NEW YORK.- Sotheby’s successful sale of Hollywood Memorabilia featuring Planet Hollywood “Selections from the Vault” brought a total of $1,250,735, with brisk competition among absentee, telephone and Internet bidders as well as bidders in the saleroom. The golden age of Hollywood was celebrated today, with prices surpassing estimates for numerous lots offered driving a sold rate of 87.3% by value. The top lot of the sale was Bette Davis’ Oscar for her role in the 1935 film “Dangerous” which sold for $207,500.
“Today’s auction proves that Hollywood continues to be one of America’s greatest exports. The world craves the romance, drama and excitement of the movies,” commented Lee Dunbar, Senior Vice President and Head of Sotheby’s Collectibles Department. “Collectors were willing to pay top prices for costumes of the biggest stars in their best known roles in the greatest movies. Competition in the sale was global, with strong participation from both private collectors and institutional buyers.”
Topping the offerings from the Planet Hollywood Collection was a Stage Coach, dating back to the late 1940s and used in numerous movies, that brought $35,850 (est. $40/50,000). Iconic costumes captured the attention of collectors today, as evidenced by Rudolph Valentino’s toreodor ensemble from the 1922 film “Blood and Sand” which sold for $32,862, more than double the low estimate. The bidder, Darren Julien, President of EntertainmentRarities.com, was buying on behalf of the Debbie Reynolds Motion Picture Museum.
One of the most spectacular lots in the sale was Rita Hayworth’s negligee which sold for $26,887. Worn during the 1941 Life Magazine photoshoot that established the actress as a sex symbol and popular pin-up during World War II, it had been estimated to sell for $15/18,000.
The dress worn by Julie Andrews for more than ten minutes of pivotal screen time during “The Sound of Music” sold to collectibles dealer Star Wares of Los Angeles for $19,120 (est. $15/20,000), and Marlene Dietrich’s western-style costume from “Destry Rides Again” also brought $19,120 (est. $5/7,000). Other legendary leading ladies included Vivien Leigh whose negligee from “A Streetcar Named Desire” sold for $16,730 (est. $8/10,000), Audrey Hepburn whose Givenchy-designed dress from “Funny Face” brought $14,340 (est. $5/7,000), and Carole Lombard whose gown from “No Man of Her Own” also sold for $14,340 (est. $8/10,000).
Die-hard Three Stooges fans competed fiercely for three costumes from the 1961 “Snow White and the Three Stooges” driving the price to $14,340, nearly three times the high estimate. Highlighting the contemporary offerings were Robert De Niro’s boxing shorts and gloves from “Raging” bull that sold for $11,950 (est. $2,500/3,000), and Charlton Heston’s costume from “Planet of the Apes” that brought $11,352 (est. $7/9,000).
