www.todayifoundout.com: Few items of fictional clothing are more iconic and easily recognisable as the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz. Thanks to a combination of human error, poor record keeping and a sticky fingered ne’er-do-well, these simple pieces of footwear are now considered one of the most valuable film props in history.
16 comments:
It is amazing that a pair of white pumps dyed red and covered in sequins became so valuable. With all the props and costume pieces made each year, it is impossible to predict what will become iconic, and therefore valuable. Obviously the studio didn’t know, since they didn’t take care to protect the shoes. After all, why should they, they were just red pumps. Also, as someone who mostly knows about live theater more so than film, I never would’ve guessed there were so many duplicate slippers for different kinds of shots. I’m curious if any other colors were discussed for the shoes other than silver (as they are in the book) and red. I would assume other colors would’ve been considered to some degree, but I wonder if there was any serious consideration. Now I can’t picture them as anything other than red, but purple or blue could’ve worked in theory. I also took a look at an image of the Arabian slippers, and they look incredible. They feel more Oz than the shoes they actually used, but I agree that they look less Dorothy. Then again, if I were able to see one pair in person, I’d go with the Arabian slippers, just because they look more interesting.
I was able to see the pair in DC on display in the Museum of American History last year, which I appreciate much more now that I know how much they're worth. I think it's so interesting that the movie had that much of an impact on people that they would be willing to buy (or steal) them at such a high cost. The movie itself is one that has had a wide impact on so many people for so many reasons: the historic use of technicolor, the fact that it came out right after a troubled and turbulent time in American history (the Great Depression), and the fact that it's such a classic movie overall. As for the design of the shoes themselves, they were practically made to be iconic in my opinion. The fact that they were the perfect color to highlight the use of Technicolor, plus were easily recognizable and part of an already popular movie, made them clearly an icon for a generation. Whenever anyone mentions red shoes it's hard not to think of Dorothy and Oz.
It's amazing that a couple pairs of shoes can be worth millions. This goes to show you that you never know how much value will come from costumes, props, set pieces, etc. from movies and theatre years after the shows end. If you had told Judy Garland in 1940 that the shoes she wore would be worth so much money, she probably would have laughed at you. In an industry with a lot of waste, how do we decide which things to keep in storage and what to throw away? If the designers or the Wizard of Oz threw away these shoes, it would have been millions of dollars going down the drain. However, it seems unlikely for us to be able to predict this value years and years in advance. This situation is also very different for tv and film than it is for theatre. Most movies and tv shows are produced by large producing companies with money overflowing. These companies have the luxury of saving costumes, props, etc. from their productions for years on end. In the theatre industry, this is not the case. Most costumes and props do not go to storage, as storage space can be very expensive, especially in New York. Additionally, most theater producing companies do not have nearly as much money to spare as their counterparts in tv and film. With that said, I wonder if the money spent all these years on storage and upkeep has paid off for tv and film producers. Sure, they may have made a few thousand (to millions) of dollars on these special items, but how much did they pay to keep them in the first place?
Who knew that the single most famous pair of shoes in film history has such an extensive history! The question that most immediately comes to mind is what makes them so significant--the wearer, the popularity of the film, that "x" factor which cannot really be identified? What is clear is the spectacular attention to detail, requiring multiple different pairs which all have different values. It is hard to imagine that the iconic "ruby" slippers were altered to meet the needs of Technicolor, and it makes us wonder whether the shoes would have been as popular if the designer chose to keep them silver, for such a change was no doubt a risk for the success of the overall film--what if dedicated fans of the children's book criticized such a change for no other reason than the effects of technicolor? In the "golden age of Hollywood," it is no surprise that these shoes were hidden of storage for so long, adding to the mystery that surrounds them and just how many are actually in existence today.
Just as an aside my mother would give up her firstborn child to own a pair of Ruby Slippers. It’s interesting to think that these shoes are worth so much money, until I remember that it’s what the shoes represent more than it is that they are shoes. They have several things going for them that add to their worth, the fact that the famous actress Judy Garland wore them in her most famous work, that there are only so many in existence, and that they were one of the first things to be known for going through the technicolor process. Color at the time of the Wizard of Oz production was a brand new thing. Till then shows were shot in the brilliance of reality then reduced to the grayscale that television could handle. The Technicolor process allowed for films and shows to be brought back in to a semblance of reality after the fact. It was cutting edge and very expensive. The ruby slippers are more than just shoes worn by Judy Garland, they are a concrete example of the ability of humans to create and advance a priceless skill.
Just like Lucy I was also able to see the ruby slippers at the Smithsonian, and honestly I was a little underwhelmed. Like the article said, they really are just a pair of pumps covered in sequins that don't have much shine at all. It's baffling how much value people will place in something as mundane as a pair of shoes because of their involvement in pop culture. However, I really can appreciate how much history is behind them. The Wizard of Oz is a staple of post-Great Depression cinema, and the ruby slippers are arguable the most iconic aspect of the film. The innovations in the transition from black and white to color must have been astounding to audiences at the time. I think it's really interesting that these shoes have changed hands so many times, and been in so many different places. It's also weird to think that these iconic "ruby" slippers actually weren't that bright of a color, as that's the first association most people have with them. With so few pairs left I can see why some people are willing to pay such a high price for them. Although I do think that these shoes are a little overvalued, I do think that they hold an important place in film history and will be loved for years to come.
It's incredible to think that all the times I watched "The Wizard of Oz", It didn't even cross my mind that the slippers worn by Judy Garland could be worth so much. It seems to me that the worth is not in the materials used or who it was made by. The worth comes from the impact that 'Dorothy's Ruby Red Slippers' had on MULTIPLE generations. The slippers are an iconic symbol for the smidge of happiness felt through the troubling time of the great depression just like Lucy said. I am sure that as the years go by, the worth of the slippers will increase and hopefully knowledge of the slippers won't decrease due to the new generations.
First of all, I cannot believe that a jeweler actually made a pair of slippers covered in rubies in commemoration of the ruby slippers. That’s just insane. It is also insane to think that a pair of shoes can be worth so much. Working in theatre, I think it is easy to undervalue the props and costume pieces we work with so regularly and take for granted, and then if the piece becomes notorious do not even consider that the item could become worth something. Why would a dark red pair of shoes made sparkly in post-production be worth something?
I find it incredibly interesting that the shoes aren’t even sparkly or ruby-like. They are a darker red tone to work better with the Technicolor, so what makes them iconic is not even true in real life. It is the same as changing how something looks in Photoshop so that the item you actually end up purchasing does not look anything like what you thought it would.
Oddly I think I would have been less surprised by the value of Judy Garland’s ruby slippers back when I first saw The Wizard of Oz. That was before I was involved with theater and I would have taken the shoes at face value, thinking something along the lines of “well if they look like that on screen then that must be what they’re like in real life.” Now that I have a better idea of what goes into props construction and what can be done with computer effects I would never have guessed how valuable the shoes are. I’d get that they would have value because of their place in film history but $88,000 to $3,000,000 is a lot of money for a pair of shoes that have been dyed red, historically important as they may be. I also really liked the idea of these important artifacts of film history being found almost by accident in a bulk auction. It makes MGM’s prop and costume storage seem like a giant cave full of amazing mysteries.
Shoes: Clearly the best part about many movies and TV series. These are clearly one of the most iconic shoes from hollywood, because aside from maybe one or two other pairs, very few famous costume pieces are footwear. I (quite stereotypically) LOVE shoes, shoes and I have a long standing love affair that, I venture to say will last a lifetime. The vast majority of my space issues in any place I live is that I don't have enough room for all my shoes, even if I can’t wear heals that much anymore. Shoes finish an outfit, they add a bit of pizzazz when necessary, are beautiful and cover an often unfortunate part of the body. Well made shoes are works of art and should be admired. The Brooklyn Museum had the most amazing shoe exhibit last year that I went to twice. When I was a child I had red sparkly shoes that i would refuse to leave the house not wearing. Dorothy and I are kindred spirits about the importance of fancy footwear.
As a costume designer, one of the most puzzling questions I run into every time I strike a production is "Who do the shoes/ clothes really belong to?" The answer is rarely as simple as I would like it to be. The actor feels that what they wore (albeit in character) is theirs, the designer feels that the idea they dreamed up should be their own in its physical form, and the draper, cutter, stitcher, milliner, shoemaker, what-have-you feels that the product they slaved over for months is unquestionably their baby. And then you have the audience, which is a whole other animal. Honestly, as a theatre artist, as a fangirl and as a straight-up human being, I connect with all perspectives. In the end, a story can only be told so many times. I wish it didn't have to be this way, I wish I could keep every look I ever designed hanging in my closet for a rainy day. But ultimately, the memory of an item's previous purpose must live on through repurposing. To me, this makes the end of a dress or a hat or a shoe's life as one thing more bearable, because at the very least I get to watch its transformation into the next role, knowing that it carries with it all it once brought to the stage in a previous form. I think that perhaps the lack of repurposing in the way of Dorothy's slippers has a lot to do with the difficulties experienced in keeping track of them, in giving them a real home. The way they are treated now all boils down to spectacle rather than use, begging the question, "what's the point?" Sure, there may not be many situations in which the use of vintage handcrafted Red Ruby slippers is applicable - but there can't not be any. The thought of those shoes just sitting on a pedestal makes me more than a little gloomy. They were made for a purpose, and they are worthy of a new one. Of course, with the monetary worth now placed on them it is unlikely they will ever find one. C'est la vie, I know, but a nerd can dream. Call me crazy, but if my house were burning, I'd save my worn out old boots before I'd save my new ones. At least they tell more than one story.
I find it fascinating how they made 5-10 pairs of ruby red shoes, each slightly different to accommodate the lighting and look of different sets. The level of effort and detail put into props in film & theatre is often surprising to me because they fit so well in the scene that they just bring us into the world of the film/play and I forget that they are props. It's also astonishing how much the shoes are worth today, which I think goes to show how film and theatre are much more than mere entertainments; they carry a significant impact and influence to our culture just like history, science, language, and more.
The high value for movie props is always interesting to me: the only real reason the props are worth so much money is because of the popularity of the movie in which they starred. As the article explains, the actual slippers were just regular white pumps that were dyed and then covered with fabric and sequins. Who know how much it actually cost to make a pair of them- but it certainly was well under 1 million. That we are willing to spend so much money to collect an item just because we like it, or have some special memory of it, or remember it a certain way is astonishing to me. As a child, I understood the feeling of wanting to have shoes exactly like the shoes a character wore, and as a result my mother spent a good part of a week spray-painting and decorating children’s heels to look like Snow White’s bow-decked little brown shoes. Those were just as precious, if not more, than any real pair.
It’s great being able to see how timeless some articles of clothing can be from films. Especially one that was so technologically advanced in its own respect. Those shoes, while it wasn’t the most popular film back then, left its mark on the generations to come and share the story of Dorothy on her search for the wizard to take her back home. I find it intriguing the process that was done to make the shoes, as well as the various designs that were put in place so that the camera would be most effective when shooting. Having worked with sequins before, they have got to be one of the most annoying things to work with because of the amount of time it takes to put them on. You also had to do it right because of the fact that there were so many close-ups of the shoes. Unfortunate that there were a pair of shoes stolen, I mean it’s great to remember history but let’s not ruin it for others.
It is always so interesting to look at how much value is placed on things that have become "iconic." At what point do certain items become iconic? Dorothy's red slippers would be an incredible thing to own, but what purpose to they serve apart from looking cool? I don't think many collectibles have any actual value, but what they represent shows how important an "icon" can be.
I love the story of the ruby slippers. Its amazing to me that the color was changed simply because of technical needs and that has created an iconic image that serves as a basis for so many people in my generation. From my perspective ruby slippers were the first images in my brain. So many people in my generation see the ruby slippers as the original image. I didn't realize that the shoes were originally silver until my brother told me a few years ago. It is really interesting to think how just one choice can impact en entire generation's perspectives. It kind of reminds me or CMU Drama's Much Ado in a way. When a director takes creative liberties on a show, that can be the first impression an audience member gets of that show. Somebody might be seeing much ado for the first time and they will always remember it as being set in the 70s. I think that's something that a director should keep in mind because they never now how this production will effect the audiences' perception.
Post a Comment