![]() As far as the public knew, the auction pair was the only one in existence. He found a fourth pair, which looks different and was used only in screen tests, and sold it to the late actress Debbie Reynolds, reportedly for $300. He kept one pair for himself, sold one pair to collector Michael Shaw for $2,000 (along with other costume items), and gave a pair to MGM to auction. A costumer named Kent Warner found them in 1970. After filming, at least three of the pairs went into storage at MGM. Few artifacts from cinema history are as revered now as Dorothy Gale’s Ruby Slippers. Hollywood memorabilia did not always get the attention or fetch the prices it does today. and you get an iconic piece of cultural heritage. Then you combine it with star power, Judy Garland. ![]() “ The Wizard of Oz is America’s only true original fairy tale. ![]() Rhys Thomas, author of the comprehensive 1989 book The Ruby Slippers of Oz, recalls visiting the shoes at the Smithsonian decades ago and seeing a young girl approach the display case, put her hands on it, and say, “Magic.” “The Ruby Slippers are an enduring symbol of the power of belief,” he says. art and design firm No Kings Collective covers the walls. Stills from The Wizard of Oz and a mural featuring bright red poppies created by the Washington, D.C. It’s a very recognizable and understandable object.” “When people see them in person they’re so surprised to see that they’re small, but it brings home the fact that Judy Garland was 16 years old when making the film. “Any time that we take the Ruby Slippers off display we immediately hear about it from guests,” he says. ![]() Prior to their recent conservation, the shoes had been away from the public for only short periods. Those were the shoes the FBI recently called about.Īn estimated tens of millions of people have viewed the Ruby Slippers at the American History Museum since an undisclosed donor gave them to the institution in 1979, according to Lintelman. Another one of those pairs disappeared from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005. The museum’s pair of Ruby Slippers is one of four from the film’s production known to have survived. “That whole community of Oz fans, we really want to keep them engaged here and be this pilgrimage place for them.” “We’ve connected with people who care about the film, who have some of the other props from the film,” says Ryan Lintelman, curator of entertainment at the museum. Additional artifacts from the film are on display-the Scarecrow’s hat, which actor Ray Bolger’s wife donated to the Smithsonian in 1987, and a wand used by Billie Burke, who played Glinda the Good Witch of the North, in promotional materials for the film. Quotes and stills from The Wizard of Oz and a mural featuring bright red poppies created by the Washington, D.C. The slippers have a new home in a large gallery meant to evoke Emerald City. The Smithsonian’s Ruby Slippers that the National Museum of American History’s Preservation Services department had been examining go back on view in the museum October 19 following what is believed to be their most extensive conservation since Judy Garland wore them in the 1939 film. Another pair of the shoes had turned up, the bureau said. The Smithsonian conservators were nearing the end of approximately two years of work on one of the most beloved artifacts from movie history, the Ruby Slippers worn in The Wizard of Oz, when they received a call from the FBI.
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