The REAL Ruby Slippers from 'The Wizard of Oz' for sale

[beautywickedlover]

Posted: 9/22/11 at 8:16pm

The actual Ruby Sllipers that Judy Garland used to send her character Dorothy Gale in "The Wizard of Oz" are to be auctioned off this December.

"Replicas and stunt shoes have been sold off in the past, but now bosses at California auction house Profiles in History have acquired the most famous footwear in Hollywood.

The slippers will be the highlight lot at the three-day Icons of Hollywood auction, which will take place December 15-17."

Whoever buys these will be lucky. There are some of the biggest pieces of cinematic history.












The real ruby slippers from 'The Wizard of Oz' for sale Updated On: 11/3/13 at 08:16 PM

[JbaraFan1]

Posted: 9/22/11 at 8:35pm

Ha! The real shoes are silver! Silver Shoes, I tell ya!

But yeah, pretty cool about the ("fake" red) shoes from the movie!
I hope the winning bidder treats them with the respect such objects deserve.
Great book, by the way! Might look familiar. ;)

[Gothampc]

Posted: 9/22/11 at 10:18pm

"The third pair is in private hands and will not be reaching the market any time soon."

I wonder how they know that? Does the Pope own them and only wear them during his Christmas message?

[CapnHook]

Posted: 9/23/11 at 12:11am

There are 4 pairs of the Ruby shoes in existence that were made for the film. I can't remember if all of them were used by Garland and appear in the movie or not.

I find it interesting that not one pair has yet gone on to be sold for more than six figures yet. You'd think some rich enthusiast, or homosexual, would proclaim war to acquire them...

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/23/11 at 6:40am

Thanks for the shout-out, JbaraFan1! Much appreciated. And I'm glad you enjoyed the book!

As for these slippers, I'm excited to see what they'll go for, particularly after Debbie Reynolds' auction cleaned up. Perhaps it's a sign of the times that the divide between the "hugely wealthy" and the ... "have-nots," shall we say, is growing wider, even in a recession.

Considering the Arabian test shoes went for over half a million, which is only slightly less than any pair of "real" Ruby Slippers that have come up for auction to date (it's been a while since they've been on the dock), I'll bet these easily go for one million and perhaps closer to (and even beyond) two million.

They are the "close-up" pair, as the description says, identified by their lack of orange felt on the soles. (The felt was used to muffle the sounds of Judy's footsteps on the Yellow Brick Road, during filming.) These close-up shoes were used whenever she showed them off (tilting them toward the camera when they first appear on her feet, clicking her heels together three times, and also were seen sticking out from under her house on the Wicked Witch of the East).

And it's a December auction! Just in time for Christmas. What a nice present they would make!

Updated On: 9/23/11 at 06:40 AM

[nygrl232]

Posted: 9/23/11 at 9:58am

I wish Judy had just nabbed them for herself, kept them in her estate and put them in the Smithsonian ultimately, so that this eternity of changing hands and making fakes and blah BLAAH about the shoes for centuries could have been avoided.

But that goes for many things.

[landryjames2]

Posted: 9/23/11 at 3:15pm

I think there is a pair at the Smithsonian. Or at least there was 12 years ago when I was there last (gosh, I need to get back)

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 9/23/11 at 8:20pm

There's still a pair on display at the Smithsonian. That pair is one of the most popular exhibits in the museum devoted to American history and culture.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 9/23/11 at 11:24pm

Is this the same pair that used to be displayed in the queue of The Great Movie Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios?

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 9/24/11 at 10:10am

^ I don't think so. I think those were the ones that were stolen.

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 9/24/11 at 10:25am

People are still falling for the "these are the real ruby slippers" line?

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/24/11 at 11:24am

The pair coming up for auction have not been on display. They were originally owned by Kent Warner. He's the guy who organized the first big MGM auction back in the early 1970s, when they sold off much of their studio backlot and the majority of the props and costumes still in existence. Kent was in charge of getting everything ready for the big sale ... and in doing so, he managed to "lose" a few items. You have to remember, nobody thought much about this stuff back then. They even considered trashing much of it, and they definitely didn't know what they had in storage. Inventories were inaccurate, incomplete, and even nonexistent in many cases.

So Kent went in and organized it all and was paid very little to do it (well, except for his own self-granted "perks"). When he found the Ruby Slippers, it's said by most connected with the occasion (which isn't a firm confirmation) that he found four pairs, plus the Arabian Shoes (a test pair he sold to Debbie Reynolds that recently went up for auction and fetched $550,000).

One pair was clearly the wrong size (too big--Size 7) and was identified as the pair worn by Judy's stand-in. Bobbie Koshay. Bobbie actually appears in the movie in a couple of shots, most notably when Dorothy first opens the door into Munchkinland (no red shoes in that one) and when she is lifted into the air by the flying monkeys. It's Bobbie being hoisted up, kicking and screaming, and you can see her pair of shoes in that shot.

Kent sold one pair of the "real" Ruby Slippers worn by Judy (size 5.5) to Michael Shaw before the auction for $2,500 (unconfirmed price, but I know it's the amount). Kent pocketed the money, and the shoes were never catalogued. The second pair were the ones that came up for the MGM auction, and those are the ones currently in the Smithsonian. They sold for $15,000 at the sale, a record price back then. An interesting fact: Michael Shaw's pair and the Smithsonian pair are actually mismatched sets. They have "serial numbers" stamped on the inside, and Michael's left shoe matches the Smithsonian's right, and vice-versa. They look slightly different, too. I've seen Michael's pair myself up close, years before they were stolen. One has a larger toe and the bow is positioned slightly higher.

... which leads me to the stolen shoes. To clarify, Husk---no, the stolen shoes have not been recovered. The statute of limitations is quickly running out. And according to authorities, they're not likely to be found. They were stolen from the Judy Garland museum (while on loan for an annual festival) in her home town of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. It's a small town, and the police think whoever took them most likely trashed them or "got rid of" them (aka at the bottom of a river or something). They have exhausted all leads, and the case is essentially closed. Keep in mind, these shoes could never be sold in public. They would be instantly identified. It's like stealing a famous work of art. You have to basically keep it hidden forever or turn it in. Don't even think of showing it to anyone.

The two mismatched pairs (Michael's and the Smithsonian's) are considered the pairs used the most on-screen during filming. They both have orange felt on the soles. This was to muffle the sounds of Judy's footsteps while they were recording sound.

The final pair that Kent found, the one coming up for auction in December, was the pair he kept for himself. They were supposedly in perfect, pristine condition. Not one sequin out of place. They had no felt on their soles, and it's now been established that this pair was used only for the close-up shots, primarily five big ones: they were on the feet of the Wicked Witch of the East sticking out from under the house; when Judy tilts her shoes to the camera after she first acquires them; when she presents them to the guard at the Emerald City for proof that the good witch sent her, when the Wicked Witch of the West tries to take them from her and is "shocked"; and when she clicks them 3 times to go home. They have only light scuff marks on the leather soles, including circular marks toward the toes, apparently caused by the movement of clicking them together (fascinating!). These had no felt, because it would have been seen on camera, particularly when sticking out from under the house.

But wait, kids, that's not all! A couple of decades ago, ANOTHER pair was found and authenticated. This pair was won in a sweepstakes contest back in 1939, so Kent never saw them, and they were never stored at MGM. All the documentation of the publicity giveaway plus the photos taken, at the time, of the shoes with the owner have proven that they were a "real" pair. They also have the felt on their soles and similar wear and tear to those owned by Michael Shaw and the Smithsonian. They are the last pair ever to hit the auction block, and sold for $666,000 back in 2000. No other pairs have been sold (except for the test pair) in the past eleven years.

So it's a total of five pairs of screen-worn Ruby Slippers, plus the Arabian test pair.

1. Smithsonian (an anonymous bidder won them at the MGM sale and donated them to the Smithsonian)
2. Michael Shaw (stolen)
3. Kent Warner close-up pair (currently owned by Philip Samuels of St. Louis, and coming up for auction in December)
4. MGM Giveaway pair (currently owned by David Elkouby in Los Angeles)
5. Stand-in shoes (don't know who currently owns them)

Updated On: 9/25/11 at 11:24 AM

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 9/24/11 at 12:56pm

b12b-
I actually was meaning I thought Shaw's shoes were the ones that had been on display at Disney-MGM Studios before they were stolen...

That's incredibly tragic to think that they were just destroyed. Stealing and never revealing is one thing, but to actually destroy them is a whole other.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 9/24/11 at 1:56pm

So b12b, which pair did Disney end up with for a few years?

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/24/11 at 2:37pm

They had the ones Roberta Bauman won in the 1939 contest, currently owned by David Elkouby, a private collector in Los Angeles. She sold them (via auction) to Anthony Landini (for $165,000), and he's the one who loaned them to the Disney/Florida exhibit. When he sold the shoes in 2000 (for $600,000), they were bought by Mr. Elkouby, the current owner.


I should add one more tidbit about Kent Warner and the original discovery of the multiple pairs of shoes. According to him (and take that with a grain of salt), he did inform MGM that there were several pairs of shoes in their warehouse, in various states of disrepair. He said he was ordered by them to "keep the best pair and destroy the rest." Instead of doing that, he passed them on to various collectors (and of course pocketed some money in the process). None of that can be confirmed. Kent passed away years ago, and how the shoes, other than the Smithsonian pair the the sweepstakes pair, got into various hands (and for how much) is still left to unverified accounts.

Updated On: 9/24/11 at 02:37 PM

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/24/11 at 2:44pm

"That's incredibly tragic to think that they were just destroyed. Stealing and never revealing is one thing, but to actually destroy them is a whole other."


Husk---take that with a grain of salt. I know I am. That's the "official answer" from the local investigators, and of course it's pure speculation on their part. I think the whole thing was handled terribly. Starting with the fact that the alarm system wasn't working and hadn't been for some time. Whoever took them had to have known that from someone at the museum. They didn't try to break in or dismantle anything to get the shoes. They just walked in after hours and took them right out of the case.

It had to have been an inside job. But how the police think they know they were stolen for "kicks" and played with, then destroyed, is beyond me. Maybe they think they know who did it, but they don't have enough evidence for a conviction. If the shoes were destroyed, and there are no finger prints, maybe it's true.

I'd like to believe there's still a chance they'll turn up, even in damaged condition. As Michael said to me (when I saw them), these shoes are really old, and they were only meant to last a couple of months for filming. They can fall apart very easily, and needed to be handled carefully. And God forbid someone actually tried them on. They would likely split open at the seams.

So who knows?

Updated On: 9/24/11 at 02:44 PM

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/25/11 at 12:05am

I would rather have the second book over the slippers! Can't wait! :)

[nygrl232]

Posted: 9/25/11 at 10:01am

Maybe one of the police investigators found them and took them, then.

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/26/11 at 6:02am

"I would rather have the second book over the slippers! Can't wait! :)"

Thanks very much, uncageg! High praise, indeed. I'll try hard to live up to it. First draft is humming along, and I should finish it by end of the year, beginning of next.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 9/26/11 at 7:19am

So fascinating! Updated On: 9/26/11 at 07:19 AM

[Tag]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 1:34am

Anyone have any insight into why Debbie Reynolds granddaughter said Debbie would be putting her honorary Oscar beside the ruby slippers (watch here at the end).  I'm assuming she is talking about the Arabian test slippers, which were sold by Debbie at auction in 2011.  But maybe she still has possession of them??  (It also could have just been a jokey reference by the granddaughter, I guess)

[AllisonBWW]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 5:00am

I'm rather obsessed with the history of the shoes so your posting summing up all the facts and "facts," best12bars, was just fascinating. Thank you!

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 11:46am

Thanks very much! Wow, I'd forgotten about this thread. I can't believe I poured out all that info. LOL Gone are the days where I have time to make posts like that. Ah, well ...

 

For a minute, I thought another pair was coming up for sale. Just a pleasant trip down Memory Lane instead.

[artscallion]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 12:00pm

I was in DC a couple months ago and saw the pair in the Smithsonian. They are so dimly lit that you can barely see them. I know they have to protect things like that from light degradation. But surely they have ways around that now?

[Tag]

Posted: 12/11/15 at 12:02pm

best12bars, the slippers both Meryl and Debbie's granddaughter mention are the test pair, right?  Debbie doesn't have some mysterious other pair?