A Treasure Soon To Be Lost – Viewing the Debbie Reynolds Collection at the Paley Center

Well, actually, dispersed would be a better word. But, “a treasure soon to be dispersed?” Not too exciting right? Doesn’t quite reel you in…but I digress.

As you may or may not know, Debbie Reynolds, the legendary actress, owns the largest collection of Hollywood memorabilia in the world. This collection spans several decades from the silents to Star Wars. Although there was initially a plan to house this collection in its own museum, it never panned out. So now, unfortunately, the collection is to be auctioned off and the wonderful mementos will be divided amongst private collectors around the globe.

As a classic film buff, this does make me sad but the auction does have one benefit – the pieces are currently on display for the public to view. When I heard that, I knew I just had to see these pieces of Hollywood history. As the collection is so huge, it is being divided into multiple auctions. The first auction contains over 700 pieces ranging from the iconic white dress Marilyn Monroe wore in The Seven Year Itch to Charlie Chaplin’s Little Tramp chapeau to various costumes and props from a range of films including Singin’ in the Rain, The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, Planet of the Apes and The Sound of Music.

So, on Sunday I drove up to the Paley Center in Beverly Hills to catch a glimpse of these amazing pieces. All, I can say is Wow! Wow, wow, wow! I was able to view up close costumes and props from some of my very favorite films. Check it out, I still can’t believe I saw them in person.