Movieland Wax Museum- The Merry Widow

Considered one of the most popular movie musicals of all time, the scene shown here at the Movieland Wax Museum is from The Merry Widow(1934), which stars Maurice Chevalier (1888-1972) and Jeanette MacDonald (1903-65). A film version of the famous operetta, the Merry Widow was so popular that Movieland created a set to honor the film in 1966. Chevalier was on hand to dedicate it, but Macdonald had recently died in January of 1965. The lighting on this tableau was pretty amazing., making it a very memorable scene.


Without the lighting, the scene does not have as much strength, and the paint job makes the figures look like burn victims. Lighting can turn an average set into a great one.

Of course all Movieland sets had these clapboard signs giving a description of the scene. Sometimes, as with this scene, an extra bit of information was provided. At the Movieland auction Chevalier's and MacDonald's figures sold for $600 each. The set pieces sold for $800, the set itself sold for $250, while the chandelier (bottom most part can be seen in picture number two) which hung above the scene sold for $950.

View Maurice Chevalier's filmography here.

View Jeanette MacDonald's filmography here.

Tags: Movieland Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Maurice Chevalier Jeanette MacDonald Merry Widow

Palace of Living Art- American Gothic

(Grant Wood 1930)
The Palace of Living Art was a section of the Movieland Wax Museum that focused on recreations of famous Artistic masterpieces. Paintings, sculptures, and Artists were all represented in the museum. I am not sure if the Palace of Living Art had a separate admission, or if it was part of the Movieland tour. The Palace closed shortly before the opening of the Black Box Chamber of horrors interactive experience, which opened around 1982. Rumor has it that some of the sculptures were so heavy that they could not be moved, so right behind some of the horror sets were large marble statues. Sometime later, the Black Box was removed and a different, more static Chamber of Horrors was introduced. One of the most interesting pieces of art from the palace was a large recreation of the statue of David. The statue remained until Movieland's closing in 2005, and sold for an incredible $120,000.

After the removal of the Palace, the collection moved North to the San Fransisco Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf. American Gothic can still be seen there, as can other scenes from this smaller Palace of Living Art.

View more information on the Grant Wood Painting; American Gothic here.

Visit the Palace of Living Art in San Fransisco here.

Tags: Palace of Living Art Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax American Gothic

Southwestern Historical Wax Museum- Chamber of Horrors

Keeping with our Halloween theme, the Southwestern Historical Wax Museum displays a brutal scene of four men being hanged. I have no idea if the chickens are wax or live, or for what reason they are there. Many Chamber of Horrors just have random scenes of violence, and this may be one of them. Seeing a person hanged is scary enough, and at least the set fits in with the Southwestern theme.

The Southwestern Historical Wax Museum, located in Grand Prairie Texas burned down in 1988. Most noted for their Bonnie and Clyde death car, the museum reopened as the Palace of Wax shortly thereafter. The museum is still in operation and houses a Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum as well.

Visit the Louis Tussaud's Palace of Wax Museum here.

Tags: Louis Tussaud's Southwestern Historical Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Chamber of Horrors