Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences gets ruby slippers


The Hollywood Reporter reports: Dorothy Gale's ruby slippers have found a new home.

The famous footwear, worn by Judy Garland in 1939's The Wizard of Oz, was just acquired by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. One of four pairs used in making the film, they are believed to be the the ones used for close up shots and the most well-maintained. They will eventually land at the yet-to-be-completed Academy Museum.

In an announcement yesterday, the Academy cites Leonardo DiCaprio as the primary benefactor.

"Leo's passionate leadership has helped us bring home this legendary piece of movie history," said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. "It's a wonderful gift to the Academy museum project, and a perfect representation of the work we do year-round to preserve and share our film heritage."

Walt Disney CEO and chair of the capital campaign for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Bob Iger echoed Hudson's sentiments. "The ruby slippers occupy an extraordinary place in the hearts of movie audiences the world over," he said. "This is a transformative acquisition for our collection."

DiCaprio led the group of donors that enabled the purchase, which was brokered by auction house Profiles in History. Steven Spielberg and LACMA co-char Terry Semel were also among those involved.


These particular slippers, which many think were worn by Garland during close-ups, insert shots and the famous heel-clicks back to Kansas, bounced private collections, including costumer Kent Warner's, after being stored in MGM's Culver City lot for the three decades following Oz's production.

Rhys Thomas, author of The Ruby Slippers of Oz, called them "the holy grail of all Hollywood Memorabilia" in a statement from the auction house. "Of the four pairs of authentic ruby slippers known to exist, this pair offered by Profiles in History, marked '#7 Judy Garland' and known as the 'Witch's Shoes,' are the most important and most valuable," he added.

They are expected to go on display at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures when it eventually takes residency in Wilshire's May Company building.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ric Alonso resigns from pageant association after porn revelation

Image
Kevin Hogan wasn't the only person this week ambushed out of a job for his participation in the gay adult film industry. FOX News reports : Ric Alonso and his partner of 21 years, Ernie Koneck, have both been both prominent power players in the Southern California Scholarship Association — an incorporated not-for-profit association — which produces the Miss Hollywood pageant, an official preliminary to Miss California, and a feeder to Miss America. Alonso is listed as the first “major sponsor” for 2011 scholarship donations, while partner Koneck has been the pageantry point of contact and is featured in photographs alongside the smiling young sashed pageant contestants. On Tuesday, Alonso was exposed by RadarOnline as adult film actor and producer "Jake Cruise". FOX News adds: Following the revelation, Koneck announced his resignation Tuesday as Executive Director of the Southern California Scholarship Association, and said Alonso was in no way involved in the Miss Holl
Read more

Regarding the Barry Manilow concert in Coral Gables

Image
[ Editor's note ] Three monumental things have happened to me at the BankUnited Center. In 2004, my high school held its graduation ceremony there. In 2008, I heard presidential nominee Barack Obama speak about the future. And this past Saturday night, I saw the incomparable Barry Manilow perform in concert. To say that Barry remains every bit the superstar I was hoping for is putting it mildly. At 67 years young, he brought all the magic, the smiles, and the bandstand boogie he's famous for and then some. Funny, talented and charmingly self-deprecating, Barry Manilow remains without equal. Admittedly, the night started off rather poorly. Barry’s opening act was a man named Gerry McCambridge who has allegedly been wowing audiences at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas since 2005. As the creative force and inspiration behind the TV show The Mentalist , McCambridge's schtick is to do clever things with numbers. Honestly, I've never thought that doing anything with numbers w
Read more

Make Jerry Curl Great Again

Image
You can't consider yourself a writer if you don't write. In recent years, I have probably said those words to myself so often that they could be considered a mantra; a mantra that I don't want to embody but one that is nonetheless true. I don't write anymore. I don't write to faraway friends. I don't write to remember. I don't write for pleasure. I don't write for release. I don't even Tweet. At a recent job interview (for another job I didn't really want), I was asked what I would do for a living if I could do anything. Without even thinking about it, I said I would be a writer. But that was a stock answer. It's the answer I've always given to that question. But this time the answer felt phony. It felt forced. It didn't feel like me anymore. The real, ugly, scary truth is that I don't know if I still got the right stuff to be the writer I wanted to be. While I have always questioned the validity of my own voice (my
Read more