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Sunday, June 12, 2011

Debbie Reynolds' costume auction

On the 18th of June, Debbie Reynolds (from Singin' in the Rain and also known as Carrie Fisher off Star Wars' overbearing mother) will be auctioning off her collection of film costumes and memorobilia.  She initially tried to find a single museum buyer but, sadly, that didn't happen and now her huge collection will be sold off piecemeal.

I really hope that some of her items do turn up in a museum, because she owns some astonishing stuff, like Charlie Chaplin's bowler hat, Laurel and Hardy's suits, dresses worn by Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, that dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch (you know the one...) and a pair of Dorothy's ruby slippers.

She also has the curtain-material playsuits worn by the Von Trapp Family Singers in The Sound Of Music.  Joy.  Actual joy.

You can download the catalogue online.  Here are a few items I would buy for sentimental or pure greedy reasons if I had the funds.  This is just a small smattering, because the catalogue is a whopping 319 pages long. 

Thanks to Penny Dreadful Vintage for bringing this to my attention.
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Marion Davies monumental oil painting by Federico Beltran Masses from Davies’ estate

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'Messala' historic winged charioteer helmet rom the 1925 Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

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Left - Eleanor Powell “Clare Bennett” black velvet jacket designed by Adrian in Broadway Melody of 1940. Right - Jean Hagen “Lina Lamont” camel coat with monkey-fur collar from Singin’ in the Rain.

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Carole Lombard 'Connie Randall' gown by Travis Banton from No Man of Her Own

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Left - Debbie Reynolds “Kathy Selden” green & white leaf patterned sleeveless dress from Singin’ in the Rain. Right - Ginger Rogers “Dinah Barkley” gold lamé dress from Barkleys of Broadway

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Rita Hayworth “Maribelle Hicks” two-piece dress from Cover Girl.

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Left - Susan Hayward “Jane Froman” pastel rainbow-hued ball gown from With a Song in My Heart, right - Jane Wyman “Belinda McDonald” green dress and tan sweater from Johnny Belinda.  If you haven't seen Johnny Belinda, watch it asap.  You will cry buckets.

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Emerald-green felt “Ozmite” jacket designed by Adrian from The Wizard of Oz.
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Go on, guess which film these costumes are from.



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Cleopatra large-scale original concept painting of Elizabeth Taylor “Cleopatra” in her Alexandria apartment

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Cleopatra large-scale original concept painting of Antony and Cleopatra on her royal barge by Ed Graves

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Cleopatra large-scale original concept painting of a harbor scene by Duilio Savina