Death of a Movie Studio: The MGM Auction 1970

[@Ken15643]

Debbie Reynolds tried to purchase and preserve as much as she could. Unfortunately, it proved too much for her alone. God rest her soul.

[@rickyparrilla2426]

Just goes to show the true love she had for the movies & the history of making movies. So many actors today don't care for things like that and it's sad they don't. I remember seeing her on interviews talking about trying to save old Hollywood pieces. I give her much respect for doing something. That's one thing I dislike about California. They really don't believe in preserving old architecture. They just knock it down to build new structures. In New York we save alot of old structures and give them landmark status!!! Respect!!!

[@scvandy3129]

" . . . proved too much for her alone." Other factors: according to her revealing, candid biographies and interviews were unscrupulous spouses bleeding her dry and / or bankrupting her, expensive divorces and assorted, never-ending attorneys' fees plus ambitious yet underfunded Las Vegas ventures wiped out a considerable amount of the capital needed for her good-hearted, generous dream, a Hollywood museum.

[@johnstevenson9956]

Debbie Reynolds tried so hard to keep as much of this together as she could, and keep the back lots as tourist attractions, but there's only so much one person can do against so much greed.

[@williambrown6721]

You're exactly right! So sad to see all of these buildings and props taken down just to make more room for people to park and for other ridiculous reasons... Just like you said what a tourist attraction all of these historic building and props would have made.that shows you how times are changing for the worst!! So very sad!!!

[@sherriianiro747]

After her purchases she did open an MGM museum in Las Vegas and it went bankrupt. People were not interested in any of that in the 70's. Movies had changed completely and just like phenomenal architecture, people got rid of it.

[@johnstevenson9956]

Very tragic.@@sherriianiro747

[@Anth230]

​@@sherriianiro747Right and no one is interested today...TIME TO LET IT ALL GO

[@The_momur]

She brought pieces she’d won in auction to her father to restore. Her mother and father lived in Palm Springs right next door to our vacation house on Racquet Club Road. I believe a good part of this was to keep his mind active as He was living with ALZ. He was a gifted woodworker. I remember seeing a complicated cherub mirror frame he’d restored.

[@alexp3752]

I grew up in LA, and MGM was known as the Crown Jewel of Studios. It embodied a sense of class, elegance and quality unequaled by its competitors. Over the years, I had the opportunity to visit the lot on several occasions, and it was truly a delight. Before Covid, I was able to visit the studio, now owned by Sony Pictures. While the spirit of MGM has gone from the lot, Sony spent a fortune making and keeping it amazing! The magic still remains to an extent with many of the buildings, gardens and parkways that MGM was noted. In my view, from a positive side, at this moment, the studio could not be in better and more capable hands.

[@Praire22]

That is so wonderful to hear. The MGM studio of the 30’s and 40’s means so much to me. My heart will always love the classics of back then.😊

[@jaliciabanuelos8819]

But it sad what they did to Judy garland

[@williamsnyder5616]

The irony of your comments is that Sony is the parent company of Columbia Pictures. In Hollywood's early days, Columbia was a ''Poverty Row'' studio, the subject of much derision by Louis B. Mayer.

[@LaurenceDay-d2p]

The classic Thalberg building is still there, happily, as are most of the sound stages where the classic films were shot. Contrary to popular belief, GONE WITH THE WIND was not shot at MGM. The company merely distributed the picture.

[@levieenrose7646]

Debbie Reynolds recalled in her autobiography, how heartbreaking it was to see so many historical items from the Golden era of Hollywood, just thrown away and discarded by the new MGM studio executives which compelled her to purchase as many memorabilia items she could afford at the auction. Debbie worked tirelessly to preserve these items and house them in her Vegas Museum.

[@TheFiown]

The sixties and seventies have a lot to answer for on many levels !

[@OVERHERE-OVERHERE]

The only Hollywood interest I would have would be to Hal Roach Studio,Laurel and Hardy, And the little rascals

[@scvandy3129]

@@OVERHERE-OVERHERE A true, die-hard fan of two, top Hal E. Roach Studios' properties would reference the latter, "Our Gang," not "The Little Rascals." Secondly, since this wonderful KZbin chestnut pertains to MGM it hardly makes sense to bring up and drool over a different studio just because it's a personal favorite; that's more suitable for your friends on Facebook. That said, the text reads like 'a wet blanket.'

[@LaurenceDay-d2p]

So true. In the name of "Progress" so many classic things have been destroyed.

[@heru-deshet359]

These studios would have made much more money if they had created museums for these. The tourist flow would have rivaled Disney.

[@Tadfafty]

Universal did that.

[@kennethwayne6857]

Sadly, people just didn't think that way at the time. It was 'old junk', current was what was valued, and the nostalgia factor wasn't taken into consideration. It was the same train of thought that led them to destroy most of the 'outtakes' from the MGM film library, some of which has fortunately been found.

[@Tadfafty]

@@kennethwayne6857 Same reason so many old movies are lost media.

[@hifijohn]

No kidding imagine what a sci-fi nut like me would pay to sit in the time machine!!

[@heru-deshet359]

@@hifijohn If you're really that crazy about it Stephen Pisani built an exact replica was selling it and may plans for sale.

[@CMRinehart]

Kirk Kirkorian sold this studio for 5 million to a company to build condos. He was a greedy non-visionary with no passion for preserving iconic American film history.

[@kennethwayne6857]

Venal bastard!

[@abhishekpandey3463]

@@kennethwayne6857 I hate him so much

[@valentinius62]

Yeah, but it all can't be preserved. Those sets weren't built for endurance to begin with, but obviously they hadn't been maintained anyway. The various furniture, props and wardrobe were deteriorating over time and previous handling. At least this way much of it could be preserved and appreciated by private collectors.

[@CMRinehart]

@@abhishekpandey3463 Yes he was a POG.

[@sherriianiro747]

He had no money and filed bankruptcy that's why. MGM went into decline when people stopped going to the musical movies, and they didn't adapt to the times. Warner Bros. eventually came out on top even though they started as a gangster studio because unlike MGM, they produced what people wanted to see. If you look into MGMs' history, they were a disposable studio, and threw most things away.

[@1949rangerrick]

I was in the National Guard and we were sent to the studios to do riot training just previous to the auction. They had movie props laying all over the place with auction numbers. We moved through a lot of the outdoor sets doing our training. I recognized several of the sets from familiar movies and TV shows. One interesting scene was an elaborate entry gate to a mansion that was used in a TV show. They had the blueprints for the gate hanging on a wall next to the gate. It was quite a complicated set of prints. Several weeks later I watched the episode on the show that had those gates. It was on screen for less then 3 seconds. So much work for such a short scene. It was truly sad to see all that movie and TV history go under the gavel.

[@julienielsen3746]

And the TV show was.........?

[@1949rangerrick]

@@julienielsen3746 oh gosh, that was 40 years ago. I’m lucky if I can remember what I watched last week. I just remember it was an action show and I believe the scene was supposed to be in a foreign location. Now I’m going to have to try and research it. It wasn’t one of the most popular shows, but it was a weekly show. If I figure it out, I’ll pass it along.

[@julienielsen3746]

@@1949rangerrick They have TV shows listed here that were made at MGM from before 1986. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_MGM_Television_programs

[@1949rangerrick]

@@julienielsen3746 thanks, I will check it out. I found one website that had 7000 shows. Too many.

[@themonkeyhand]

It was probably reused a half-dozen times.

[@james5460]

The Time Machine was sold to a traveling show for about $10k. About five years later, a collector found it all beat up in a California thrift store and bought it for $1k. He restored it.

[@oneandatwo]

That's the main thing I was wondering about. Great movie.

[@johnpatterson4272]

Probably one of the top 5 movie artifacts from the 'baby boom' era.

[@crispincain5373]

And the Time Machine appeared in an episode of The Big Bang Theory...

[@snarkus63]

The collector was actor-producer-archivist Bob Burns...after restoring it, he used it in a Time Machine-themed live show, one of several he'd been doing on his property for years on Halloween. George Pal showed up and was photographed sitting in the time machine, something he'd never actually done when he made the movie.

[@GeekFilter]

And a lot of sci-fi creators helped, including Dorothy Fontana of Star Trek fame.

[@yepiratesworkshop7997]

Well, that was a walk down memory lane for me! What a shame it couldn't be in a museum somewhere.

[@oneandatwo]

I was a teen; didn't hear anything about this auction until now, 51 years later---and there were 3 sets of ruby slippers.

[@stephenbirks6458]

Might buy the 'Time machine' ! ...To use it ? Go back in time and stop the Auction from happening ? Haha !

[@onlythewise1]

@@stephenbirks6458 ok i know how funny nobody believe me except one professor how i trusted and stole my idea but not the best idea i had two others

[@PRR5406]

Actually, six sets of ruby slippers! The Smithsonian has, what is believed to be, the pair used for most of the filming. Others were either for rehearsals or backup copies.

[@fw1421]

Breaks your heart to see all that film history gone.

[@Anth230]

Nah...not really...... 😏

[@godfreydaniel6278]

I attended the auction - I saw some fool pay $2000 for a pair of panties Kim Novak wore in a movie - the studio saved EVERYTHING. Remember the big naval battle in Ben Hur? - upon my soul, the studio kept the charred hulls of the models (about 8 feet long) burned in the big pool filming the sequence. Burnt from bow to stern! Unbelievable...

[@clintonflynn815]

And you just know that as soon as he could he sniffed them.

[@scvandy3129]

"godfreydaniel6278," Re "$2000 for a pair of panties Kim Novak wore" -- well, it surely beats getting caught and arrested for driving to Carmel, breaking into her house and stealing them from her laundry hamper (dirty pair) or dresser (clean pair).

[@garrengroom3831]

Sad indeed! Wow, up to '70 when the auction took place, MGM had really fallen into disrepair. Some costumes & props survived and far too many not as lucky. Thank God for Debbie Reynolds & what she could salvage. Of course the Ruby Slippers, the holy grail of 'em. Too few cared at the time.

[@thebluerobin]

Nothing lasts forever, not you, not me, not anything, so sad indeed.

[@bigjohn3928]

Dust to Dust....

[@Marcel_Audubon]

the studio system was a sophisticated way to make high quantity, high quality movies like a factory assembly line. The sheer rapid output will never be equalled again.

[@mercenarygrip]

My grandfather, father, & uncle all worked at MGM. I grew up sneaking into Lot 2 & playing with my friends in & amongst all the old buildings. I too ended up working in the studios. I watched about half of this video before I shut it off. It was just too heartbreaking to finish.

[@EagleRockers]

I remember when this was happening. I was so depressed about it. I was fresh out of high school in L.A. and figured I couldn't afford anything. Thank God for Debbie Reynolds and what she purchased. Got to see it in Las Vegas years later - along with her!

[@Elainerulesutube]

😥So sad to see the demise of a great old studio.

[@michaelmorgan9824]

It was fun, sad but fun. Walking everywhere on back Lot 3 before the auction was amazing I was 20 at the time. Still have all the catalogues. Bought a miniature Nautilus from 1927 Mysterious Island..

[@JSB1882]

MGM had the greatest backlot ever! This was so sad to watch and Debbie Reynolds and Jane Withers tried so hard to save it.

[@sherriianiro747]

Thanks to The Backlot Recovery Project more than 200 backlots have been saved from the dumpster 60 minutes did a report on it.

[@Peter-pv8xx]

I believe Debbie Reynolds bought the ruby slippers and many other Hollywood memorabilia, Jordon the lion who has a KZbin channel was given a tour of her home by her son, she had quite a collection.

[@twistoffate4791]

I read Debbie's son's book, where he talks about how plans always fell through amidst his mom's efforts to open a museum featuring all those famous & fabulous costumes. Sad read, in parts.

[@dwderp]

She had an amazing hoard. Unfortunately it all had to be sold off not long before she died. It's all been scattered to the winds, now. Everything goes away, eventually.

[@patcurrie9888]

@@twistoffate4791 The museum was completed recently in her honor. They have been discussing in on the last few Oscars. Her treasures will be a primary collection of the Academy Museum.

[@twistoffate4791]

@@patcurrie9888 That's wonderful news. Thanks for bringing me up to date.

[@gvie56]

@@patcurrie9888 , You’re speaking of the Academy Of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Museum. While the Academy may have purchased a few pieces from Debbie Reynolds collection, and I don’t know what those might be, Reynolds collection was massive. She owned hundreds of costumes and props not only from MGM, but also 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers. It would be nice if the Academy had managed to keep it all in one place but that is highly unlikely. Like someone else mentioned most is scattered to the wind. I attended the auction as a bystander and watched as some costumes went for millions. And while I hope I am wrong, the museum is not being completed in her honor.

[@toddperry9860]

My friend bid and won the MGM arsenal back in 1970 because when the Japanese bought the studio according to their surrender documents they could not own the arsenal he received over 38,000 assault rifles most of the guns that Clint Eastwood and John Wayne used in their movies excellent excellent collection!!!

[@kimbradley9595]

This is the sadist thing I have ever seen silver screen will never be replaced

[@heru-deshet359]

"Saddest".

[@jasonstegallco.960]

​@@heru-deshet359 True, that's correct -- but it in a way was also a "sadist" thing to do.

[@bobroma]

What most people forget or didn't know is that MGM was already bankrupt in 1970 when the auction took place. They were court ordered to sell everything to pay off debts. It really does suck. Side note: Most of the before and after footage in this video is from the 1974 film The Phantom of Hollywood. The movie has a lot of other footage of the sets being bulldozed. It was the last movie on MGM's backlot #3 to ever be filmed. The movie itself is pretty bad but it shows what terrible condition the backlot was in.

[@e.directmarketing932]

Not true. Not BK and no court ordered the sale. It was wholly Kerkorian and the "Smiling Cobra" James Aubrey who destroyed MGM.

[@eblackadder3]

Not true at all. It was Kirk Kerkorian who was responsible for this disgrace. If it were me, I would have spent money to restore the backlots, refurbish the studio and convert a soundstage into a museum where all those costumes and props could have been displayed for studio tours. MGM could have regained its former eminence if only a few people had been less greedy and cared just a little bit.

[@jamesclendon4811]

Sad to see this, of course, but also sad that this is such a sloppy, disjointed, superficial video. Just as all the items for sale were considered almost worthless at the time, no one realized how interesting a well-made, professional documentary about the auction would be to future generations of movie fans.

[@jackolantern6692]

My thoughts were the same....a sloppy, disjointed, superficial (and thrown together) video.

[@stevesmithston8914]

I wish I was old enough to go, have money and then have a space to but the stuff in. Debbie Reynolds tried to save it but it just was not valued.

[@CulverCityHistory]

Debbie had a lot of foresight in 1970. Even though she had trouble maintaining the collection and finding a long-term place to exhibit the artifacts, you can be comforted by the fact that she was able to auction off many items for millions in the end.

[@SuperMike1955]

My brother and I , along with some friends, snuck into lot 2 located on Culver and Overland back in the mid-60’s. We were very young. We attended Farragut elementary school. We got caught by security guard and thrown out. We snuck back in a second time and managed not to get caught.

[@finscreenname]

Ruby slippers for 15 grand was a hell of an investment if you had them today.

[@EmilyTienne]

I doubt you could touch them for 15 million today.

[@jerrysullivan8424]

If you watch Antique Roadshow prices are going down on nostalgic stuff. :( people do not have the money anymore. plus young people don't have the same interest in old stuff. That said, things cycle, so down the road there might be an uptick in prices and Antique collecting, time will tell. :)

[@shanerollins3736]

Considering each pair is insured for $1 million each, they’re worth way more than that. I know that one pair currently holds the record for the highest price paid for any movie-related item in history, including but not limited to props and costumes. Before that, the record went to Marilyn Monroe’s dress from The Seven-Year Itch, which sold for $4.5 million. I vaguely remember the slippers in question selling for over $5 million, and that number will only increase over time. Every time they sell they set a new record. (Ironically, Dorothy’s blue dress was destroyed in a fire at the Emerald City theme park, or that would most likely be fetching millions. No clue where the brown dress (for the Kansas scenes) or her black shoes (look as the witch approaches Dorothy in Munchkinland, you’ll see them) or the original silver slippers (which were quickly rejected due to not photographing well and the desire to advertise Technicolor), or if any of them exist today.)

[@finscreenname]

@@shanerollins3736 I bet most of that stuff endded up in just another prop locker and no one put the two together

[@idaslpdhr]

Debbie Reynolds son has 3 pairs

[@Porsche996driver]

Historic pieces of history making history again.

[@AudiophileTommy]

This is a total disgrace that these backlots and content were not preserved !

[@BoBo-ti6jh]

Heartbreaking. Kerkorian greed and L.A. historical apathy.

[@gjmob]

The K and the ian. are not a good combination.

[@grahamhill6340]

Having worked in HOLLYWOOD myself for over 40 years, both as a writer and studio historian... in MGM's case it's demise was mainly due to constantly changing BAD management coupled at the same time by being slowly raped out of business in the 1960's and 70's. Kirk Kerkorian was not in the least sentimental or respectful about owning MGM. I grew up at MGM's Boreham Wood studio in England where my uncle worked... we had done IVANHOE, filming for BEN HUR, THE DIRTY DOZEN, 2001 and finally RYAN'S DAUGHTER when Kirk pulled the plug on us first. To show you the weird irony of HOLLYWOOD in the 1970's... James Aubrey, Kirk's "hatchet man" produced a TV movie called THE PHANTOM OF HOLLYWOOD starring Jack Cassidy (David's dad) and Aubrey's daughter Skye... apart from the crazy phantom scenario, it showed the demolition of the sprawling backlots that were all over Culver City. The TV movie also had a small MGM highlights montage of their best movies -and this was how that idea for putting together THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT came about. I believe the famous 'auction' only netted about $1.5 million for the studio, as one of the MGM board was associated with auctioneer David Weisz who paid that sum upfront, and he got a whole lot more for himself out of the deal. When I came to MGM in the mid-1970's that had just done THE WIND AND THE LION which was a hit, and LOGAN'S RUN was a dud... WESTWORLD did well, THE SUNSHINE BOYS not to bad -but the biggest hit for the decade was SHAFT. Lot 2 across the street from the main studio on Overland, it's city streets were used on THE STING and SOYLENT GREEN. One of the last entities to go was MGM's own color lab in the 1990's. I could go on and on, wrote a few articles on old MGM, and was very honored to meet so many people who worked there when it truly meant something... I spent 12 years at Universal and 25 at 20th Century-Fox, but as is the practice I worked on so many studio lots, as they all became rental just rental facilities -and most new people had no idea of the history of where they were working, or even cared!

[@stephenbirks6458]

Thats so sad - No matter what size the company - You only need one bad egg at the helm - And that company is in trouble ! The people on the workfloor can see whats happening ! -But most case's are in no position to be able to do any thing about it ? Like people at the helm of most countries now ? - People vote them in under their false pretencies -They do the opposite of their promise's - Don't give a hoot about the country or the people they were voted in to reprisent ! - Just line their pockets and they are away - There off leaving a line of problems to get sorted out before the new leader can get on with their own manifesto ! Your story was very interesting thankyou for sharing ! SB British Isles

[@grahamhill6340]

The very same the "Smiling Cobra".@Collinwood 75

[@gfbozier5700]

Merci pour votre témoignage de cette époque, je suis toujours touché d'entendre ceux qui ont participé de près ou de loin à à ces aventures professionnelles et humaines qui ont fait rêver le monde entier.

[@darryljorden9177]

The opening helicopter scenes of this video is from THE PHANTOM OF HOLLYWOOD.

[@scvandy3129]

@@metquartet7822 Yes, the one and the same -- who infamously with glee told the network's Jack Benny -- a longtime CBS star / asset -- 'you're through' upon cancelling his show. An example of how he got the nickname, the Smiling Cobra.

[@jimshelton1]

That news guy was Bill Stout from CBS News Los Angeles.

[@marylizakowski706]

I was wondering if anyone here would be able to put a name to him. Now I know who he is. Thanks.

[@CMRinehart]

Imagine how much more all the items would have been worth if you sat on them for 20+ years. 1970’s prices were nothing compared to what they could have been.

[@onlythewise1]

pay to store them

[@scvandy3129]

"CMRinehart," you did hear that MGM filed for bankruptcy, right?" What bankruptcy court / judge is going to allow a broke corporation to place its remaining assets in storage and pay the representative fees for two, three, four, five decades -- with the mindset said items will be worth lots more money down the line? Ed. - none.

[@CMRinehart]

@@scvandy3129 Not a corporation, but investors.

[@classiclife7204]

Looking at the few amazed "civilians" wandering around the lot during the auction makes me wonder why MGM didn't attempt to open their portions of their lot to the public as a theme park. Universal Studios did that almost immediately after the Studio System Collapse - 1964 - and never looked back.

[@Marcel_Audubon]

Coz they weren't in the theme park business

[@classiclife7204]

@@Marcel_Audubon Neither was Universal.

[@Marcel_Audubon]

@@classiclife7204 how many movie theme parks do you think 1 city can support? should all 10 major studios have turned themselves into theme parks? dimwitted idea

[@classiclife7204]

@@Marcel_Audubon LOL, you seem so irritated that somebody would dare suggest this. Don't worry, it's not going to happen. Anyway, I'm not sure what one endless, hellish megalopolis can support; it seems a lot, tbh. I bet MGM would have probably beat Universal 1v1. They could've put up a museum, at least. Anything might've been better than Krekorian selling everything for 10 cents on the dollar, but I suppose ole Kirk knew what he was doing.

[@sherriianiro747]

I always wanted the brass bed in "Meet Me in St. Louis"! Thank Goodness Debbie Reynolds bought a ton of memorabilia at that auction!

[@35geordielad]

So sad to see once great movie items etc being auctioned off. MGM probably the greatest movie studio ever

[@carloshugogeib7961]

The end of a factory of dreams. I feel myself sad.

[@KindCountsDeb3773]

What an INCREDIBLE amount of items they had ! I mean, the rifles alone were astouinding. IF I'd been there I could't afford much, but I'd be so torn on what to get !! I would hope the large riverboat and other ships, cars, etc were built well and usable- an added bonus. WOW

[@scvandy3129]

" . . . the rifles alone were astounding." If in 'as new' condition, absolutely. But studios' and prop houses' arsenals were hardly treated with TLC over the decades of use and abuse by careless actors and extras on sets and locations. Watching detective dramas or westerns how many times have we heard "DROP / THROW DOWN your gun!" and the weapon's callously tossed to the cement sidewalk or rocky canyon floor, for example? Lots.

[@pumpupjam9648]

Man, Debbie Reynolds bought out all the Customs, then later in life, had to sell a lot of them off. The props all gone, private collections and at stores that are no longer in business. Good Will's across America, might have a few left, and what happened to the people who bought the Show Boat? Is that rotting in some swamp not in California? No one made films like MGM, Warner Brothers, Columbia, RKO, and a number of older studies too. These people, crews, artists, actors/actresses, all GONE.

[@michaelcalia6072]

Years ago I visited Debbie Reynolds' museum in Las Vegas. She had a wonderful collection. Got to see her live show, too.

[@briardan9226]

Debbie Reynold's estate was worth 60 million when she passed away. Mainly based on her costume and movie memorabilia.

[@1966bdc1984]

The Show Boat became an attraction at Worlds of Fun amusement park in Kansas City, MO. I believe it was removed in the 90s, though not sure if it was packed up, moved somewhere else, or destroyed.

[@briardan9226]

@@1966bdc1984 The Show Boat from the 1951 classic, Show Boat?

[@briardan9226]

The African Queen was found decaying in Key West, FL. It was bought and restored. Last I heard the guy who restored her doesn't have it as an attraction for public viewing.

[@dougrollison7040]

Is there a decent resolution version of this somewhere? The compression distortion makes it so hard to see details.

[@CulverCityHistory]

This is the best available at present.

[@chriswhite2151]

I remember I was 9, and my dad had the catalog. I think there was an army tank I wanted

[@marcwitt8507]

Wonder what happened to the props from the Caine mutiny been trying to find out for years ty for posting

[@alexvaliansky7707]

That wasn’t an MGM picture.

[@ardiffley-zipkin9539]

Reminds. me of a line from the song : "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.."

[@tomvernon2123]

Fantastic! I can remember some of those items up for sale. Had no idea that the down-scale ships would be auctioned off. I would have loved to have one, but what would you do with it.

[@heru-deshet359]

Put it in your back yard and charge a dollar per person to come look at it.

[@tomvernon2123]

@@heru-deshet359 I guess that you could do that. If you bought the riverboat with the minstrels you could put on shows.

[@kennethwayne6857]

@@tomvernon2123 That riverboat must be a helluva thing to have, but consider the fortune you'd have to spend for the upkeep, you'd go broke.

[@tomvernon2123]

@@kennethwayne6857 no doubt!

[@suzannebrady6201]

I loved show boat! I would have loved to have purchased anything from that set! 😞

[@greg7656]

What an immensely short-sighted and stupid thing this was

[@lawrencelewis8105]

Don't forget that the studio was losing money and all that land was worth more than the movies they made on it. It was inevitable. But a lot of this stuff should have gone to a big movie museum if there was one at the time.

[@lordcron]

I was once asked what's the difference between America and England. The answer is England stand for traditions. America is 100 percent pure capitalism. Everything is for sale. Nothing is sacred. Everything has a price tag. AND I MEAN EVERYTHING!!

[@stephenbirks6458]

So Sad ! - All those people there like vultures picking at the once great bones of MGM Thanks for sharing !

[@TopSecretInformations]

Another thing to research about the "great bones of MGM" is that there were years of casting couch rapes happening on the lot.

[@scvandy3129]

@@TopSecretInformations One hardly needs to single out one studio for an inexcusable, industry-wide trend throughout that era.

[@scvandy3129]

The "vultures" were the money people who came in and stripped the assets and coffers of the legendary MGM. ?"All those people"? -- by the late 1960s at MGM the situation was so dire everything 'had to go'. So, better that items be sold to individuals or concerns who appreciate MGM's legendary history than that they go to a landfill -- which tragically happened to hundreds and hundreds of reels of film and tens of thousands priceless pieces of publicity photos and advertising art.

[@darryltester5376]

The MGM uk studio at borehamwood in England was also sold off in 1970 to a real estate developer.... sadly the then owner of MGM was determined to asset strip the company to pay for real estate in Las Vegas........

[@keithhyttinen8275]

I would have bought Ben Hur's chariot.

[@KindCountsDeb3773]

I would have bought Ben Hur. lol

[@cliftonbowers5547]

Jane Fonda and I walked among the ruins of an old mansion in Georgia that was used in an old movie with Elizabeth Taylor..

[@kevinbirge2130]

I bitterly lament our inability to preserve history.

[@garyfrancis6193]

I never heard of this and I was living in Canada and 20 years old at the time. I used to watch Canadian news and CBS. News with Walter Cronkite every night and don’t remember this at all.

[@dfirth224]

They thought only people in Los Angeles would be interested in it. Remember this was a few years before the "Historic Preservation" movement got started thanks to Jackie Kennedy.

[@ronniereams5334]

I noticed some sets from Combat!. Around 8 minute mark is the one from What are the Bugles Blowin' for 2 parter.

[@scvandy3129]

Good eye! Good ole Sgt. Saunders et al. and the Brits fighting fiercely against the krauts [i.e., term used by the Allies' in WW II and the "Combat!" cast in 1960s -- referencing the enemy].

[@Jshaw71]

those before and after pictures hit pretty hard, I wonder what the same places look like now?

[@ThePianoMan1953]

Their prop department fooled me to the last instant. I wondered how they were going to bulldoze those heavy stone structures? lol

[@kathyflorcruz552]

There were several pair of the Red sequin shoes luckily. Debbie Reynolds had a pair - but I was very disappointed to see another pair in the Smithsonian as they were dusty & not tended to as they should have been. I have always wondered what happened to Glinda's crown though. I think her gown was repurposed - but that fantastic crown just seems to have vanished. 👑

[@anthonyhebisen]

Also the pair that Debbie owned were mix matched. One was used as a dancing shoe and the other was used for close up

[@bellthandian]

I got to see the pair at the Smithsonian back in 2012. Sad to see them in such poor condition and not so ruby colored anymore, but from what it’s made of it’s not wonder as those things wear and fade over time. Sequins don’t always hold up well, though at least the bow was still pretty near perfect with its shinning rubies. I know they did go through a major restoration and preservation about 2 years ago I think.

[@RugbyFootballer]

WoW how sad all of century city use to be the old 20th Century Fox lot they did the same thing as MGM in the 60s I bet the studios are kicking themselves in the head they had it all and they sold it like the old saying Hollywood moved out of Hollywood long ago they can’t afford to go back because it too expensive

[@scvandy3129]

"RugyFootballer," These incidents weren't limited to 'back in the day.' About 10 years ago Warner Bros. sold a shitload of its assorted inventory, e.g., props, wardrobe. But, unlike 20th and Metro in the '60s and their enormous money woes, Warners was / is doing fine.

[@DOLRED]

Much the same can be said for the massive beautiful theaters in many cities which were demolished. No money for upkeep and/or taxes and all other expenses to maintain them.

[@johnstancliff7328]

wonder who has the land now.... what studio took it over?

[@dfirth224]

The back lots were sold off to real estate developers. All housing now. You can look online and see pictures. It's now worth $$ Millions. Sony bought what's left of the MGM studio. The game show Jeopardy is filmed there. Modern movies with the "Sony Pictures" at the beginning are made at the old MGM studios.

[@antmusic1000]

I would have bid on some of that stuff. Unfortunately I wasn't born yet.

[@kevincruz4045]

Most of the Railroad cars were saved and are at the Southern California Railroad Museum in Perris Ca.

[@keithhyttinen8275]

The Gipper's bedpan sold for $500.

[@greensage395]

What a cool ending to this video...Amazing, nothing remains, and we cannot take anything but Memories with us! :)

[@simonwood1461]

Sad. The lion sleeps tonight.

[@jasonstegallco.960]

In Jim Rome's Jungle, his mighty Jungle, Smackoff Tanner sleeps tonight, hep hep, a wiener wrap, a wiener wrap, a wiener wrap, a wiener wrap...

[@thebeaz1]

Debbie Reynolds, may God Rest Her Soul.,.........

[@tomooms1167]

I guess $15,000 was a fortune in 1970... quite a few topped out there.

[@BoBo-ti6jh]

A 3 bedroom 2 bath house in L.A. cost 35,000. So, 15,000 was a lot of many back then.

[@onlythewise1]

@@BoBo-ti6jh ya fancy car was five thousand

[@davidjoe3368]

That was damn near $150.000 in today"s dollars.

[@onlythewise1]

sad everything dies

[@65tosspowertrapl36]

I am a movie buff and own thousands of dvds, mostly pre 1970s films. Whilst nostalgia plays a large part with people's sensibility over something like this auction, it should be remembered that movie making was and is a business. Unfortunately lawyers and accountants have more control of this business than do directors, writers,actors and the myriad of people involved in creating the movies we enjoy.

[@radiogoodguy6287]

Love the movie scene comparison to the now/years later scene. I guess it's more cost-effective to do on location shoots.

[@thebeaz1]

Selling off MGM Studios just made me cry. It's a shame that someone like Howard Hughes didn't buy the whole thing.

[@scvandy3129]

" . . . like Howard Hughes . . ." If what he did to legendary RKO Studios, once taking control in 1948, is any example, MGM would have been nuked years earlier, as was RKO in the '50s when the almighty Hughes dumped it, or what little was left of it after his seven years of mismanagement and horrible judgment with: contracted talent, personnel, infrastructure, titles, acreage -- for $25 mil in 1955. THAT was 'a shame.'

[@JVONROCK]

My Girlfriend and I went, not much money, we bought a couple $5 bags of raggedy clothes from "Gone with the Wind"

[@marylizakowski706]

So cool!

[@vasarian]

Cool story! Do you still have them?

[@libertygiveme1987]

SO SAD!!!! ALL OF THAT HISTORY!!!! Greed seems to ruin EVERYTHING!!!!

[@scvandy3129]

"Greed" . . . and poor judgment and lack of foresight.

[@LIKEFRITOS]

Nah, they were court ordered to sell everything

[@195511SM]

I remember back around 1968 or '69........going on the Universal Studios tour at age 13. I think the tram ride lasted several hours, with several stops along the way.......to walk thru old dressing rooms & sets.......and the guide explained how things worked. I visited again in the late-1990s, and sadly the place had been turned into an amusement park. The tram ride lasted maybe 45 minutes.

[@scvandy3129]

Right; it's a shell of what it originally offered -- a thorough, extended overview of a legendary, working studio and all its familiar sets. Sadly the diverse, 'themed' backlot sets and 'wilderness' areas are a fraction of what used to be. One could say today's Universal's tour is that of a theme park, not a studio.

[@Tbird1549]

Great video, sad moment in time!

[@laurenbacall3847]

So literally heartbreaking.

[@albertomichelini4882]

very sad.

[@CMRinehart]

Warner, Paramount, and Universal didn't tear down their studios, they preserved them and give tours. Big money makers.

[@kathyflorcruz552]

Wow! I wonder who was lucky enough to get that fabulous Time Machine?

[@animateangus]

It was found in a second hand item shop and is now in the possession of prop collector, Bob Burns.

[@dalehall2067]

Apparently it wasn’t worth a lot as someone bought it for a dollar out of here antique store

[@Viewer-12310]

@@dalehall2067 I think you’ll find it was $1000 not $1.00

[@clivecarser7356]

The original gates are still there ,I stood there and looked across the road at houses and could have cried.

[@RossCompose]

This broke my heart.

[@LaurenceDay-d2p]

Ironic Note: The auction company bought all the MGM props for only $1,500,000. The ruby slippers alone later sold for over $3,000,000.

[@skateshacksample_bak]

inertia is the natural tendency of objects in motion to stay in motion and objects at rest to stay at rest

[@bruceweaver7641]

It is not the times that are at fault, it was the stupidity of the businessmen that controlled MGM at the time. Debbie Reynolds tried to talk them into opening a museum, but they wouldn't have it. Even Hollywood Stars offered to do it. The greatest form of art and entertainment the world has ever seen, or will ever see, was put together there, for awhile.

[@joec.3854]

Always sad to see the end of an era like this. Some silver linings I guess is the Smithsonian has a pair of the Ruby Slippers they've recently restored and are on display at the American History Museum. They also have, (or had), a chariot and some props from Ben Hur. I got to see them more than thirty years ago when I was in college. Nice touch with the musical selections from Ben Hur also. Miklos Rozsa's best work. Thanks...

[@julienielsen3746]

Funny thing, the slippers in the book "The Wizard of Oz" were silver. They changed them to ruby slippers for the color film.

[@Dave_Boyer]

The time machine is on display somewhere, I recently saw it in another KZbin video. I’m sure there was some amazing stuff.

[@rjmcallister1888]

Kirk Kerkoran disemboweled MGM between 1969-86; this was the beginning. He only wanted the name, the real estate and the tangible assets to sell. Poor Debbie Reynolds; she worked like the devil to try and keep the collections together, but could only get a few articles for her museum in Las Vegas. It broke her financially (along with a lying husband), yet she kept trying for years after the auction. God only knows where it all is now.

[@travisbickle5984]

Thanks for this great presentation! I wish I had the "time machine", it was one of my favorite movies growing up.

[@joeneighbor]

Yea me too, one of my favorites. My first guess was that Forrest J Ackerman might have had it (and now Peter Jackson who got most of his collection), but apparently Bob Burns has it.

[@johnsader8811]

Think I read somewhere that carriage has some serious history behind it. Almost bought a prop rifle from Wizard of oz back when eBay first started, $300 or there about.

[@bryanpalmer9660]

I remember this happening during the early 70s and saw an article in the newspaper about Judy Garland's shoes from the Wizard of Oz being sold for (then) large price -too young then to appreciate the significance but do now,pieces of movie history gone forever Auckland New Zealand 2023

[@alexvaliansky7707]

Shoe? Weren’t there two?

[@billlombard9911]

The thinking back then of things that were “ old “Or historical that they were junk and to throw out

[@maryannemelenka9250]

Stupidist thing ever did tearing down a historical sight

[@standupphilosopher7059]

What a wonderful tour this would have been if done like Disney. The best of motion pictures.

[@cliffchristie5865]

There are some great hd, color, still photos online of "St. Louis Street" lined with the vintage carriages up for auction.

[@gloriahanes5338]

If I'm not mistaken, Debbie Reynolds bought the ruby slippers for $15,000.

[@m.oriley7700]

As Debbie Reynolds so famously said, "Put up a turnstile and charge tickets. It's too late now."

[@fabianavalos1386]

I grew up minutes from MGM. I attended catholic school directly across the street.

[@Pruner15]

Me, too. St. Augustine's

[@ggrizz6066]

The ruby red slippers sold for $15,000 dollars then, but now are up for sale in 2021 for $6 Million !

[@dflf]

There was more than one pair.

[@ggrizz6066]

@@dflf I wonder if they are all worth 6 mill?

[@michaelspilman5220]

seeing this is really sad . having said that as much as I love mgm both Warner brothers and 20th century fox are both equally my favourite film studios because they did films that tackled issues that asked questions that rocked the boat . mgm rarely did . From Michael from Yorkshire it .

[@angiesamborski6564]

Wish I could have been there to buy