Wax Ray Milland (real name Reginald Alfred John Truscott-Jones) stars as wax Don Birnham, who goes on a legendary bender and emerges with a new friend...OSCAR! In the depicted scene, wax Birnham is thwarted in his attempt to cash in his typewriter for a stiff snort...the pawn is closed for a Jewish holiday. In the book, Don was secretly gay, but 1945 audiences weren't quite ready for that...a hopeless drunk was startling enough. Ray plays two roles for his kudo...Don the writer and Don the ravaged whiskey guzzling bat seeing rummy. The scenes of "Hangover Plaza" were filmed at Bellevue. In real life, Milland blamed a bad perm given to him for his performance in Reap the Wild Wind for his premature baldness, thus reducing him to second banana roles. Milland is also known for the shortest Academy Award acceptance speech in history, and it is a record which will stand. He said not a word, just bowed and left. For earlier entries of Horrors in Wax, click the subject heading below.
Dexter "SceniKrome" postcard, c. 1950. Collection Jim Linderman
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