Sound Of Music Costumes Realise Record Prices In Hollywood Auction

Profiles in History auctioneers in Los Angeles , have announced that a collection of iconic cultural memorabilia up for sale at their Hollywood Auction, July 28th and July 29th in Los Angeles has sold achieving record prices. The sale followed the important Milton Greene Collection auction which took place on Saturday, July 27th and included over 75,000 photographs and negatives, of those, 4,000 were of Marilyn Monroe, all with copyright.

Several costumes from the iconic film, The Sound of Music, sold for $1.3m (£845,000). The outfits included the main costume worn by lead character Maria, played by Dame Julie Andrews. It was described by auction house Profiles in History as “a heavy brown homespun Austrian-style dress with a wheat-coloured homespun blouse.” Floral lederhosen worn by the Von Trapp children also went under the hammer. a costume worn by James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano in his final scene of the final episode of The Sopranos, sold for $22,000 (£14,200). It was placed in the auction before Gandolfini died of a heart attack last month at the age of 51.

An original screen-used matte painting of the O’Hara plantation “Tara” from Gone with the Wind, used during the elaborate opening title sequence. When David O. Selznick was preparing Gone with the Wind, he gathered together some of the most talented cinematic artists in Hollywood at the time, realising that the film would need a number of effective matte paintings to save on costs and embellish the elaborate sets. This masterwork was done by Fitch Fulton, who later worked as an uncredited matte artist on Citizen Kane. There were more than one hundred shots in Gone with the Wind that incorporated matte paintings, this one was expected to sell for $60,000 – $80,000. However the painting of Tara used in the film’s opening sequence fetched $270,000 (£175,000).

Tuesday, July 30th, is the auction of the Dreier Collection Part II, followed by their Animation Auction on Wednesday, July 31st. Highlights from the Hollywood Auction are listed below. The original Charlie Chaplin “Tramp” cane from Modern Times. This is the screen used curved bamboo cane given by Chaplin to French journalist, Chaplin biographer and former Managing Director of the Cannes Film Festival Maurice Bessy.  This cane is an item of extreme historical importance and the best documented Chaplin cane in existence. It is pictured left and is expected to sell for $120,000 – $150,000.

A Judy Garland screen test Dorothy dress from The Wizard of Oz. Designed by legendary MGM costume designer Gilbert Adrian, the dress is a blue cotton dress with polka dot trim. Written in the inside face of the bodice in indelible ink is “Judy Garland” along with the number “2-A.” Judy Garland wore this style dress for the first two weeks of filming in October 1938 under director Richard Thorpe when Buddy Ebsen was the Tin Man estimated to sell for $80,000 – $120,000.

A mid-grade type 2 Phaser pistol from Star Trek: The Original Series. This exceptional fiberglass mid-grade Phaser pistol from Star Trek: The Original Series is one of only two such examples known to have survived from the 1960s and is screen-matched in several episodes. It is expected to sell for $80,000 – $120,000.

Harrison Ford’s signature fedora hat from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade as well as the iconic whip from all three films of the original trilogy. This fedora was worn by Harrison Ford in his first scene on the deck of the boat, wrestling for the Cross of Coronado, before walking across the screen and being hit by a surge of water. It is expected to sell for $40,000 – $60,000.  The whip, one of the most iconic tools in any action-hero’s arsenal, is instantly recognizable as that of archaeologist, professor, and treasure-savior Indiana Jones. This hero whip was used in each of the original three films in foreground and close-up shots. It also is expected to sell for $40,000 – $60,000.

The grenade launcher used by Al Pacino in the final sequence of Scarface. Yes indeed, this is the grenade launcher Tony Montana holds when he utters the now classic line, “Say hello to my little friend.” A great side note, after production on Scarface, the weapon was rented out  for the 1987 blockbuster, Predator, to be used throughout the film. It is expected to sell for $30,000 – $50,000.

Pee-wee Herman’s elaborate custom bicycle from Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. This is the bicycle the entire adventure revolves around. After it’s stolen, a psychic tells Pee-wee it’s in the basement of the Alamo, thus starting Pee-wee’s quest to recover it. This is one of only a few hero bikes used in the film, it is pictured left and is expected to sell for $15,000 – $20,000.

From E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Henry Thomas’ Elliott signature red hoodie from the bicycle sequence across the face of the moon is expected to sell for $6,000 – $8,000. E.T.’s hand that was used for distant shots is estimated to sell for $3,000 – $5,000.

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