Infused with all the glamour of Old Hollywood, the four-floor Hollywood Museum houses over 10,000 authentic items of memorabilia from films, TV shows and iconic movie stars. The exhaustive celluloid collection embraces the kitsch, cool and sometimes creepy from the silent era to now.
Want to see Elvis' bathrobe, Hannibal Lecter's jail cell from 'Silence of the Lambs', Rocky's boxing gloves or props from Charlie Chaplin's movies? They're all at the Hollywood Museum in the former Max Factor building where the makeup was manufactured and stars were also made, made up or manufactured, depending on your take.
The landmark Art Deco building now contains extensive exhibits of Hollywood memorabilia from costumes, early filming equipment and props to movie posters, photographs, scripts and even personal belongings of the stars.
Fittingly, the lower level houses all the memorabilia from Hollywood horror flicks such as Boris Karloff's mummy and showbiz treasures from Frankenstein, Vampira and Elvira. Elsewhere, famous costumes include pieces worn by Marilyn Monroe, and those used in movies such as 'Moulin Rouge', 'Planet of the Apes' and 'Superman' and TV shows like 'I Love Lucy', 'Glee' and 'Baywatch'.
The piece de resistance has to be the Max Factor exhibit featuring separate dressing rooms showcasing where the legendary makeup artist created Marilyn's blonde hue or Lucille Ball's red 'do. The world-famous makeup rooms also display the cosmetic cases owned by silver screen sirens such as Lana Turner, Ginger Rogers and Bette Davis.
To visit the Hollywood Museum, from Civic Center Station in downtown Los Angeles take the Metro Red Line subway to Hollywood/ Highland Station. From here, it's a two-minute walk down Highland Avenue to the museum. Adult entry is US$15, children over six years are US$6 and kids aged five and under are US$5.
