FILM RADAR: Film Museums

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Friday, January 15th, 2010

Film Museums

This past holiday season, I took a little roadtrip with my parents to Harlem, Georgia to visit the Laurel and Hardy Museum. I’ll post my photos in a few days. It was a fun experience and it got me to wondering what other film museums might be out there. After doing numerous google searches, I came up with the results listed below. I notice that stars who came from small towns tend to get museums as opposed to stars born in major hub cities like New York or Los Angeles. There is a sense or pride or “claim to fame” for many of these small towns. I know that the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences is planning to build a film museum, but I hear that project has been slowed down considerably due to the current economic crisis. I really hope it does happen someday. Hollywood has such a rich and fascinating history and we need a large scale museum to showcase that. The good news is that the Academy has really impressive exhibitions that change year round. These exhibitions are always free and open to the public along with the Academy screenings throughout the year. Take a look at the list and let me know if there are any other museums out there that I’m missing!!!!

Star Museums

Clark Gable Museum in Cadiz, Ohio
I’m not sure if I’ll ever find myself being in Ohio, but I’ll put this on my list.

Ava Gardner Museum in Smithville, North Carolina
I literally stumbled across this museum while I was on a roadtrip with my parents to Virginia. It is a small museum, but really packed with fascinating items about Ava Gardner’s life and career. As a vintage fashion collector, I was also thrilled to see several evening gowns on display that were gifts to Ava from Howard Hughes. Ava Gardner and her family are buried at the Sunset Memorial Park cemetery one mile from the museum. They also have an Ava Gardner Film Festival each year to celebrate her life and career.

Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota
I haven’t been, but it is on my list.

Laurel and Hardy Museum in Harlem, Georgia
This museum is in the birthplace of the great Oliver Hardy. More details will be posted soon!

Laurel and Hardy Museum in Cumbria, England
This museum is in the birthplace of Stan Laurel. I must add this to my list for my next trip to England.

Carmen Miranda Museum at Parque do Flamengo, in Rio de Janeiro
I know someone who went to this museum and said is was rather ramshackle and decrepit. That makes me all the more curious to see it.

Marlene Dietrich Collection at the Filmmuseum in Berlin, Germany
I’m dying to see this museum as I love Marlene and the era of German Expressionism. Someday!!

Greta Garbo Museum in Smaland Province, a section of Sweden
I haven’t been, but it is on my list.

Individual Film Museums:

Wizard of Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas
I’m not sure when I’ll ever be in Kansas, but this may warrant a special trip.

Gone with the Wind Museum in Marietta, Georgia
This will be my next road trip when I’m with my parents again in Georgia.

Silent Film Related Museums:

Niles Essenay Silent Film Museum in Fremont, California
This film museum is a short jaunt from San Francicso and well worth the drive. They have docents who are passionate devotees of silent film and give excellent tours. The Niles Museum also has silent film screenings year round as well as a Broncho Billy Film Festival every summer. There are also little antique stores, a cafe, a biker bar and a vintage train in the immediate area as well. What more could you possibly ask for?

Hollywood Heritage Museum in Hollywood
If you are like me and live in Los Angeles, this is right in your backyard. This museum is affordable, has incredible docents and a series of lectures each month on the golden age of Hollywood. These lectures are only $5 for members and $10 for guests. Past lectures have included “Early Hollywood”, “Irving Thalberg and the Rise of MGM” and “Haunted Hollywood”. They also have books, DVDs, cards and numerous items for purchase. This museum/organization is also one of the strongest voices for historic preservation in Los Angeles. I strongly suggest paying a visit to the museum and showing your support.

Larger Film Museums:

National Museum of Cinema in Turin, Italy
I must must must return to Italy and see this!

Cinémathèque française in Paris, France
While the primary mission of the Cinémathèque is to show films, they also have three floors of stunning exhibition space. On my last trip to Paris I saw an exhibit to the great cinema pioneer Georges Melies, an exhibit on Hollywood and the history of Henri Langois and another exhibit about Dennis Hopper and the New Hollywood. There is also a gift shop in the building and three separate theatres to see films in usually seven days a week for most of the year. For any film fan, a visit to the Cinémathèque française is an absolute must!

Museum of Moving Image in Astoria, NY
I took a train to Queens and visited this museum in 2004, but I must admit it was disappointing. Astoria was a huge location for many silent films and where Paramount Pictures kept their East Coast Productions housed. Numerous stars such as Clara Bow, Louise Brooks and Gloria Swanson made films at the studio there. Read the book “Hollywood On the Hudson” by Richard Koszarski for more details on this. The museum’s costume selection consisted of Robert DeNiro costumes all from films after 1991. It mostly consisted of information about how films are made. There wasn’t really any trace of the silent era or of the in depth, detailed history I had hoped to find. Then again that was several years ago now. I might be tempted to visit again the next time I’m in New York to see if they have made any changes.

Hollywood Museum at the Max Factor Building in Hollywood, CA
I’m a bit mixed on this museum. I love the art deco design of the Max Factor building, but this museum tends to include WAY more modern film items for my taste. That said, they are the only large film museum we have at the moment.

Written by Karie (site owner) on 01/15 at 11:45 AM

3 Comments:

When I was in Pennsylvania, I was told about the James M. Stewart Museum in Indiana, PA. Indiana is just a small town at the foothills of the Alleghany Mountains and the three story building is very low tech. Just a suggestion for classic film buffs to explore. Oh, the general store where his Oscar was on display for 18 years no longer exists, just a plaque. That and numerous other awards and military honors are in the Museum.

Posted by James J Cremin on 01/20 at 04:49 AM
The Clark Gable Museum was such fun! A little place, but interesting and very nice people!

Posted by Megan Close on 01/22 at 02:02 PM
Thanks for stopping by the Ava Gardner Museum. Thanks for the list of celebrity museums, there were a few new ones I didn’t know about. We partner with the Clark Gable Museum quite often. There is also a Lucille Ball Museum in New York, a Gone With the Wind Museum in (where else?) Georgia, and a Rosemary Clooney Museum. Unfortunately, there are so few museums dedicated to celebrities or film; I can only think that no one thought to save items of importance for future generations.

Posted by Jessica on 01/25 at 03:18 AM