Movieland Wax Museum gets waxed

BUENA PARK, Calif., Oct. 27 (UPI) -- The Buena Park, Calif., Movieland Wax Museum is taking its final bow on Halloween night.

Actress Mary Pickford christened the suburban Los Angeles tourist attraction at its opening 43 years ago, The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

But in recent years, interest has waned in the bleached beeswax replicas of stars such as Don Knotts, Shirley Temple, George Burns and Zazu Pitts, the newspaper said. Among other celebrities immortalized in wax are LeVar Burton, Madonna, Michael Jackson and Billy Ray Cyrus.

The newspaper noted older figures such as Paul Newman, Will Rogers and Lou Grant "look great" but many of the newer additions imply the creation of wax replicas is a dying art.

John Lennon looks like the stern woman in the "American Gothic" painting and Robin Williams looks like the embalmed love child of Boris Karloff and Jay Leno, the Times said.