USA/FILE: Marilyn Monroe items, classic movies and royal wedding memorabilia on auction block

Record ID: 859298

  • Title: USA/FILE: Marilyn Monroe items, classic movies and royal wedding memorabilia on auction block
  • Date: 25th October 2012
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 25, 2012) (REUTERS) MARILYN MONROE LOTS FEATURED IN AUCTION BOOK
  • Embargoed: 9th November 2012 12:00
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  • Location: Usa
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  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVASG3CHU1RIZ0E9PFBG28ASEVD
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  • Story Text: Owning a slice of royal history just got easier as Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills, California prepares to sell pieces of cake from Charles and Diana's and William and Kate's weddings.
    The company's annual Hollywood Icons & Idols sale includes 800 lots which features movie memorabilia, rare photographs and awards, including a Golden Globe won by Elizabeth Taylor.
    "It's a very diverse auction, we have amazing outfits from the 'Sound of Music.' We have a 'Superman' costume worn by Christopher Reeve in the 'Quest For Peace.' We have Steve McQueen's racing jacket that he wore back in 1970 for the 'Winter Sprint.' So really and truly - we have some pieces of wedding cake from the royal families. A piece of wedding cake from the wedding of Charles and Diana back in July 1981, 31 years old now. And also a piece of wedding cake from Prince William and Princess Katherine who recently got married last year," said Martin Nolan, Julien's Auctions executive director.
    The most exclusive item is Judy Garland's Dorothy costume from "The Wizard of Oz."
    "This is a really iconic movie at the onset of Technicolor so a lot of work went into actually deciding the color of the dress and the style of the dress to wear designed by Adrian, a famous costumer back at that time. And we estimate the dress $400,000-600,000 (USD). It has Judy Garland's name tags in the blouse and the dress with studio tag numbers as well," Nolan told Reuters.
    The garment is outfitted with secret pockets which held Garland's cigarettes.
    Three dresses from "The Sound of Music" are also highlighted in the sale. During a preview Nolan showed off a dress worn by Andrews in numerous scenes, including when Christopher Plummer sang Edelweiss: "It has changed a little bit in coloring over time with fading, it was sort of more blue in the movie, it's sort of greenish now."
    The dress is expected to fetch $40,000-$60,000 during the auction.
    While one of the rarest pieces of history on the block might come silent, it does come full of color. An eight-minute 8 millimeter video features Marilyn Monroe's memorable birthday performance for President John F. Kennedy in May of 1962.
    "We see 30 seconds of Marilyn Monroe singing. And it was taken by a member of the band for Ella Fitzgerald who performed that night. So it's actually taken at a different angle from anything we've seen before. And also it's very iconic because it's in color," said Nolan. The footage is estimated to go for $5,000-$6,000.
    Year after year the Icons and Idols auction continues to be one of Julien's most popular. Although there is a shift in the economy, Nolan said the pop culture memorabilia sector is booming.
    "It's investors now that are buying these items because they see they have an asset that they can touch and feel, it's a great conversation piece in their home or their office, maybe their restaurant," he said.
    The sale will run from November 9-10 in Beverly Hills and online.
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