A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz was returned to its owner, almost 20 years after the iconic shoes were stolen from a museum in the late actress’ hometown. But they didn’t stay there long.
The memorabilia collector who owns the slippers immediately turned them over to an auction company, which plans to take them on an international tour before offering them for auction in December, an official with Dallas-based Heritage Auctions said Monday.
Ruby slippers were the heart of the beloved 1939 musical. Garland’s character, Dorothy, danced in them down the yellow brick road with the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion. To get home to Kansas, she had to click her heels three times and repeat, “There’s no place like home.” »
In fact, Garland wore several pairs during filming. There are only four left.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY WARNER
Judy Garland
Memorabilia collector Michael Shaw’s ruby shoes were considered the highest quality – they were the ones used in the close-ups of Dorothy clicking her heels. Michael Shaw loaned them in 2005 to the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
That summer, someone broke down a window and stole the glitter-studded shoes. The case remained a mystery until the FBI tracked them down in 2018.
The slippers were returned to Michael Shaw in a ceremony in February, but details were not released until Monday.
“It’s like welcoming back an old friend I haven’t seen in years,” Shaw said in a statement.
The Dallas auction company said the shoe tour would include stops in Los Angeles, New York, London and Tokyo. Dates have not been announced.
“The importance of Dorothy’s ruby slippers cannot be overstated: they are the most important accessory in Hollywood history,” Joe Maddalena, general vice president of Heritage Auctions, said in the release. press.
The other pairs of slippers are held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the National Museum of American History and a private collector.
Judy Garland, real name Frances Gumm, was born in 1922. She lived in Grand Rapids until age 4, when her family moved to Los Angeles. She died in 1969. The Judy Garland Museum, which includes the house where she lived, claims to have the world’s largest collection of Garland and Wizard of Oz.