| YET EVEN MORE ON...Judy Garland's Ruby Slippers |
| Several days after the sale of Roberta Bauman's ruby slippers, something remarkable happened, Kent Warner's prized pair of shoes, the witch's shoes, where consigned once again, to Christies. Rather than promote another public auction, Christies arranged a private sale, at the same price, one-hundred sixty-five thousand dollars. They were purchased by a collector in St. Louis, named Philip Samuels. "When I was told that the shoes where available, and that they would be the same price as the pair sold at Christies, and the condition from what I could tell, was better then the pair that was sold, I bought them immedently." Samuels explains. Once again, Julie Collier handled the sale, but tragically, it was the last time she touched a pair of ruby slippers, in January 1989, she was killed on the streets of New York, hit by a truck, while riding her bicycle to work. |
| TODAY five pairs of ruby slippers are known to exist. The first and most distinct pair are the Arabian test shoes. They were not used in the movie, but none the less, are extremelly valueable. Supporting this fact may be that Judy Garland is known to have worn them (see first page) They were found by Kent Warner, and are owned by Debbie Reynolds. The Smithsonian shoes, size 5C, where originally purchased at the M-G-M auction of May 1970 by an anonymous buyer, who donated them to the museum in 1979. They remain on perpetual display. They are in poor condition, probably worn by Judy Garland and her stand-in during production. Roberta Bauman's size 6B shoes, "Dorothy's Shoes" as they are known, where owned by Anthony Landini until they were again sold on May 24th, 2000, purchased by David Elkouby of Los Angeles, Caifornia for six hundred thousand dollars, with Christies commision, the price was six-hundred sixty-six thousand dollars. They are in fair condition, probably used in the dance scenes. They are unique, becouse they are the only pair Kent Warner never touched. The shoes never left Roberta Bauman's possession until after his death. It is also notable that this is the only pair of ruby slippers with the word "double" written in them. This could mean two things, either they were used by Judy Garland's double, which would explain their larger size, which is likely, or they were a double for the primary pair Judy did wear. It is interesting to note that none of the pairs Kent Warner found had "double" written in them, while there is a story to explain this. It has been reported that Kent Warner burt a few of the pairs he found, reportedly his logic being it would raise the value of the remaining power. As obsessed with Judy Garland as Kent Warner is reported to have been, it is not a stretch to imagine him destroying all the pairs he found that Judy had not worn. The fourth known pair belong to Micheal Shaw of Los Angeles. Shaw purchased them from Kent Warner. These are the pair that crossmatch with the Smithsonian shoes. They are in pristine condition, size 5C, with the name "JUDY GARLAND" written on the lining. Because of their value, he rarely displays them for the public. "I have to keep the shoes in a bank vault" Shaw explains. The explanation for his statement is this:He used to keep the shoes in his home, in a glass case his parents had made for the shoes. But once, in the middle of the day, while he was at work, his apartment was robbed and the robbers had stuffed the ruby slippers into one of his pillowcases, making off with them. They were caught a short time later, and the ruby slippers returned, but he has since kept the shoes in a saftey deposit box, I'm sure just for his own peace of mind. Debbie Reynolds says, "The people that still own things that I know they own, in their closets at home, I beg them, really,, let the public see them and have them, it's many years, you shouldn't keep them to yourself. The last and most intriguing pair of ruby slippers are the witch's shoes, size 5B. Without question, these were the close-up shoes, the pair Kent Warner cherished. They are in excellent condition; "#7 JUDY GARLAND" is written on the lining. Today, they belong to Philip Samuels of St. Louis, Missori. On two occasions he has loaned them to the Smithsonian Institution, while the Smithsonian's shoes where on a national tour. There may well be, or have been, another pair out there, but nobody knows for sure, except Kent Warner, and he is gone. Ultimately Kent Warner's legacy is that he found and preserved the ruby slippers, and put them in the hands of people who care. "I happen to be passionate about great films, and I hope that I can, and I have saved a lot of that history, and I'm very proud of that and happy that I could do it.," Reynolds expresses. One fact is certain, it is almost imposssible to keep the ruby slippers hidden from the public. Their charm and their power draw people to them, indeed, they are magic. All you have to do is believe...... |
| PLEASE NOTE: All the above information was aquired from: A&E's Treasure: The Search For the Ruby Slippers! |
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