Mystery of the Wax Museum

Mystery of the Wax Museum is a 1933 American PreCode mysteryhorror film released by Warner Bros. in twocolor Technicolor and directed by Michael Curtiz. The film stars Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Glenda Farrell, and Frank McHugh.

Ivan Igor Lionel Atwill is a sculptor who operates a wax museum in 1921 London. He gives a private tour to a friend and an investor, showing them sculptures of Joan of Arc, Voltaire, and his favorite, Marie Antoinette. Formerly a stone sculptor who did wax modeling as a hobby, he explains he turned to wax sculpting completely because he felt more satisfied that he could reproduce the warmth, flesh, and blood of life far more better in wax than in cold stone. The investor, impressed by his sculptures, offers to submit Igors work to the Royal Academy after he returns from a trip.Unfortunately business at the museum is failing due to peoples attraction to the macabre a nearby wax museum caters to that. Igors partner Joe Worth Edwin Maxwell proposes to burn the museum down for the insurance money of 10,000. Igor wont have it, but Worth starts a fire anyway. Igor tries to stop him, and he and Worth get into a fight. As they fight, wax masterworks are melting in the flames. Worth knocks Igor unconscious, leaving the sculptor to die in the fire. Igor survives, however, and reemergesyears later in New York City, reopening a new wax museum. His hands and legs have been badly crippled in the fire, and he must rely on assistants to create his new sculptures. ........

Source: Wikipedia