"The Wizard of Oz," the 1939 classic starring Judy Garland, needed no reminder of its iconic status. Yet following the phenomenal success of the cinematic adaptation of the musical "Wicked," which is set in the same world, the timeless movie has made fresh headlines, with Garland's famous ruby slippers from her role as Dorothy selling for $28 million.
Heritage Auctions conducted a live auction in Dallas, on behalf of collector Michael Shaw, with the final price far exceeding the auction house's initial $10 million estimate. The slippers, one of only four known surviving pairs worn by Garland in the film, sold for a total of $32.5 million including taxes and fees.
"There is simply no comparison between Judy Garland's ruby slippers and any other piece of Hollywood memorabilia," Joe Maddalena, executive vice president of Heritage Auctions said. The sale shattered the previous entertainment memorabilia record held by Marilyn Monroe's dress from "The Seven Year Itch," which sold for $5.52 million with fees in 2011.
The auction atmosphere was theatrical, with the auctioneer playfully mimicking the Wicked Witch of the West's crouching stance while fielding bids that increased in $100,000 increments. Occasional jumps of $800,000 or more from phone bidders drew audible reactions from the crowd. The auction house has not revealed the buyer's identity.
Among other notable sales, a Wicked Witch of the West hat worn by actress Margaret Hamilton commanded nearly $3 million.
The slippers' journey to auction includes a dramatic chapter of theft and recovery. After Shaw loaned them to the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, thieves stole them on August 27, 2005. FBI agents later recovered the slippers in Minneapolis in July 2018.
The Judy Garland Museum had hoped to reclaim the slippers at auction, armed with $100,000 from the Minnesota Legislature. However, Executive Director Janie Heitz acknowledged they were quickly priced out of contention. "I think it's a testament to how important the 'Wizard of Oz' is to the world that they sold for that much," Heitz told The New York Times.
The museum did secure a $20,000 painting depicting the scene where the Wicked Witch's hands are zapped while attempting to take Dorothy's slippers. Heitz indicated that the legislative funding, minus minor expenses, would return to the state, while donor contributions might support a "Wizard of Oz"-themed miniature golf course or alternative exhibits.
Film production records show the costume department created at least four pairs of slippers for Garland as backup. A Smithsonian consultant's analysis of subtle differences between the pairs confirmed that the auctioned slippers appeared in many of the film's most memorable scenes. Large portions of the famous "We're Off to See the Wizard" song feature Garland skipping in the bright red, $28 million shoes.
Against the backdrop of the historic auction and renewed excitement surrounding the movie, revelations about the cast's harsh working conditions have resurfaced. These include the use of toxic aluminum-based makeup for the Tin Man, a severe stunt accident that left Margaret Hamilton with third-degree burns, and the reported requirement for 16-year-old Judy Garland to subsist on a diet of cigarettes and coffee.
