BEVERLY HILLS, CA.- Julien’s Auctions and Turner Classic Movies announced today an exclusive collection featuring over 1,400 iconic items from over 100 years of pop culture history to be presented in “Hollywood: Classic & Contemporary”, taking place live Saturday, April 22nd and Sunday, April 23rd in Beverly Hills and online at
julienslive.com The two-day blockbuster event follows the 14th annual TCM Classic Film Festival running April 13-16 in the heart of Hollywood.
Offerings curated by the auction house to the stars together with Hollywood’s most revered purveyor of classic films will include rare artifacts spanning the entire history of cinema from the silent era to the Golden Age, to the modern millennium including screen gems and behind-the-scenes movie props featured in today’s blockbuster films.
“We are proud to unveil this unprecedented collection of items that have defined pop culture and the history of Hollywood from the past century that will continue to celebrate movie magic for centuries to come,” said Martin Nolan, Founder and Executive Director of Julien’s Auctions. “Together with our venerated partners TCM, we have put together the industry’s first Hollywood auction event of the year featuring some of the most recognizable and sought after memorabilia in the world. From John Travolta’s Saturday Night Fever suit to Indiana Jones’ machete to a rare headdress from the lost 1917 Cleopatra film to the largest collection of Harry Potter wands, this auction honors Hollywood’s greatest artistic achievements across all eras and genres and offers something for every fan and collector.”
“April is the perfect month for celebrating film history, between TCM’s Classic Film Festival, the 100th anniversary of our sister studio, Warner Bros., and this auction, with memorabilia spanning 100+ years of pop culture,” said Pola Changnon, general manager of TCM. “We are particularly honored to be exhibiting some of these incredible items, like the Saturday Night Fever suit and the Harry Potter wands, in Club TCM during the TCM Classic Film Festival the week prior to the auction.”
The centerpiece of this historic auction event is the custom-made white suit worn by John Travolta in his Academy Award®-nominated role as Tony Manero in the classic blockbuster motion picture Saturday Night Fever (estimate: $100,000 - $200,000). Truly an icon, this ensemble and the film itself helped define the Disco era and cemented the genre’s popularity for years to come. The world-famous and instantly recognizable polyester suit (comprised of three individual pieces: jacket, vest, and pants) worn by Travolta while burning up the dancefloor to the Bee Gees’ smash hit “More Than a Woman” in one of the film’s memorable dance scenes became emblematic of the film, and the soundtrack remains one of the bestselling motion picture soundtracks in history. In 2010, the Library of Congress selected Saturday Night Fever as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and the film was preserved and archived in the U.S. National Film Registry. This premiere outfit, from the film that made John Travolta a superstar, is a pinnacle piece of American pop culture history.
An original machete from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (estimate: $100,000 - $200,000) used by Harrison Ford in his classic role as Indiana Jones during the heart-pounding scene in which he slices through the rope bridge, while still on it is also another stellar highlight.
From galaxies near and far… comes spectacular and rare items from contemporary Hollywood film classics such as one of the most iconic space-themed models to ever grace the auction stage. After being lost for forty years, the famous “USS Discovery One” large-scale filmimg model made for the production of the film 2010: The Year We Make Contact, the sequel to the classic 2001: A Space Odyssey, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Stanley Kubrick is being offered for the first time. Like its predecessor, the film featured practical visual effects which predate the advent of CGI. This incredible model stands over twelve feet in length and has been professionally refurbished by an expert film prop restoration team (estimate: $20,000 - $30,000)
Remarkable historical artifacts include original production used prototype mechanical Xenomorph “double mouth” apparatus test heads from the groundbreaking 1979 film Alien (estimate: $20,000 - $30,000 each), created by three-time Academy Award winner Carlo Rambaldi as well as several Alien original design concept illustrations from Carlo Rambaldi’s archives.
Additional highlights from the world of contemporary Hollywood include original Scout Trooper gloves and a C-3PO hand prop from Star Wars – Return of the Jedi, Sylvester Stallone’s Lawgiver pistol from Judge Dredd, a prototype Iron Man Mark III helmet from the production of Iron Man, and an original BB-8 droid head panel from Star Wars – The Force Awakens. Over twenty treasures from the production of the 1997 classic Starship Troopers will also be offered, including a Mobile Infantry ensemble as worn by Casper Van Dien as Johnny Rico, a full laser tag scene ensemble as worn by Sergeant Gillespie, and an original concept sketch by Phil Tippett for the “Hopper Bug.”
From the studio vaults and archives come several one-of-a-kind classic Hollywood pieces, including a bamboo cane that was personally owned by the legendary icon and cultural figure, Charlie Chaplin. The cane hails from the estate of actor Howard Morris, probably best-known for his recurring performance as rock-throwing mountain man Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show.
Another highlight in the classic film section is the screen-matched brass cigarette box (estimate: $5,000 - $7,000) from the production of Universal’s 1931 horror film Dracula, starring the legendary Bela Lugosi, that was also used in the 1931 Spanish language version of the film starring Carlos Villarias, that features a Jennings Brothers maker's mark to the bottom which dates the item to 1891. Other classic film offerings include an original Darryl F. Zanuck script for The Jazz Singer; Theda Bara’s original Egyptian vulture-shaped coronation headdress (estimate $20,000 - $30,000) from the 1917 film Cleopatra – a rare artifact from the silent-era as the film is now considered partially lost with only a small portions of scenes remaining in existence; an original “Emerald City of Oz” book signed by Judy Garland and the cast of The Wizard of Oz; an Elizabeth Taylor bodysuit from the production of Cleopatra; and much more.
For fans of the legendary screen goddess Marilyn Monroe, a signed “Let’s Make Love” Wilfrid Hyde-White gifted artwork, a Marilyn Monroe signed John F. Kennedy birthday program, and a River of No Return “I’m Going to File My Claim” record award will be offered. A collection of twenty-five original contact sheets from the production of Let’s Make Love includes personal edits by Marilyn Monroe, who approved and disapproved the images for use by the studio. With a red marker, Monroe crossed out the images that she did not approve. Each contact sheet is unique and features many never-before-seen images of the star (estimate: $1,000 - $2,000 each).
The ultimate quest for the magical tools used by the wizards, witches and other characters in Pottermania history leads to Julien’s and TCM’s Harry Potter selection –- the largest collection of the film franchise’s most famous wands ever assembled. Highlights include an original Elder Wand prop from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ($6,000 - $8,000) used by Michael Gambon as Professor Albus Dumbledore. The Elder Wand is perhaps the most famous and most powerful wand in the entire Harry Potter series. The high level of detail in this prop indicates that it was designed for close-up shots in the production of the film. Also on offer is the original Harry Potter Wand from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($8,000 - $10,000) used by Daniel Radcliffe in his iconic role of Harry Potter seen throughout the film, particularly in the washroom duel between Harry and Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton), and as Death Eaters and Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) are escaping Hogwarts after the killing of Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon); Ralph Fiennes’ “Voldemort” Wand from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ($7,000 - $9,000); Rupert Grint’s “Ron Weasley” Wand from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ($3,000 - $5,000); and more.
Christmas will arrive early this year with a collection of original, one-of-a-kind storyboards from the production of the beloved action flick, Die Hard. Art director John L. Jensen was responsible for creating these storyboards, in which he mapped out in pencil the wise-cracking moments of police officer John McLane (played by Bruce Willis) and the film’s breath-taking stunts that would capture the hearts and minds of audiences for decades to come. (estimates: $100 - $200)
Also on offer will be a number of rare and iconic large-scale display figures from the premieres and theatrical releases of popular films including Minions, The Peanuts Movie, Sing, Out of the Shadows, The Simpsons Movie, The Lego Movie, and more. These monumental figures standing close to or at eight feet tall have never been offered before, and will amaze both young and old with their impressive size and detail. Highlights from this collection include (each estimate: $10,000 - $20,000): a figure from The Incredible Hulk displayed at the Universal CityWalk premiere of the film, “Po” from Kung-Fu Panda, and “Donatello” from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows ($10,000 - $20,000) displayed at Madison Square Garden during the premiere of the film.
