Debbie Reynolds

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Mega-auction weekend for Entertainment Memorabilia is here

Filed under: Backstage Pass, Comics & Books, Con Culture, Fantasy Realms, Movies, Retro Fix, Sci-Fi Café, Superheroes, TV — Leave a comment

December 15, 2011

In the Entertainment Memorabilia auction community, today is day one of the biggest auction weekend in years. Following up on their second auction of Debbie Reynolds’ collection costumes, props and camera equipment from Hollywood’s Golden Age, Profiles in History pulled out all the stops and has accumulated props and costumes from sci-fi, fantasy, action TV and films, and an entire day devoted to original animation art. It begins with the Icons of Hollywood Auction today and tomorrow, December 15-16, 2011, and continues Sunday, December 17, 2011, with the Icons of Animation Auction.

As reported here December 6, 2011, one item on the block is a special effects arm used for Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Summers as the original Bionic Woman. But that just scratches the surface of great stuff available. And based on recent auctions, there is no global economy problem, as props and costumes are breaking past records. On eBay recently a Matt Smith Doctor Who costume sold for $75,000. With a franchise as popular as Star Trek, and as old and with a similar fan following, this kind of price reflects fan loyalty and what really loyal fans are willing to shell out to hold a piece of TV or silver screen magic in their hands.

The auction starts today with original studio marketing photographs of various actors and actresses over the past 100 years, as well as lobby cards, posters and one of a kind costume sketches by the likes of Edith Head and other early designers. Then lots of scripts and logo art from TV and film credits. Here are some key items from Day One:

Billy Mumy shirt for his role as Will Robinson from Lost in Space, with an estimate of $8,000 to $12,000.
One of the 1969 Dodge Chargers used as the General Lee in The Dukes of Hazzard has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000.
Dalek from a 1985 episode of Doctor Who, estimated at $10,000 to $12,000.
Mork from Ork costume from Mork and Mindy, estimated at $40,000 to $60,000

Some key items from Day Two:

Bela Lugosi screen-worn cape as Count Dracula from Dracula, estimated at $1,500,000 to $2,000,000.
Longbow from The Adventures of Robin Hood, estimated at $15,000 to $20,000.
Judy Garland gingham dress as Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz, estimated at $200,000 to $300,000.
One of four known pairs of ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, estimated at $2,000,000 to $3,000,000.
Bert Lahr’s Cowardly Lion costume from The Wizard of Oz, estimated at $2,000,000 to $3,000,000.

A variety of items from The Planet of the Apes and Back to the Future franchises.
The DeLorean from Back to the Future III that was at Comic-Con this year, estimated at $400,000 to $600,000.

Steve McQueen driving suit from LeMans, estimated at $200,000 to $300,000.
Steve McQueen U.S. Navy uniform from The Sand Pebbles, estimated at $30,000 to $50,000.

Gene Wilder Willy Wonka hat from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, estimated at $20,000 to $30,000.
Sean Connery Marko Ramius Russian naval uniform from The Hunt for Red October, estimated at $6,000 to $8,000.

The “Red October” submarine model from The Hunt for Red October, estimated at $20,000 to $30,000.
Michael Keaton batsuit from Batman Returns, estimated at $30,000 to $50,000.
Endo-skull from Terminator 2, estimated at $12,000 to $15,000.
Bruce Campbell Ash costume from Army of Darkness, estimated at $12,000 to $15,000.

Peter Weller Robocop costume from Robocop, estimated at $10,000 to $12,000.
James Marsden Cyclops costume from X-Men 2, estimated at $30,000 to $50,000.
PreCrime stunt jetpack from Minority Report, estimated at $4,000 to $6,000.
Bob Newhart Papa Elf costume from Elf, estimated at $8,000 to $12,000.
Will Farrell Buddy the Elf costume from Elf, estimated at $8,000 to $12,000.
Star Trek Original series wooden hand phaser, estimated at $30,000 to $50,000.
Patrick Stewart Captain Jean-Luc Picard tunic from Star Trek: The Next Generation, estimated at $4,000 to $6,000.
Jonathan Frakes Commander Will Riker tunic from Star Trek: The Next Generation, estimated at $3,000 to $4,000.

Collection of six costumes from bridge crew of Star Trek Voyager, estimated at $15,000 to $20,000.
Original NASA Gemini spacesuit, estimated at $150,000 to $250,000.
Russian spacesuit worn by first Russian woman to walk in space, estimated at $200,000 to $300,000.

On Day Three, every lot is a masterwork of animation history. Lots include original art from Little Golden Books like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Smokey the Bear and The Night Before Christmas, Charles Schulz art from The Pumpkin Patch and Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown, original work from production studios from Hanna Barbera to Walt Disney. Major highlights include:

The earliest known color cel of Mickey Mouse, estimated at $80,000 to $120,000.
Cels of the Queen and Snow White from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, estimated between $12,000 and $20,000.

Giant pan cel from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, estimated at $80,000 to $120,000.
Original Dumbo, Bambi, Lady and the Tramp and Cinderella cels, estimated at $4,000 to $8,000.

Several cels from Song of the South.
Several stunning cels of Sleeping Beauty and Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, estimated from $300 to $80,000.

More information is available at the Profiles in History website.

C.J. Bunce

Editor

borg.com

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Profiles in History displays original Back to the Future car at Comic-Con

Filed under: Backstage Pass, Con Culture, Movies, Retro Fix, Sci-Fi Café — 2 Comments

July 29, 2011

A familiar group in the original costume and prop collecting arena attended Comic-Con again this year. We ran into Jon Mankuta and Brian Chanes from Profiles in History on the convention floor Friday. They also create the SyFy network show Hollywood Treasure, a show I regularly watch to see both the discoveries they find, the collectors of Hollywood memorabilia (like a guy that looks like Santa Claus who has a house full of rare costumes from movies like Elf and A Christmas Story), and, of course, the costumes and props themselves.

Jon Mankuta from the auction house and TV show eyed our Alien Nation latex heads from across the main walkway in the heart of the convention floor and had a guy in the crowd snap this shot.

Jon is one of those guys that when you see him you have this feeling like you’ve known him for years. He was having fun at the Con like every other fanboy in the crowd, checking out the booths and sporting a Lost T-shirt. Jon actually played one of The Others in the Lost TV series and among other acting gigs he performed in sketches during the 2002-2006 years of Saturday Night Live. It was great meeting someone working at an auction house who gets as excited seeing artifacts from movies just as much as the rest of us. Coincidentally, later in the day Brian Chanes grabbed us in the crowd for a similar photo. Later in the weekend we met up with Brian again (below right) and Profiles president Joe Maddalena (below left):

Profiles is a great resource for screen-used props and costumes of every price range–Profiles is the auction house we featured in earlier posts that sold that record breaking Marilyn Monroe dress from Seven Year Itch, among other pieces in the Debbie Reynolds Collection. I have also had the pleasure of working with Fong Sam at the auction house, a great guy who coordinates prop and costume auctions and takes phone bids on auction day.

In past years at Comic-Con, Profiles in History had featured an advance look at props from various movies and TV series that were to be featured in upcoming auctions. This year they linked up with Desi DosSantos from Screenused.com who has a nice collection of Back to the Future costumes and props. His crown jewel is one of the DeLorean Time Machine cars from the series (from the third movie in the franchise). Profiles in History and Desi worked with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (TEAMFOX.org) this year to take photos of convention-goers sitting in the car for a $20 donation, raising more than $11,000 for the charity. Nice job! And if you missed seeing the Time Machine car at Comic-Con, the San Diego Air and Space Museum will have it on display through August 13, 2011.

Strangely enough, the Profiles in History booth did not have the only Back to the Future car at Comic-Con. On the other side of the convention center a replica Time Machine was on display (a DeLorean updated with replica movie parts under the direction of the film’s director, Robert Zemeckis), creating a sort of deja vu for the crowd. (The replica is pictured at the top of this post).

And if you need your own Back to the Future Time Machine DeLorean, keep an eye out for the December Profiles in History auction where the real car from the Profiles booth will be auctioned, along with part 2 of the Debbie Reynolds auction.

C.J. Bunce

Editor

borg.com

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Hollywood auction rockets past all expectations

Filed under: Backstage Pass, Fantasy Realms, Movies, Retro Fix, Sci-Fi Café — Leave a comment

June 20, 2011

It should come as no surprise that screen legends including Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Julie Andrews, and Elizabeth Taylor are just as popular as ever with one iconic Marilyn Monroe dress selling at auction Saturday for more than $5 million and other unique costumes fetching six and seven figures each.

Phenomenal hammer prices were all the buzz Saturday in Beverly Hills, CA, at the Debbie Reynolds auction of more than 500 one-of-a-kind classic Hollywood costumes and props. You could tell just from the second lot this was going to be a memorable auction, with Rudolph Valentino’s matador outfit from Blood and Sand fetching $210,000 ($258,300 including buyer’s premium).

To follow up on our earlier post, here are the prices realized for the key items I listed, with the first number as the hammer price and for some of the big selling items I have included a second amount showing the actual price considering the buyer’s 23% premium (the mark-up above the hammer price billed by the auction house):

Judy Garland’s early production ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz. Estimated at $120-150,000. Sold for $510,000 ($627,300 with premium).

Judy Garland’s early production dress from The Wizard of Oz. Estimated at $60-80,000. Sold for $910,000 ($1,119,300 with premium).

Edmund Gwenn’s Kris Kringle Santa suit from Miracle on 34th Street. Estimated at $20-30,000. Sold for $22,500 ($27,675 with premium).

Ape, gorilla and orangutan costumes from Planet of the Apes, as well as flight suit and Heston costume. All combined POTA costumes sold for $68,500.

Sean Connery costume from the Highlander films. Estimated at $12-15,000. Sold for $18,000.

And the really big stuff:

Marilyn Monroe white subway-blowin’ dress (yep, that one) from Seven Year Itch. Estimated at $1-2 million. Sold for a whopping $4.6 million ($5,658,000 with premium).

Marilyn Monroe’s red sequined dress from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Estimated at $200-300,000. Sold for whopping $1.2 million ($1,476,000 with premium).

Audrey Hepburn’s classic white dress from My Fair Lady. Estimated at $200-300,000. Sold for a whopping $3.7 million ($4,551,000 with premium).

Julie Andrews’s key mountain singing dress from The Sound of Music. Estimated at $40-60,000. Sold for $550,000 ($676,500 with premium).

Charlton Heston’s costume from Ben Hur. Estimated at $20-30,000. Sold for $320,000 ($393,600 with premium).

Gary Cooper’s uniform from Sergeant York. Estimated at $20-30,000. Sold for $55,000.

Jimmy Stewart’s leather costume from How the West was Won. Estimated at $8-12,000. Sold for $17,000.

A huge collection of Elizabeth Taylor costumes, including National Velvet (Estimated at $10-15,000) (sold for $60,000), and her Cleopatra headpiece, estimated at $30-50,000 (sold for $100,000).

Charlie Chaplin’s hat from The Tramp. Estimated at $20-30,000. Sold for $110,000 ($135,300 with premium).

Laurel and Hardy’s signature costumes. Estimated at $15-20,000. Sold for $16,000.

Harpo Marx’s wig and hat. Estimated at $20-30,000. Sold for $45,000.

Gene Kelly’s outfit from Singin’ in the Rain. Estimated at $12-15,000. Sold for $14,000.

Rex Harrison’s outfit and doctor bag from Doctor Doolittle. Estimated at $12-15,000. Sold for $19,000.

Grace Kelly’s costume (seen below) from Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief. Estimated at $30-50,000. Another surprise, selling for $450,000 ($553,500 with premium).

Claude Rains’s uniform as Capt. Renault from Casablanca. $12-15,000. Sold for $55,000.

Robert Redford and Katherine Ross costumes from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Sold for $24,500 combined.

And some other noteworthy sales:

Marilyn Monroe saloon girl outfit from River of No Return. Sold for $510,000 ($627,300 with premium).

Marilyn Monroe costume from No Business Like Show Business. Sold for $500,000 ($615,000 with premium).

1952 red MG TD car used in Monkey Business with Marilyn Monroe. Sold for $210,000 ($258,300 with premium).

Grace Kelly outfit from The Swan. Sold for $110,000 ($135,300 with premium).

Barbara Streisand gown from Hello Dolly. Sold for $100,000 ($123,000 with premium).

Basil Rathbone jacket as Sherlock Holmes from Hound of the Baskervilles. Sold for $50,000.

Richard Burton costume from Cleopatra. Sold for $85,000.

Marlon Brando uniform from 1962’s Mutiny on the Bounty. Sold for $90,000.

Charles Laughton uniform as Captain Bligh from the original Mutiny on the Bounty. Sold for $42,500.

Claudette Colbert gown from the 1934 Cleopatra. Sold for $40,000.

Great Garbo dress from Anna Karenina. Sold for $40,000.

Ingrid Bergman suit of armor from Joan of Arc. Sold for $50,000.

So the big question is whether the creditors in the bankruptcy that required the sale of these items were able to be paid off, or whether Reynolds must continue to sell off her estate. With about $20 million from Saturday hopefully that will at least make a big dent in amounts owed. It would be nice if Reynolds had a way to continue with her proposed museum.

C.J. Bunce

Editor

borg.com