Ruby slippers
Encyclopedia
The ruby slippers are the shoes worn by Dorothy
(played by Judy Garland
) in the 1939 MGM movie The Wizard of Oz
. Because of their iconic stature, they are now among the most treasured and valuable of film memorabilia. As was customary for important props, a number of pairs were made for the film, though no one knows exactly how many. Five pairs are known to have survived; one pair was stolen in 2005 and has never been recovered.
In L. Frank Baum
's original novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
, Dorothy wore Silver Shoes
. The movie's creators changed them to ruby to take advantage of the new Technicolor
film process.
, killing her and freeing the Munchkin
s from her tyranny. Glinda the Good Witch of the North
(Billie Burke
) magically puts the dead woman's ruby slippers on Dorothy's feet to protect her from the Witch's vengeful sister, the Wicked Witch of the West
(Margaret Hamilton
). Dorothy knows the slippers are magical
, but she is unaware of their specific powers. At the end of the film, Glinda reveals one of the slippers' abilities: Dorothy can return home to Kansas by simply clicking her heels three times and repeating, "There's no place like home."
The slippers were designed by Gilbert Adrian, MGM's chief costume designer. Initially, two pairs were made in different styles. The so-called "Arabian test pair" was "a wildly jeweled, Arabian motif, with curling toes and heels." This pair was used in costume tests, but was rejected as unsuitable for Dorothy's Kansas farmgirl image. The second design was approved, with one modification. The red bugle beads used to simulate rubies proved too heavy, so they were mostly replaced with sequin
s, about 2300 for each shoe. Two weeks before the start of shooting of the film, Adrian added "jewel" encrusted, butterfly-shaped red leather bows. According to Rhys Thomas in his Los Angeles Times
article, "all the ruby slippers are between Size 5 and 6, varying between B and D widths."
It is speculated that at least six or seven pairs of the final design were made. The wardrobe woman who worked on the film claimed "six identical pairs" had been made. Four pairs used in the movie have been accounted for. Rhys Thomas speculates that they were likely made by Joe Napoli of the Western Costume Company, and not all at once, but as the need arose.
These four surviving pairs were made from white silk pumps
from the Innes Shoe Company in Los Angeles. There is an embossed gold or silver stamp or an embroidered cloth label bearing the name of the company inside each right shoe. At the time, many movie studios used plain white silk shoes because they were inexpensive and easily dyed. It is likely that most of the shoes worn by female characters in The Wizard of Oz were plain Innes shoes with varying heel heights, dyed to match each costume.
To create the ruby slippers, the shoes were dyed red, then burgundy sequined organza overlays were attached to each shoe's upper and heel. The film's early three-strip Technicolor process required the sequins to be darker than most red sequins found today; bright red sequins would have appeared orange on screen. The Art Deco
-inspired bows comprised three large rectangular red glass jewels with dark-red bugle beads, outlined in red glass rhinestones in silver settings. The stones and beads were sewn to a bow-shaped piece of red strap leather, then to the organza-covered shoe. Three pairs of the surviving slippers have orange felt glued to their soles to deaden noise.
It is theorized that Garland wore one primary pair during shooting. This may be the pair known as "the People's Shoes" available for public viewing at the Smithsonian Institution.
The "sister set" to this pair was owned by Michael Shaw. This pair can clearly be seen when Dorothy shows them to the Emerald City doorman.
Another pair, the close-up or insert shoes, is in best shape of all, appears to be better made, and has no orange felt on the soles, with "#7 Judy Garland" written in the lining. According to the Library of Congress
, "it is widely believed that they were used primarily for close-ups and possibly the climactic scene where Dorothy taps her heels together." Circular scuff marks on the soles support the theory that they the ones Garland had on when she clicked her heels together. The lack of felt indicates these were likely also the shoes taken from the feet of the dead Wicked Witch of the East (since the soles are visible in the film), hence their nickname: the "Witch's slippers".
The last known pair was, some believe, made for Bobbie Koshay, Garland's stunt double
. This is most likely the size 6B pair (owned first by Roberta Bauman, then Anthony Landini, and currently by David Elkouby) whose lining says "Double" instead of "Judy Garland". However, some believe this pair may have been the second pair created, therefore explaining the "Double" in the lining, but still used by Garland and Koshay. Several pairs of Garland's own shoes are size 6. Also, Garland may have worn this pair for photos and publicity appearances after the film's primary shooting was finished in 1939.
, who amassed a large private collection and supplemented his income with sales. It was he who found the slippers in February or March 1970 while helping to set up a mammoth auction of props and wardrobe. They had been stored away and forgotten in the basement of MGM's wardrobe department. One pair became the centerpiece of the auction. Warner kept the best pair for himself, size 5B, and apparently sold the rest.
The slippers in the MGM auction sold for $15,000. This is believed to be the pair on permanent exhibition in the Popular Culture wing of the National Museum of American History
at the Smithsonian Institution
in Washington, D.C.
, though the donor insisted on anonymity. Dr. Brent Glass
, the director of the museum, appeared on the January 23, 2008 The Oprah Winfrey Show
with the slippers and informed Oprah Winfrey
that "they were worn by Judy Garland during her dance routines on the Yellow Brick Road because there's felt on the bottom of these slippers". However, according to Rhys Thomas, all but one pair had orange felt on the soles. Further, the shoes, though both size 5C, may not match (the left bow is higher than the right; see photograph), fueling speculation that more of the slippers may exist.
Another pair was originally owned by a Tennessee woman named Roberta Bauman who got them by placing second in a National Four Star Club "Name the Best Movies of 1939" contest. In 1988, auction house Christie's sold them for $150,000 plus $15,000 buyer's premium
to Anthony Landini. Landini immediately started showing them at the Disney/MGM Studios
' The Great Movie Ride
in Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida
.
The slippers Warner kept were the ones in the best condition, the "Witch's slippers". Warner sold his pair in 1981 to an unknown buyer through Christie's East for $12,000. Two weeks after Landini bought his slippers, this pair resurfaced and were offered privately through Christie's to the under-bidder of the Bauman shoes, Philip Samuels of St. Louis, Missouri. Samuels bought them for the same price that Landini had paid, $165,000. He has used his shoes for fund raising for children's charities as well as lending them to the Smithsonian when their slippers are cleaned, repaired or (previously) on tour. Auction house Profiles in History has announced that this pair will be the highlight of its December 15-17, 2011 Icons of Hollywood auction. In an interview, Joe Maddalena, head of Profiles in History, estimated that they will go for $2 million to $3 million.
Landini auctioned his pair of slippers, again at Christie's East, on May 24, 2000, for $666,000, which included the buyer's premium. They were sold to David Elkouby and his partners, who own memorabilia shops in Hollywood. Elkouby and Co. has yet to display the shoes.
Kent Warner sold one pair, size 5B, to Michael Shaw in 1970. These were stolen from an exhibit at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota on the night of August 27–28, 2005.
The very elaborate curled-toe "Arabian" pair is owned by actress and memorabilia preservationist Debbie Reynolds
. Reynolds acknowledged she got them from Kent Warner. Reynolds' slippers were sold for $510,000 (not including the buyer's premium) as part of the June 2011 auction of part of the actress's collection.
The fate of the bugle-beaded version is unknown.
One shoe of a pair originally kept by producer Mervyn LeRoy was given to his now deceased son Warner LeRoy.
Entertainer Lady GaGa
stated she received a pair for her birthday on March 28, 2011. She made the claim and showed the shoes during a show on The Monster Ball Tour
, which is also inspired heavily by The Wizard Of Oz. However, her shoes reportedly cost only £25,000, casting doubt on their authenticity.
, for which Disney had to obtain rights from MGM to use reproductions in the film. Unlike the originals, the hand-made British spool-heeled shoes for Return to Oz were covered in hundreds of red crystals. The stones were soaked in sulfuric acid to remove the silver backing, and two types of glue were used to affix them to the shoes (a spray glue and an optical glue). No matter what was done, the stones kept falling off during filming. Stagehands were specifically hired to sweep up loose "rubies" that would fall off the slippers after a scene was shot. Being little girls, actresses Fairuza Balk
and Emma Ridley could not keep from playing, skipping and tapping their heels, so eventually they were required to take off the slippers between takes. Effects were later added in post production to give the slippers their magical glow. Simple, red grosgrain ribbon with additional stones were used for the bows. Seven pairs were made for the filming: two pairs, size one, for Ozma
(Ridley), three size twos for Dorothy (Balk), and two men's size 11 for the Nome King (Nicol Williamson
).
In 1985, the Walt Disney Company gave away a pair of slippers to promote the film. They were won by a British family, who sold them to prominent Oz collector Willard Carroll in a 2001 eBay auction.
ed on Judy Garland's original foot mold and completely sequined and jeweled, the reproduction slippers were nearly identical to the originals. Western planned a limited edition of 500 pairs at $5000 each, but halted the project after selling only 16 pairs.
. Another pair appeared in an Oz sequence in the cult comedy Kentucky Fried Movie. Reproductions were also featured in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
. In this film, Kahmunrah tosses them away after discovering that the rubies are fake.
jewellery company created a size-four pair of slippers using "about 25 carats of diamonds and 1,500 carats of rubies". Valued at $3 million, they are reportedly the most expensive pair of shoes in the world.
During the fall 2008 Fashion Week
in New York City, the Swarovski
company held a charity contest to commemorate the seventieth anniversary of the film, with nineteen designers redesigning the ruby slippers, including Gwen Stefani
, Diane von Fürstenberg
, and Moschino
. The "Arabian" design was displayed with the designer entries.
In this series, Dorothy remains inexperienced and unfamiliar with the shoes' magic, and as such, calls upon their power only as a last resort; often resulting in a deus ex machina
scenario. The Cowardly Lion and Truckle, the Wicked Witch of the Wests chief Flying Monkey, also get to wear them briefly.
's novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
, the slippers were given to Nessarose
, the future Wicked Witch of the East, by her father. At the time the shoes appeared silver. After being enchanted by Elphaba's old best friend and roommate Glinda (the Good Witch of the North) they become items of power that allow the armless Nessarose to stand without support. The energy of Glinda's spell gives the shoes their famed ruby glow. Maguire's invention thus bridges Baum's silver shoes and the ruby slippers of the film. In the musical adaptation, Wicked
, it is Elphaba
, the Wicked Witch of the West, who enchants the shoes, giving crippled Nessarose the ability to walk without a wheelchair.
The Ruby Slippers of Oz (Tale Weaver Publishing, 1989) by Rhys Thomas is a history of the famous shoes and Kent Warner's part in it.
, the Ruby Slippers are a pair of epic-level cloth shoes dropped by the Wizard of Oz-themed "opera event" in the Karazhan raid instance. The shoes function similarly to the hearthstone that all characters start out with, allowing them to teleport from their current location to the inn where the hearthstone is set. The caption under the statistic lines, much like in the movie, is "There's no place like home."
In the episode "Das Boots" of The Suite Life on Deck
, London tries to save herself and other characters who are trapped aboard a submarine by putting on a pair of ruby slippers, and saying" There's no place like home."
Dorothy Gale
Dorothy Gale is the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum, and the best friend of Oz's ruler Princess Ozma. Dorothy first appears in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels...
(played by Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
) in the 1939 MGM movie The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
. Because of their iconic stature, they are now among the most treasured and valuable of film memorabilia. As was customary for important props, a number of pairs were made for the film, though no one knows exactly how many. Five pairs are known to have survived; one pair was stolen in 2005 and has never been recovered.
In L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
's original novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
, Dorothy wore Silver Shoes
Silver Shoes
The Silver Shoes are the magical shoes that appear in the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as Dorothy Gale's transport home. They were originally owned by the Wicked Witch of the East but passed to Dorothy when her house landed on the Witch...
. The movie's creators changed them to ruby to take advantage of the new Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
film process.
The Wizard of Oz
Dorothy's house falls on the Wicked Witch of the EastWicked Witch of the East
The Wicked Witch of the East is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum in his Oz series of books....
, killing her and freeing the Munchkin
Munchkin
The Munchkins are the natives of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. They first appeared in the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which they are described as being somewhat short of stature, and wear only blue...
s from her tyranny. Glinda the Good Witch of the North
Good Witch of the North
The Good Witch of the North is a fictional character in the Land of Oz, created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is the elderly and mild-mannered Ruler of the Gillikin Country...
(Billie Burke
Billie Burke
Mary William Ethelbert Appleton "Billie" Burke was an American actress. She is primarily known to modern audiences as Glinda the Good Witch of the North in the musical film The Wizard of Oz. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance as Emily Kilbourne in Merrily We Live...
) magically puts the dead woman's ruby slippers on Dorothy's feet to protect her from the Witch's vengeful sister, the Wicked Witch of the West
Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character and the most significant antagonist in L. Frank Baum's children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
(Margaret Hamilton
Margaret Hamilton
Margaret Hamilton was an American film actress known for her portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz...
). Dorothy knows the slippers are magical
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
, but she is unaware of their specific powers. At the end of the film, Glinda reveals one of the slippers' abilities: Dorothy can return home to Kansas by simply clicking her heels three times and repeating, "There's no place like home."
The slippers were designed by Gilbert Adrian, MGM's chief costume designer. Initially, two pairs were made in different styles. The so-called "Arabian test pair" was "a wildly jeweled, Arabian motif, with curling toes and heels." This pair was used in costume tests, but was rejected as unsuitable for Dorothy's Kansas farmgirl image. The second design was approved, with one modification. The red bugle beads used to simulate rubies proved too heavy, so they were mostly replaced with sequin
Sequin
Sequins are disk-shaped beads used for decorative purposes. They are available in a wide variety of colors and geometrical shapes. Sequins are commonly used on clothing, jewelry, bags, shoes and lots of other accessories. Large sequins, fastened only at the top, have been used on billboards and...
s, about 2300 for each shoe. Two weeks before the start of shooting of the film, Adrian added "jewel" encrusted, butterfly-shaped red leather bows. According to Rhys Thomas in his Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
article, "all the ruby slippers are between Size 5 and 6, varying between B and D widths."
It is speculated that at least six or seven pairs of the final design were made. The wardrobe woman who worked on the film claimed "six identical pairs" had been made. Four pairs used in the movie have been accounted for. Rhys Thomas speculates that they were likely made by Joe Napoli of the Western Costume Company, and not all at once, but as the need arose.
These four surviving pairs were made from white silk pumps
Court shoe
Court shoes or pumps are shoes with a low-cut front and usually without a fastening. However, some have ankle straps...
from the Innes Shoe Company in Los Angeles. There is an embossed gold or silver stamp or an embroidered cloth label bearing the name of the company inside each right shoe. At the time, many movie studios used plain white silk shoes because they were inexpensive and easily dyed. It is likely that most of the shoes worn by female characters in The Wizard of Oz were plain Innes shoes with varying heel heights, dyed to match each costume.
To create the ruby slippers, the shoes were dyed red, then burgundy sequined organza overlays were attached to each shoe's upper and heel. The film's early three-strip Technicolor process required the sequins to be darker than most red sequins found today; bright red sequins would have appeared orange on screen. The Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
-inspired bows comprised three large rectangular red glass jewels with dark-red bugle beads, outlined in red glass rhinestones in silver settings. The stones and beads were sewn to a bow-shaped piece of red strap leather, then to the organza-covered shoe. Three pairs of the surviving slippers have orange felt glued to their soles to deaden noise.
It is theorized that Garland wore one primary pair during shooting. This may be the pair known as "the People's Shoes" available for public viewing at the Smithsonian Institution.
The "sister set" to this pair was owned by Michael Shaw. This pair can clearly be seen when Dorothy shows them to the Emerald City doorman.
Another pair, the close-up or insert shoes, is in best shape of all, appears to be better made, and has no orange felt on the soles, with "#7 Judy Garland" written in the lining. According to the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, "it is widely believed that they were used primarily for close-ups and possibly the climactic scene where Dorothy taps her heels together." Circular scuff marks on the soles support the theory that they the ones Garland had on when she clicked her heels together. The lack of felt indicates these were likely also the shoes taken from the feet of the dead Wicked Witch of the East (since the soles are visible in the film), hence their nickname: the "Witch's slippers".
The last known pair was, some believe, made for Bobbie Koshay, Garland's stunt double
Stunt double
A stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television , and for other sophisticated stunts...
. This is most likely the size 6B pair (owned first by Roberta Bauman, then Anthony Landini, and currently by David Elkouby) whose lining says "Double" instead of "Judy Garland". However, some believe this pair may have been the second pair created, therefore explaining the "Double" in the lining, but still used by Garland and Koshay. Several pairs of Garland's own shoes are size 6. Also, Garland may have worn this pair for photos and publicity appearances after the film's primary shooting was finished in 1939.
Subsequent history
For many years, movie studios were careless with old props, costumes, scripts, and other materials, unaware of their increasing value as memorabilia. Often, workers would just take souvenirs without permission, aware that their employers did not particularly care. One of the more notorious of these was costumer Kent WarnerKent Warner
Kent Phillip Warner was a costume designer, best known for acquiring the ruby slippers from the film The Wizard of Oz prior to the 1970 MGM Auction. He is known to have found four pairs used in the film, . One pair he sold to memorabilia collector Michael Shaw in 1970 for $2,500...
, who amassed a large private collection and supplemented his income with sales. It was he who found the slippers in February or March 1970 while helping to set up a mammoth auction of props and wardrobe. They had been stored away and forgotten in the basement of MGM's wardrobe department. One pair became the centerpiece of the auction. Warner kept the best pair for himself, size 5B, and apparently sold the rest.
National Museum of American History
The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Among the items on display are the original Star-Spangled Banner and Archie Bunker's...
at the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, though the donor insisted on anonymity. Dr. Brent Glass
Brent Glass
Brent D. Glass is Elizabeth MacMillan Director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. A national leader in the preservation, interpretation and promotion of history, Glass is a public historian who pioneered influential oral history and material culture studies...
, the director of the museum, appeared on the January 23, 2008 The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
with the slippers and informed Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
that "they were worn by Judy Garland during her dance routines on the Yellow Brick Road because there's felt on the bottom of these slippers". However, according to Rhys Thomas, all but one pair had orange felt on the soles. Further, the shoes, though both size 5C, may not match (the left bow is higher than the right; see photograph), fueling speculation that more of the slippers may exist.
Another pair was originally owned by a Tennessee woman named Roberta Bauman who got them by placing second in a National Four Star Club "Name the Best Movies of 1939" contest. In 1988, auction house Christie's sold them for $150,000 plus $15,000 buyer's premium
Buyer's Premium
In auctions, the buyer's premium is a percentage additional charge on the hammer price of the lot. It is made by the auctioneer to cover 'administrative expenses'....
to Anthony Landini. Landini immediately started showing them at the Disney/MGM Studios
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. Spanning 135 acres in size, its theme is show business, drawing inspiration from the heyday of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s...
' The Great Movie Ride
The Great Movie Ride
The Great Movie Ride is an attraction at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park. It is a dark ride which takes guests through scenes from famous films throughout motion picture history....
in Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
.
The slippers Warner kept were the ones in the best condition, the "Witch's slippers". Warner sold his pair in 1981 to an unknown buyer through Christie's East for $12,000. Two weeks after Landini bought his slippers, this pair resurfaced and were offered privately through Christie's to the under-bidder of the Bauman shoes, Philip Samuels of St. Louis, Missouri. Samuels bought them for the same price that Landini had paid, $165,000. He has used his shoes for fund raising for children's charities as well as lending them to the Smithsonian when their slippers are cleaned, repaired or (previously) on tour. Auction house Profiles in History has announced that this pair will be the highlight of its December 15-17, 2011 Icons of Hollywood auction. In an interview, Joe Maddalena, head of Profiles in History, estimated that they will go for $2 million to $3 million.
Landini auctioned his pair of slippers, again at Christie's East, on May 24, 2000, for $666,000, which included the buyer's premium. They were sold to David Elkouby and his partners, who own memorabilia shops in Hollywood. Elkouby and Co. has yet to display the shoes.
Kent Warner sold one pair, size 5B, to Michael Shaw in 1970. These were stolen from an exhibit at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota on the night of August 27–28, 2005.
The very elaborate curled-toe "Arabian" pair is owned by actress and memorabilia preservationist Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
. Reynolds acknowledged she got them from Kent Warner. Reynolds' slippers were sold for $510,000 (not including the buyer's premium) as part of the June 2011 auction of part of the actress's collection.
The fate of the bugle-beaded version is unknown.
One shoe of a pair originally kept by producer Mervyn LeRoy was given to his now deceased son Warner LeRoy.
Entertainer Lady GaGa
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
stated she received a pair for her birthday on March 28, 2011. She made the claim and showed the shoes during a show on The Monster Ball Tour
The Monster Ball Tour
The Monster Ball Tour was the second worldwide concert tour by American recording artist Lady Gaga. Staged in support of her album The Fame Monster and comprising a set list of songs from that and her debut album The Fame , the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 2009 through 2011...
, which is also inspired heavily by The Wizard Of Oz. However, her shoes reportedly cost only £25,000, casting doubt on their authenticity.
Return to Oz
The ruby slippers play an integral role in the 1985 Disney film Return to OzReturn to Oz
Return to Oz is a 1985 film which is an unofficial sequel to Victor Fleming's The Wizard of Oz. The film is based on the second and third Oz books, The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz...
, for which Disney had to obtain rights from MGM to use reproductions in the film. Unlike the originals, the hand-made British spool-heeled shoes for Return to Oz were covered in hundreds of red crystals. The stones were soaked in sulfuric acid to remove the silver backing, and two types of glue were used to affix them to the shoes (a spray glue and an optical glue). No matter what was done, the stones kept falling off during filming. Stagehands were specifically hired to sweep up loose "rubies" that would fall off the slippers after a scene was shot. Being little girls, actresses Fairuza Balk
Fairuza Balk
Fairuza Alejandra Balk is an American film actress. She made her theatrical film debut as Dorothy Gale in Disney's Return to Oz...
and Emma Ridley could not keep from playing, skipping and tapping their heels, so eventually they were required to take off the slippers between takes. Effects were later added in post production to give the slippers their magical glow. Simple, red grosgrain ribbon with additional stones were used for the bows. Seven pairs were made for the filming: two pairs, size one, for Ozma
Ozma
Ozma may refer to:* Ozma of Oz, a 1907 and third book in the Oz series* Ozma , a 1989 album by the Melvins* Ozma , a rock band from Pasadena, California* Ozma Wars, a 1979 arcade game...
(Ridley), three size twos for Dorothy (Balk), and two men's size 11 for the Nome King (Nicol Williamson
Nicol Williamson
Nicol Williamson is a Scottish-born English actor who was described by English playwright John Osborne as "the greatest actor since Marlon Brando".-Early life:...
).
In 1985, the Walt Disney Company gave away a pair of slippers to promote the film. They were won by a British family, who sold them to prominent Oz collector Willard Carroll in a 2001 eBay auction.
Western Costume Company
The Western Costume Company in Hollywood claims to have made Garland's original slippers. While it is likely that Western would have been contracted to make some of The Wizard of Ozs many costumes, no records of the original slippers exist to either validate or disprove their claim. In 1989, to commemorate the movie's 50th anniversary, Western produced the only authorized Ruby Slipper reproductions. Hand-lastLast
A last is a form in the approximate shape of a human foot, used by shoemakers and cordwainers in the manufacture and repair of shoes. Lasts typically come in pairs, and throughout their history have been made from many materials, including hardwoods, cast iron, and, more recently, high density...
ed on Judy Garland's original foot mold and completely sequined and jeweled, the reproduction slippers were nearly identical to the originals. Western planned a limited edition of 500 pairs at $5000 each, but halted the project after selling only 16 pairs.
Other film reproductions
An imitation pair of ruby slippers appeared in the 2002 movie The Master of DisguiseThe Master of Disguise
The Master of Disguise is a family fantasy comedy film released in 2002 starring actors Dana Carvey, Jennifer Esposito, James Brolin and Brent Spiner...
. Another pair appeared in an Oz sequence in the cult comedy Kentucky Fried Movie. Reproductions were also featured in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is an American adventure comedy film directed by Shawn Levy, and starring Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, and Steve Coogan. The film is a sequel to Night at the Museum...
. In this film, Kahmunrah tosses them away after discovering that the rubies are fake.
Tribute versions
In honor of the fiftieth anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, the Harry WinstonHarry Winston, Inc.
Harry Winston, Inc. is an American luxury jeweler and producer of Swiss timepieces. Named after its famous founder, the jeweler Harry Winston, the company is headquartered in New York....
jewellery company created a size-four pair of slippers using "about 25 carats of diamonds and 1,500 carats of rubies". Valued at $3 million, they are reportedly the most expensive pair of shoes in the world.
During the fall 2008 Fashion Week
Fashion Week
A fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, which allows fashion designers, brands or "houses" to display their latest collections in runway shows and buyers and the media to take a look at the latest trends. Most importantly, these events let the industry know...
in New York City, the Swarovski
Swarovski
Swarovski is the brand name for a range of precisely-cut crystal and related luxury products produced by Swarovski AG of Wattens, Austria...
company held a charity contest to commemorate the seventieth anniversary of the film, with nineteen designers redesigning the ruby slippers, including Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani is the lead vocalist for the rock and ska band No Doubt. Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was inspired by music of the 1980s, and was a success with sales of over...
, Diane von Fürstenberg
Diane von Fürstenberg
Diane von Fürstenberg, formerly Princess Diane of Fürstenberg , is a Belgian-American fashion designer best known for her iconic wrap dress. She initially rose to prominence when she married into the German princely House of Fürstenberg, as the wife of Prince Egon of Fürstenberg...
, and Moschino
Moschino
Moschino is an Italian fashion design house and manufacturer of women's, men's and children's fashion.-History:The brand was originally created in 1983 by the late Franco Moschino...
. The "Arabian" design was displayed with the designer entries.
Television
In the 1990–1991 animated production of The Wizard of Oz, the ruby slippers' powers are significantly enhanced. Not only do they retain their movie-inspired ability to repel the Wicked Witch of the West's touch, as well as the capability to teleport their user (and an unspecified number of companions) to any location desired, but they also demonstrate numerous other attributes and capabilities as well. Among them are the ability to:- cloud/block the view of the Witch's crystal ball, but only as long as they remain glowing
- negate, dispel, or reverse hexes or magical energy, used against their wearer, by the Witch
- levitate an object and control its trajectory through the air
- immediately adjust their size/shape to fit their wearer
In this series, Dorothy remains inexperienced and unfamiliar with the shoes' magic, and as such, calls upon their power only as a last resort; often resulting in a deus ex machina
Deus ex machina
A deus ex machina is a plot device whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object.-Linguistic considerations:...
scenario. The Cowardly Lion and Truckle, the Wicked Witch of the Wests chief Flying Monkey, also get to wear them briefly.
Books
According to the revisionist version of the Oz history chronicled in Gregory MaguireGregory Maguire
Gregory Maguire is an American writer. He is the author of the novels Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and many other novels for adults and children...
's novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, is a parallel novel published in 1995 written by Gregory Maguire and illustrated by Douglas Smith. It is a revisionist look at the land and characters of Oz from L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, its sequels, and the...
, the slippers were given to Nessarose
Nessarose
Nessarose Thropp is the name of the woman who becomes the Wicked Witch of the East in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway adaptation, Wicked...
, the future Wicked Witch of the East, by her father. At the time the shoes appeared silver. After being enchanted by Elphaba's old best friend and roommate Glinda (the Good Witch of the North) they become items of power that allow the armless Nessarose to stand without support. The energy of Glinda's spell gives the shoes their famed ruby glow. Maguire's invention thus bridges Baum's silver shoes and the ruby slippers of the film. In the musical adaptation, Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
, it is Elphaba
Elphaba
Elphaba Thropp is a fictional character in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway and West End adaptations, Wicked. In the original L. Frank Baum book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West is unnamed and little...
, the Wicked Witch of the West, who enchants the shoes, giving crippled Nessarose the ability to walk without a wheelchair.
The Ruby Slippers of Oz (Tale Weaver Publishing, 1989) by Rhys Thomas is a history of the famous shoes and Kent Warner's part in it.
Pop culture
In World of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
, the Ruby Slippers are a pair of epic-level cloth shoes dropped by the Wizard of Oz-themed "opera event" in the Karazhan raid instance. The shoes function similarly to the hearthstone that all characters start out with, allowing them to teleport from their current location to the inn where the hearthstone is set. The caption under the statistic lines, much like in the movie, is "There's no place like home."
In the episode "Das Boots" of The Suite Life on Deck
The Suite Life on Deck
The Suite Life on Deck is an American sitcom that aired on Disney Channel from September 26, 2008 to May 6, 2011. It is a sequel/spin-off of the Disney Channel Original Series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody...
, London tries to save herself and other characters who are trapped aboard a submarine by putting on a pair of ruby slippers, and saying" There's no place like home."