gwen Stefani wax figure today. The pop star was on hand for the big reveal, and as you can see the figure doesn't exactly look like the singer. It seems that the figure is based on an older version of the Gwen Sefani look. The real person is a lot more tan than the figure.

The figure stands alone. It looks like they created a whole body mold for this one.

Miss Gwen admires her wax abs.

The differences are striking when the two are next to each other.

A closer look at the figure.

Visit the Madame Tussaud's website here.

Tags: Madame Tussauds Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Gwen Stefani

(All photos property of Madame Tussauds)

Movieland Wax Museum- Marie Antoinette

This is Norma Shearer, famed Hollywood actress, as Marie Antoinette in the 1938 movie of the same name. In this tableau we see the detail of the figure's dress and the reflection of the previous scene, Blood and Sand.

This is the same shot, only with the flash on. Although the detail is the same, without the lighting the scene lacks the dramatic effect.

A close up of the figure.

The clapboard sign detailing the cost and weight of the dress.

The set and Props sold at the Movieland auction for $2,300, while the Norma Shearer figure sold for $1,800.

Tags: Movieland Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Marie Antoinette Norma Shearer

News- Rhianna Invades Madame Tussaud's

Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in Washington D.C. unveiled a new wax figure of pop singer Rhianna this past week. Here we see the figure before it was revealed in the museum. It is kind of a strange pose, but not unrealistic.

A close up of the figure. You can see the detail work on the face, and in the wardrobe.

And the unveiling in the museum. The umbrellas are a nice touch to personalize the exhibit. (For all of you out there who aren't familiar with the singer, Umbrella is the name of one of Rhianna's songs. I had no idea.)

A close up of the figure's face.

Visit the Madame Tussaud's website here.

Tags: Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Rhianna

Madame Tussauds Vegas- Arnold Schwarzenegger

At the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Las Vegas, standing beside Sylvester Stallone, is California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The two action stars Share the screen in the new movie The Expendables. Muscles are very difficult to sculpt on wax figures, but this one seems to be done well. Having them hidden under the shirt helps also.

Although the context of the figure is that he is at a large social gathering, it is slightly odd that Mr. Schwarzenegger is in this pose. Is he flexing his muscles? Is he angry?

Another view of the figure, just a bit closer.

What a great job they did on the figure's face. Nice detail, and it really looks like him. I've seen some poor versions of Arnold Schwarzenegger, but this one's excellent.

Visit the Madame Tussaud's website here.

Tags: Madame Tussauds Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Arnold Schwarzenegger

Stars Over Gatlinburg Wax Museum- Fred and Ginger

Here's another photo from Houses of Wax reader Purplepeanut from the Stars Over Gatlinburg Wax Museum in Tennessee. These figures of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (misspelled "Rodgers" on the sign) were in the same room with figures of Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind.

A closer view of the two figures. They did a great job on the sculpts for such a small wax museum.

A close up on the clap board sign with the misspelled name. Thanks again Purplepeanut for these great vintage photos!

Tags: Stars Over Gatlinburg Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Fred Astaire Ginger Rogers

Hollywood Wax Museum- Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman, Australian actor turned Hollywood heart throb, is represented here in the Hollywood Wax Museum as a wax figure standing near the red carpet in the museum's Hollywood premiere section. Although he is known as a family man and all around nice guy, Jackman appears to be upset at the museum guests as he is flippin' the bird to everyone who passes by!

Another view of Mr. Jackman.

And one more time with the offending appendages just out of view.

Visit the Hollywood Wax Museum website here.

Tags: Hollywood Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Hugh Jackman

News- Jane Lynch at Madame Tussaud's

Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in Hollywood unveiled their new Jane Lynch figure this week. Lynch, a Hollywood veteran, has become quite popular for her recent role in the fox television show Glee.

The figure dressed as the character Sue Sylvester.

The figure and Ms. Lynch.

Visit the Madame Tussaud's website here.

Tags: Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Jane Lynch

Movieland Wax Museum- Blood and Sand

This tableau from the Movieland Wax Museum shows Tyrone Power (1914-1958) as Juan Gallardo, a great Matador who finds the fame and fortune from bullfighting overwhelming.

A close up of the figure. This was one of the simpler sets in the museum. The lone figure stands in front of a small mural, and the only prop is the sand on the ground.

Another angle with flash. Power died at the age of 44 of a heart attack while filming the motion picture Solomon and Sheba.

A close up of the clap board sign.

Tags: Movieland Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Blood and Sand Tyrone Power