1964-65 New York World's Fair Groundbreaking and Dedication Booklets

WALTER'S INTERNATIONAL

DEDICATION AT THE NEW YORK WORLD'S FAIR 1964-1965 OCTOBER t, 1963

Mr. Robert Moses, president of the New York World's Fair,
speaking at dedication ceremonies for Walter's International
Wax Museum. Ambassador Richard C. Patterson, Jr., Chief
of Protocol, is at right.

Cover: Walter's International Wax Museum will contain more than thirty life-size tableaux based on famous paintings,
mythology, religious and historic events, and motion picture and television personalities. The architect is Mr. John
Harold Barry.

Excerpts from transcription of remarks made by
officials of Walter's International Wax Museum
and the Fair at dedication ceremonies at the New
York World's Fair, October 1, 1963.

AMBASSADOR RICHARD C. PATTERSON, JR.
[Chief of Protocol]: Mr. Walter, Mr. Moses, Mr. Con-
stable and ladies and gentlemen. A world's fair serves
many purposes, and one of them is to provide entertain-
ment for its visitors — not the sort of entertainment sug-
gested by some misguided people, but as Mr. Moses has
so often said, a wholesome program, which will appeal
to all people.

Walter's International Wax Museum fits this bill per-
fectly, and if what happened at the Seattle World's Fair
is any indication, it could turn out to be one of the most
popular exhibits at the Fair. The Wax Museum — Paris
Spectacular at Seattle attracted over one million paying

guests. This turn-out more than justified the belief of Lou
and Manny Walter that wax museums are a lost art in
America.

Long and varied experience in many fields has made
our first speaker the perfect choice for the post he holds.
He is an architect, a landscape specialist, a dedicated
public official, and a famous consultant to countless official
and private agencies. I am privileged to present the vice
president of Operations, Mr. Stuart Constable.

MR. STUART CONSTABLE: Thank you. We're de-
lighted to welcome the Walter's Wax Museum people
here at this ceremony. We are sure that their show will
be as great a success as was the one in Seattle. We'll be
seeing you people from now through the operating period
of the Fair. There's just one thing I want to say: I do not
believe that the characters in your production are likely to
give our police very much trouble.

And now it gives me a great deal of pleasure to intro-
duce the man with whom I have been associated for thirty
years, Mr. Robert Moses, president of the World's Fair.

MR. ROBERT MOSES: I like these shows. My mind
goes back to earlier days in New York — when my family-
moved here from New Haven. One of the things that I
was introduced to was the Eden Musee down on 23 rd
Street. My brother and I, and chums of ours, used to go
down there very often — we loved the wax figures ;

1963 New York World's Fair 1964-1965 Corporation

they were very good. And there were some very gruesome
ones that we liked, too — one was a fellow in India, being
put to death by having an elephant step on his head. A
delightful scene. And they had a character there called
"Ajeeb" ; he was a chess and checker player from the
Near or Far East. He had wires inside of him and he was
terrific. He could beat practically anybody in chess or
checkers, and if you tried any funny stuff, he'd sweep all
the pieces off the checker board. And actually, of course,
there couldn't have been anyone inside this thing — it was
all wired. We were always trying to figure out where
Ajeeb really was, and how he made this thing work.

We found out one day — we went down there and
stood on a brownstone stoop across the way, next to the
Putnam Publishing House, and we found that Ajeeb was
up in the ceiling, working this thing with wires. And
when he saw these two fresh kids across the way watching.
he pulled down the shades, but by that time we knew
where Ajeeb was.

I don't know whether or not you're going to have an
Ajeeb. I like all these characters here very much, I think
they're terrific.

Anybody who wanders into one of these places at night
is going to have a terrific experience. I think this museum
is one of the most entertaining things and I'm delighted
that we have it here. I'm an afficionalo — if that's the

word — of these wax works. I think this will be a great
thing, and I think Fair visitors are going to enjoy it
immensely.

Now, I have a couple of medallions that I want to
present to Mr. Lou Walter — one for him and one for
his brother. The medallion has the Unisphere® on one
side and the coat of arms of the City of New York on the
other. The reason for the coat of arms is that 1964 will be
the 300th anniversary of the City. Will you keep this
among your wax works and look at it occasionally, Mr.
Walter?

AMBASSADOR PATTERSON: Ladies and gentle-
men, earlier I referred to the success of Lou and Manny's
Wax Museum — Paris Spectacular at the Seattle Fair. It
all began in the late 1950s when these two prominent Cali-
fornia businessmen toured the wax museums of Europe.
They decided this was a lost craft in America, and they
would do something about it. We are grateful that they
did, and that the millions of Fair visitors will see a sample
of this fabulous art. I have the privilege of introducing
Mr. Lou Walter.

MR LOU WALTER: Thank you. Mr. Moses and offi-
cials of the Fair. Before we came into this room we were
taken into the briefing room and one becomes spellbound.
It's such a magnificent feat — the World's Fair of 1964-
1965. We are blessed to be born in the days when we can

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Mr. Lou Walter, of Walter's International Wax Museum,
receiving official Fair medallion from Mr. Robert Moses.

Discussing the wax figures are Mr. Stuart Constable, vice
president in charge of Operations at the Fair, Mr. Lou
Walter, and Mr. Robert Moses.

have the type of architectural and structural designs within
our grasp today. And we are very happy to be part of
this magnificent undertaking. I am sure we will do our
best to make this — our show — a success and keep it in
a dignified and elegant manner. We will have a medium
of entertainment that will reach all the masses — the
young and the old.

Our building is under construction now, and it will be
up in time. I would like to say we were the first exhibit
in the entertainment field in Seattle to be up in time. So
we're going to meet our schedule here, also. We feel that
we have the experience behind us and we will go forward
and will be a big asset.

I'd like to say one more thing, if I may. I failed to
introduce my wife, who has been a mainstay in our under-
taking: Mrs. Lou Walter.

AMBASSADOR PATTERSON: Thank you, Mr. Wal-
ter. Here is a telegram, just handed to me, from Mr. Lou
Walter's brother:

"Walter's International Wax Museum, care of the
World's Fair Board Room: Dear Lou: We have gone
through many hard and trying days together. My wishes,
I am sure, are as yours — that this day will be memorable
and successful and coupled with the happiness and health
that we have had in our many years of association. Love
to you. Signed, brother Manny."

WALTER'S INTERNATIONAL WAX MUSEUM

will occupy a 24,489
sq. ft. area in the
Lake Amusement Area.

WALTER'S INTERNATIONAL WAX MUSEUM

LOU WALTER

MANNY WALTER

JOHN HAROLD BARRY, A.I.A., Architect

NEW YORK WORLD'S FAIR 1964-1965 CORPORATION

Flushing, N. Y. 11380

Tel. 21 2- WF 4-1964

ROBERT MOSES, President

THOMAS J. DEEGAN, JR., Choir/nan of the Executive Committee

WILLIAM E. POTTER, Executive Vice President

CHARLES POLETTI, Vice President, International Affairs and Exhibits

STUART CONSTABLE, Vice President, Operations

WILLIAM BERNS, Vice President, Communications and Public Relations

ERWIN WITT, Comptroller

MARTIN STONE, Director of Industrial Section

GUY F. TOZZOLI, (Port of New York Authority) Transportation Section

ERNESTINE R. HAIG, Secretory of tiie Corporation and Assistant to the President

WILLIAM WHIPPLE, JR., Chief Engineer