BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (ACNI) – For pop culture enthusiasts whose collecting inclinations lean toward the great moments in film history, it’s hard to imagine a more target-rich environment than The Debbie Reynolds Collection, which will be auctioned on June 18, 2011 at The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills under the auspices of Profiles in History. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide the Internet live bidding.

Among the more than 3,500 items included in the collection are props, costumes and memorabilia from the Golden Age of cinema, which Reynolds has amassed over five decades. Even by star power alone and not allowing for the connection to specific films, the list of names represented would make this a collection of note, but when taken in total it’s hard to imagine an offering of this size and scope coming on the market again.

Selections from the collection include Marilyn Monroe’s subway dress from The Seven Year Itch, Judy Garland’s blue cotton dress and ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz, Charlie Chaplin’s “Tramp” bowler hat, Harpo Marx’s signature top hat and wig, Julie Andrews’ costumes from The Sound of Music, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly’s sailor uniforms from Anchors Aweigh, three Gene Kelly costumes from Singin’ In The Rain, and Cary Grant’s gray wool sport coat from Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch A Thief.

Ranging from the silent era to the 1980s, the offerings include many different genres and span multiple remakes of such classics as Mutiny on the Bounty, Cleopatra, and Ben-Hur. In addition to the staggering assortment of costumes, the collection also includes movie cameras from various eras, set pieces, prop miniatures, one-sheets, three-sheets and other movie posters, rare lobby cards, set designs and costume concept illustrations (including work by famed costumer Edith Head), contracts, correspondence, scripts and other specialty items. Selections are also available from the personal effects of such stars as Mary Pickford, Marion Davies, and W.C. Fields.

Whether one collects film or performer-centric items, it is clear that The Debbie Reynolds Collection benefited from Reynolds’ insider position in Hollywood. It is almost just as certain, though, that her eye for great pieces and understanding of film history paved the way for her efforts, which began in earnest in the late 1960s and early 1970s and grew to include the goal of eventually opening a museum for the material.

A native of El Paso, Texas, Reynolds’ show business career began at age 17 when she won the local Miss Burbank beauty pageant. This, in turn, led to a contract at MGM Studios and a career that included films such as Singin’ in the Rain and her Oscar-nominated performance in The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and after 62 years in the business she continues to perform in film, on television, and on stage regularly.

“My love for collecting began early in my MGM career. I used to spend my spare time in the wardrobe department, watching the most talented people create costumes for the actors. I was fascinated by how they were able to translate a simple suggestion in a script, sometimes even a piece of dialogue, into a magnificent costume. I loved everything that went into the process – the sketches, the fabrics, the construction,” Reynolds wrote in her introduction to the auction catalog.

She said her passion for collecting was fueled when the big studios broke up their inventories.

“In 1970 MGM announced it was going to auction off everything except their real estate. I was still under contract at MGM and knew this inventory well. These were the clothes that the studio wouldn’t even lend us to wear to events or parties. Prior to this auction, I was a ‘normal’ collector. After the auction, preserving as many of these costumes as possible became my obsession,” she said.

“After MGM’s auction, the other studios followed suit. I was very for¬tunate that I knew the president of Fox Studios, who allowed me to purchase many items prior to their auction. Over the years, I continued to save as many pieces as I could as the studios threatened their very existence,” she said.

In addition to her comments, the catalog opens with an introduction by writer-producer-director George Lucas, and a note from daughter Carrie Fisher. It then immediately dives into movie history with a Bell and Howell 2709 35 mm motion picture camera circa 1915, Rudolph Valentino’s “Juan Gallardo” signature “Suit of Lights” matador outfit by Travis Banton for the 1922 Blood and Sand, Mary Pickford’s “Dorothy Vernon” period hat from Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall, Francis X. Bushman’s “Messala” historic winged charioteer helmet from the 1925 Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, Harold Lloyd’s personal blue suit with signature straw hat dated 1928, a Mitchell Standard Model A 35 mm motion picture camera circa late 1920s, and a 1918 Ford Model T used in Laurel & Hardy films.

The line-up of famous names continues with Greta Garbo’s dark green velvet period dress from Anna Karenina, a Cine Simplex Model D 35mm motion picture camera circa 1930s, Clark Gable’s ivory wool vest and pantaloons from Mutiny on the Bounty, W. C. Fields’ royal blue two-piece captain’s suit from Mississippi, Basil Rathbone’s iconic caped overcoat from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Hound of the Baskervilles, Gary Cooper’s complete World War I U.S. Army uniform with accessories from Sergeant York, Claude Rains’ ivory uniform from Casablanca, and Edmund Gwenn’s red silk and velvet Santa Claus outfit from Miracle on 34th Street.

The name parade moves on with Rita Hayworth’s death scene dress from The Loves of Carmen, Elizabeth Taylor’s period lavender dress by Walter Plunkett for Little Women, Ginger Rogers’ gold lamé dress from Barkleys of Broadway, Glenn Ford’s personal favorite saddle, the full-scale, intricately detailed, gilt-lacquered Ark of the Covenant from David and Bathsheba, Lucille Ball’s brown skirt, blouse and coat from The Long, Long Trailer, Marlon Brando’s Napoleon Bonaparte coronation costume from Desirée, and Rock Hudson’s (“Jordan ‘Bick’ Benedict, Jr.”) raw silk Western suit from Giant.

Robert Duvall, Jimmy Stewart, Lana Turner, Mae West, Sean Connery, Grace Kelly, Eva Marie Saint, Kim Novak, Dean Martin, Natalie Wood, Robert Redford, George C. Scott, Mel Gibson, and Tom Cruise are also among the performers associated with the pieces offered.

The Paley Center for Media is open to the public for previews now through Friday, June 17, from 12 noon to 5 p.m.

The auction begins at noon Pacific Time on Saturday, June 18. View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

This sale offers fresh material and great design options for everyone, from heads of new households to expert collectors.

The auction features assembled collections of Dedham Pottery famous for its crackle glaze with blue decorative borders of bunnies, elephants, fish, fowl and flowers. The offerings are highlighted by a special plate, lot 110, made in the period from 1896-1929. This work depicts the moon over the Golden Gate in San Francisco and predates the Golden Gate Bridge, which was built in 1937. The plate is estimated at $1,500 to $1,800. Another fine Dedham example is a pineapple plate from Chelsea, Mass., circa 1891-95. Lot 58, this plate is estimated to sell between $400 and $500.

A collection of Bigelow & Kennard mosaic glass features bronze table lamps and a fire screen of a yellow iris, lot 317, estimated between $4,000 and $6,000. The Bigelow & Kennard Studio was located in Boston around the turn of the 20th century. Bigelow & Kennard works are rarely seen on the market and the cover lot, number 296, a table lamp, is an excellent example of early Arts and Crafts pottery and glass. A Bigelow & Kennard mosaic glass shade fitted into a large green Grueby pottery vase with broad leaf decoration, circa 1905, is valued between $25,000 and $35,000.

Art Deco pottery from the prewar period is represented by a collection of Clarice Cliff designs of hand-painted Bizarre Ware. Breaking from tradition, Clarice Cliff (1899-1972) created landscapes and geographical designs in bold colors on pitchers, plates and other tableware and made use of the conical form on sugar shakers rather than the traditional cylinder. The Clarice Cliff collection, lots 121 to 163, ranges in estimate from $100 on the low end to $1,000 at the upper limit.

The Mid-Century furniture collections make a strong link between Boston and Scandinavia. Architect Ben Thompson founded Design Research in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Mass., building a retail store in 1969. Design Research introduced the furniture of famous designers such as Peter Hvidt and Orla Molgaard-Nielsen whose works are represented with cabinets, a secretary and chest of drawers. Lots 423 to 426A range from estimates of $600 on the low end to $1,500 on the high. Also available are pieces from Borge Mogensen, including lot 433: two secretaries in rosewood veneer, valued at $1,500 to $2,500, as well as two tall chests, lots 438 and 439, each estimated between $700 and $900. A Ben Thompson “Griggs” custom sofa and chair is also up for bid. This piece, lot 485 is estimated between $1,000 to $1,500. An extensive selection of Hans Wegner dining and lounge chairs, and day and evening beds comes to Skinner from the estates of New England families who found these designs to be a fresh source of inspiration as they started their households in the traditional environment of mid-20th century New England.

One of the greatest postwar studio furniture designers and makers, George Nakashima (1905-1990), from New Hope, Pa., is represented by his Conoid dining table executed in American black walnut and rosewood. This lot, 401, is estimated at $30,000 to $35,000. Philip and Kelvin Laverne coffee tables in decorated bronze are perennial favorites and highlighted by lots 367 and 368, estimated at $6,000 to $8,000 and $4,000 to $4,500, respectively.

Surrounding the primary collections other offerings include a sterling silver tea service by Peer Smed, lot 181, valued at $8,000 to $12,000; studio pottery by Peter Voulkos and Scheier; art glass by Daum, Gallé and Lalique; lamps, glass and metalwork by Tiffany and over 100 lots of wall art including pieces by Gambino, Syd Solomon, Miro and Peter Max.

Previews for the auction will be Thursday, June 23, noon.-5 p.m.; and Friday, June 24, noon-7 p.m.; and Saturday, June 25, 8 to 9 a.m. Illustrated catalog #2552B is available by mail for $35 ($42 for foreign requests) from the subscription department at 508-970-3000 ext. 3240. It is also available at the gallery for $32. Log on to Skinnerinc.com for details.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE