Debbie Reynolds Collection to be sold

[Brooksie]

Multiple sources are reporting that Debbie Reynolds will be auctioning her full collection of classic Hollywood memorabilia, after years trying to find a permanent home for it.

Such a rotten shame, especially given that she had the foresight to buy it when she could, and almost literally rescued a lot of it from the dumpster.

There is likely to be a lot of hype about the sale of her pair of ruby slippers - but take note, the ones in her collection are a trial pair that were made in pre-production. Though there are pictures of Judy Garland modelling them in costume tests, they never actually made it to the screen, and they do not resemble the ones in the final movie.

Which is not to say that I wouldn't kill to own them.

[rudyfan]

Well, this is very sad. Debbie Reynolds was one of the pioneers in trying to preserve so much of what has been lost history of Hollywood. Here's hoping that much of what she has saved ends up in archives and in places where the items cane be preserved and accessed by future generations.

[Harlett O'Dowd]

Well, this is very sad. Debbie Reynolds was one of the pioneers in trying to preserve so much of what has been lost history of Hollywood. Here's hoping that much of what she has saved ends up in archives and in places where the items cane be preserved and accessed by future generations.

that's all very strange. we saw her last night in Atlanta and her bio was quite clear in stating she was opening her Hollywood museum in Pigeon Forge, TN.

[silentfilm]

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-new ... ck_check=1

Auction set for Reynolds' Hollywood memorabilia
The Associated Press
Posted: 09/10/2010 10:57:23 AM PDT
Updated: 09/10/2010 01:08:06 PM PDT

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.—Actress Debbie Reynolds' vast collection of Hollywood memorabilia, including the ruby red slippers from "The Wizard of Oz" and thousands of costumes, is set to be auctioned off by June, her son said.

Todd Fisher, whose mother is best known for her 1952 role in "Singin' in the Rain," told The Associated Press by telephone Friday that Christie's auction house will manage the sale.

The auction will take place in New York and be conducted simultaneously online and by phone, he added.

Reynolds, 78, amassed the collection over much of her lifetime and has estimated its value at $50 million. It includes the famous slippers and dress worn by Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz," the fur coat worn by Orson Welles in "Citizen Kane" and Marilyn Monroe's subway dress from "The Seven Year Itch."

In March 2004, Reynolds announced plans to relocate her collection, housed at sites in Las Vegas and Hollywood, to Pigeon Forge.

The Knoxville News Sentinel has reported that the collection was supposed to have become the centerpiece of Belle Island Village, a planned tourist attraction in Pigeon Forge beside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Fisher, who is president of the Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Museum, told AP that much of the Belle Island construction was completed. But he adds the real estate developers behind the project filed for bankruptcy last year and it was taken over by lenders.

He said the
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museum filed for bankruptcy protection in June 2009 and is being forced to liquidate assets, including this collection, to satisfy creditors.

Fisher, whose mother also starred in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," said Reynolds is "heartbroken" that the collection she began amassing around age 30 will be broken up and auctioned. He said she started the collection because she was not only a fan but felt it was important to preserve such items.

"In her mind, these are some of the greatest creations of Hollywood," he said.

Fisher said the family still has the option to step up with the money if it wants to keep the items. But, he added, "Why would we do that when there really doesn't seem to be a home for the collection, or a use for the collection?"

[silentfilm]

http://www.juliensauctions.com/press/de ... press.html

For immediate release

News media contact:
Darren Julien, JulienEntertainment.com, (310) 836-1818

Debbie Reynolds auction
"Greatest Costume Auction" From Debbie Reynolds'
Collection To Benefit Hollywood Motion Picture Museum


(Hollywood, CA) -- To raise money for the planned Hollywood Motion Picture Museum, actress and memorabilia preservationist, Debbie Reynolds, will sell more than 300 costumes and props from her fabled collection in the largest Hollywood costume auction in more than 30 years.

The public sale, could raise more than $2 million for the proposed museum, will be conducted live in Beverly Hills and on eBay by Julien Entertainment of Hollywood (www.JulienEntertainment.com) in association with Odyssey Auctions (www.Autographs.com) of Corona, California on December 6. It will contain items from several hundred Oscar-winning and notable films including costumes worn by Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Julie Andrews, and James Cagney,and props from "Gone With The Wind."

"It is, undisputedly, the most famous and extensive private collection in the world. Many of these extraordinarily high-quality items never have been available to the public prior to now. This will be the greatest costume auction since the 1970 MGM studio sale," said Darren Julien, President of Julien Entertainment.

"Debbie Reynolds personally handpicked items from her famous collection that represent a variety of film eras and actors, from the most glamorous stars to famous character actors, from silent films to musical comedies. She is selling about 10 percent of her extensive collection specifically to raise funds for a permanent Hollywood Motion Picture Museum," explained Bill Miller, President of Odyssey Auctions, a division of Collectors Universe, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLCT).

In the introduction to the auction catalog, Reynolds wrote: "The purchase of a piece of my Hollywood memorabilia collection will enable me to continue on with the conservation and preservation of this priceless collection. It has been my life-long dream of creating a museum to house this collection so that future generations of movie fans can see and enjoy the greatness of the 'Golden Age of Hollywood' for many years to come."

Sale highlights include costumes and props used by actors in the following films:

* Julie Andrews in "Star"
* Fred Astaire "Belle of New York"
* James Cagney "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and "Strawberry Blonde"
* Judy Garland "Ziegfeld Follies" and "Presenting Lilly Mars"
* Betty Grable "Song of the Islands"
* Rita Hayworth "Loves of Carmen"
* Katherine Hepburn "Little Minister"
* Marilyn Monroe "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," "Don't Bother to Knock," and "Ticket to Tomahawk"
* Mary Pickford "Rosita" and "Secrets"
* Ginger Rogers "Roxie Hart" and "Black Widow"
* Jane Russell "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"
* Lana Turner "Weekend at the Waldorf"
* Mae West in "Every Day's a Holiday"

Props in the auction include arm chairs and a hardware store display from "Gone With The Wind"

"If it were not for the efforts of Debbie Reynolds, many of these relics would be forgotten and/or unidentifiable," said Julien. "Debbie was one of the few, if not the only Hollywood preservationist, who had foresight into the future of the art and passion of collecting props and costumes from the past."

The sale, "Selections from the Collection of the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Motion Picture Museum," will be conducted at the Le Meridien Hotel, 465 S La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills, California, Saturday, December 6. Bidding also will be conducted online at www.JulienEntertainment.com.

Printed catalogs are available for $15 each; the online catalog is at www.Autographs.com. Free digital catalogs are also available by calling (800) 996-3977.

Debbie Reynolds will attend an auction preview, from 6 to 9 p.m., Friday, December 5, at the Le Meridien Hotel.


For additional information, contact:
Julien Entertainment
P.O. Box 691789, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Phone: (310) 836-1818
Fax: (310) 836-1616

[Brooksie]

Sadly, I think that press release relates to an earlier auction she held around five years ago when she was still trying to get the money together for her new museum.

In an industry as wealthy as Hollywood, the idea that this collection hasn't been able to find a home is nothing short of baffling. Surely, for the cost of one of those godawful Wax Museums, they could have found a place for it somewhere?

[silentstar5]

Brooksie, you are correct. This is old news. It is from 2003. I was there for the pre-auction and met Ms. Reynolds.