Since at least the late sixties, the actress Debbie Reynolds has been working on this idea of a Hollywood Museum — a big building somewhere that would house props and costumes from classic films. She did a great job rounding up things that you'd want in a museum like that but somehow, the museum has never happened and all those treasures of the cinema were languishing in warehouses or somewhere far from public access.
Next month, the Profiles in History auction house will sell off a pretty large chunk of the collection for her including things like Judy Garland's dress and shoes from The Wizard of Oz, Marilyn Monroe's famous dress from The Seven Year Itch and (seen above) a hat and wig that Ms. Reynolds acquired directly from Mr. Harpo Marx. I'm not sure she's said the words, "I'm giving up on ever opening the museum of my dreams" but given the important stuff she's letting go, that would be a safe assumption. If she sells off what she's selling off, the rarest item that could wind up in a museum would be something like Dustin Hoffman's arch supports from Ishtar.
I can't afford anything they're selling and neither can you…but it sure is interesting stuff to look at. They're selling the catalog for $39.50 but I know where you can download a PDF file of the whole thing. You can download it here. Happy browsing.