DALLAS, TX.- One of the biggest hits of 1974 was again one of the biggest hits of 2023. Over the weekend, John Berkey's original artwork for The Towering Inferno's poster sold for $350,000 during Heritage Auctions' $8.29 million Hollywood/Entertainment Signature ® Auction. The movie boasted one of cinema's all-time great casts, including Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire and Jennifer Jones in her final role. Yet none of those legendary faces appears in the action-packed artwork, which puts front and center the true star of the show: the 138-story Glass Tower engulfed in flames.

"Make it bigger" was the mantra of the film's producer, Irwin Allen, when referring to his escapist sci-fi adventures and star-studded disaster epics. The so-called Master of Disaster proved he's still capable of that very thing more than three decades after his passing.

Heritage's star-studded July 27-29 event attracted nearly 2,500 bidders worldwide who vied for treasures from galaxies far, far away; disasters much closer to home; British secret agents with licenses to kill and the costume designer who made gowns fit for a princess.

"The interest in and passion for entertainment memorabilia only continues to increase, whether in prices realized or the number of collectors who flock to Heritage for these remarkable, one-of-a-kind treasures," says Executive Vice President Joe Maddalena. "But in the end, what's most rewarding is that these pieces are going to new caretakers as astounded as I am by the memories and magic they carry with them."

Among the voracious lot was a crowd of collectors who vied for a never-before-offered trove of mementos and memories from Allen's storied career. A near-perfect replica of the beloved Lost in Space B-9 robot built by Oscar nominee and Emmy-winner Greg Jein and used on-screen and off realized $237,500. A section of the original robot — the lower-waist rig that allowed Bob May to walk around in the B-9 suit — sold for $212,500. The costumes worn by the Robinson family in Lost in Space realized significant sums, including Guy Williams' John Robinson Season 1 tunic, which sold for $200,000, and Bill Mumy's Will Robinson Season 1 ensemble, which realized $187,500.




This vintage original All-Terrain Chariot miniature used throughout the filming of Lost in Space — easily one of the most familiar and groundbreaking vehicles in sci-fi entertainment history — realized $93,750. And two massive archives from the making of Lost in Space's pilot episode each sold for $87,500.

During the three-day event, George Lucas' space opera wasn't to be outdone — or outgunned.

The foot-long, almost-foot-wide miniature X-wing Rebel Alliance starfighter used in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back — good ol' Red Five herself — realized $218,750. This very ship transported Luke Skywalker from Hoth to Dagobah (for his training with Yoda) to Lando Calrissian's Cloud City. Per Academy Award-winning visual effects artist Brian Johnson, the model was made at Industrial Light & Magic and "used on a number of multi-element motion control shots." Luke's Stunt DL-44 Blaster from Empire, the hand-painted fiberglass prop held by Mark Hamill modeled on the one used by Harrison Ford's Han Solo, likewise sold for $218,750. Its provenance is equally blaster-proof: Mark Hamill surrendered this weapon when the BBC children's show Jim'll Fix It visited Dagobah during Empire's promotion. And Anakin Skywalker's hero lightsaber used by Hayden Christensen in Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith sold for $106,250.

A blade of a very different kind likewise cut a massive swath through this event, as a bidding war broke out over Arnold Schwarzenegger's Atlantean sword from 1984's Conan the Destroyer. By the time the dust settled, the weapon obtained from the film's stunt coordinator had found a new home for $118,750. As ever, iconic costumes from landmark films proved exceptionally popular with Heritage's collector-clients, none more so than the three-piece suit Orson Welles wore in Citizen Kane as he dismantled his second wife Susan's room upon learning she left him. This was the suit, designed by Edward Stevenson, into which Kane stuffed the snow globe that reminded him of his last happy childhood memory while uttering, "Rosebud." This rare tangible survivor from one of the most evocative scenes from one of the most significant American films ever made realized $187,500.

No less beloved is the turquoise-and-green dress Julie Andrews wore in The Sound of Music as her Maria returns from the abbey and reunites with the Von Trapp children as they're reprising "My Favorite Things." This dress, among those once in the famous collection of Debbie Reynolds, bears a 20th Century Fox tag noting its use by "J. Andrews" and sold this weekend for $87,500. That's the same amount the Munchkin coroner hat Meinhardt Raabe wore in The Wizard of Oz realized. An equally rare survivor from the beloved film — an Emerald City jacket with Munchkin soldier pants — followed the Yellow Brick Road to its new owner for $75,000.

The archives of film title designer Maurice Binder — best known for setting the tone and tenor for the James Bond franchise — brought a license to thrill to this three-day event. Nearly every lot from the Binder collection sparked a bidding war, chief among them the opening "Gun Barrel" title sequence for 1962's Dr. No, which set the standard for every Bond film. The Dr. No storyboards hit the bull's eye when they realized $106,250.

And decades after her Hollywood reign, Edith Head remains the most lauded costume designer in history. Several costume sketches from the eight-time Academy Award-winner exceeded their pre-auction estimates, among them a new record-setter for any Head rendering: Grace Kelly's gold ball gown costume from To Catch a Thief, which realized $40,000, a price worthy of a princess.