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Tag: Judy Garland

  • Judy Garland ‘Wizard of Oz’ Ruby Slippers Stolen; Fan Offers Huge Reward

    Judy Garland is making headlines? Over 45 years after her death? Well, Judy Garland’s shoes are. The ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz have been missing for almost 10 years, and a friend of Judy thinks it’s time they come back home.

    The Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota said the shoes were stolen from the museum 10 years ago. They were owned by collector Michael Shaw, who would deliver them to the museum once a year for display in a plexiglas case. Ten years ago, as Hurrican Katrina raged and no one was watching, police believe some youths did a smash-and-grab, taking the slippers.

    A reward was offered, places were searched, including homes of other collectors. Judy Garland’s shoes never turned up.

    When a fan realized the anniversary of the theft was coming up, they offered a reward of $1 million to get them back.

    The reward specifies that the exact location of the slippers and the name of the person who stole them be divulged. Perhaps the hope is that, over the past 10 years, someone has gotten loose-lipped about having stolen the slippers. All it takes is for a former acquaintance of the thief to want to cash in and the theft could finally be solved.

    John Kelsch, executive director of the Judy Garland Museum says the donor is a Judy Garland fan from Arizona.

    “We didn’t think the offer was legitimate at first,” said museum spokesman Rob Feeney. “They wanted to remain anonymous. They only wanted to share that they are a huge Wizard of Oz fan, based in Arizona.”

    There are three other pairs of the slippers used in the film. One pair is in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. Another is now owned by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences for its planned Oscars Museum.

    Trivia: In the original Frank Baum book, the slippers worn by Dorothy are silver, not ruby.

    Kelsch says the shoes were insured for $1 million, but could be worth $2 or $3 million now. It is unclear if the museum or original collector must give back the insurance money collected at the time of the theft if the shoes are recovered.

    Apprehending the thief could be difficult, given the teleportation powers of the shoes.

  • Mickey Rooney, Legendary Actor, Dead at 93

    Mickey Rooney, Legendary Actor, Dead at 93

    After an impressive nine decade career in show business, legendary actor Mickey Rooney died Sunday. He was 93.

    A Los Angeles County Coroner’s office duty officer confirmed the death, according to the Associated Press. No further information was available.

    Rooney, born Joseph Yule Jr. on Sept. 23, 1920, began his long career in show business at 15 months, when he appeared in his parents’ vaudeville act, and started in silent films at the age of six. He went on to appear in 16 films for MGM, and was often paired with Judy Garland.

    The 5-foot-3-inch performer could sing, dance, and act, and he was so popular at the box office in the 1930s, he declared that Walk Disney named a famous cartoon mouse after him.

    He appeared in the popular film musicals Babes in Arms (1939), Strike Up the Band (1940), Babes on Broadway (1941), and Girl Crazy (1943), all with Garland. They continued to star in other musicals together as well. Rooney also appeared in dramas including Boys Town (1938) and The Human Comedy (1943), in which he played a small-town telegraph messenger who delivers news of war casualties to parents back home.

    Rooney also spent 20 years starring as Andy Hardy, an all-American boy-next-door, in the popular film series Hardy Family about an Ohio teenager growing up. Garland often appeared in the films with him, in the role of Andy Hardy’s long-suffering friend.

    Rooney was awarded two honorary Oscars during his career, one in 1939 for his “significant contribution in bringing to the screen the spirit and personification of youth, and as juvenile players setting a high standard of ability and achievement.” He was awarded the second honorary Academy Award was in 1983 in recognition of his “50 years of versatility in a variety of memorable film performances.” He was also nominated for four Academy Awards, including for Best Actor in a Leading Role in Babes in Arms (1939) and  The Human Comedy (1943), and for Best Actor in a a Supporting Role in The Bold and the Brave (1956), and The Black Stallion (1979).

    In television, Rooney received an Emmy Award nomination for his role as a misanthropic entertainer in Rod Serling’s The Comedian (1957). He also won an Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a limited series or a special for Bill (1981), about a mentally disabled man struggling with life outside an institution.

    The late actor was also famous for his marriages – eight of them – including to Hollywood film star Ava Gardner. He and his most recent wife, Jan Chamberlain, separated in 2012.

    Rooney is survived by nine children.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons