‘100 Years of MGM Studios and the Golden Age of Hollywood’ Exhibit Opens at Hollywood Heritage Museum

The preview opening of the new exhibit Meet the Stars: 100 Years of MGM Studios and the Golden Age of Hollywood on Thursday night was a crowded, buzzing affair. Held at the Hollywood Heritage Museum in the historic Lasky DeMille Barn across from the Hollywood Bowl, the event showcased the items of over 20 movie collectors. Memorabilia hunters, dressed in fedoras and flirty ’40s dresses, gabbed about their latest finds with others who have a similar passion.

The highlight of the night was when the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to former MGM child star Cora Sue Collins (who played a little Greta Garbo in 1933’s Queen Christina), the last surviving MGM contract player from the 1930s. Sitting at a tableau that recreated a party thrown for her by MGM in 1935, Collins elegantly thanked everyone for their well wishes. Actor George Chakiris was also in attendance, and he posed next to a costume he wore in the 1954 film Brigadoon.

The exhibit, which opens to the public on Saturday and runs through June, is a chance for collectors to show off their most treasured finds. “We thought it would be fun to actually go out to collectors and ask them what they’ve got,” said co-curator Darin Barnes, who collects Norma Shearer artifacts. “They never have an opportunity to get to display their stuff. So, we went out to about 20 collectors, and this is the result of it.”

A dazzling array of costumes worn by Golden Age stars were the event’s focal point. In one case alone, there was a tux worn by Cary Grant in Indiscreet, a William Powell suit and a Gary Cooper tuxedo (all surprisingly small). There are costumes, dresses, suits and personal items from the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Marion Davies, Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Greer Garson, Mary Astor, Shirley Temple, Hedy Lamarr, Margaret O’Brien and Mae West. Perhaps the most titillating artifact of all was Johnny Weissmuller’s original Tarzan loin cloth.

“Everybody’s in awe of the Esther Williams Million Dollar Mermaid costume where she shoots out of the water,” curator Angie Schneider noted. “That costume looks like it was made yesterday.”

But even more intriguing were the strange oddities that collectors have tenderly preserved. There is the flaming red wig worn by Lucille Ball in Du Barry Was a Lady, the gate from Jane Russell’s childhood home, Jean Harlow’s bottle of Mitsouko perfume, jewelry worn by Carole Lombard, and Mae West’s personal telephone. Many of the items were originally in Debbie Reynolds’ famed collection, including shoes worn by Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly in Anchors Away.

Another striking piece is the painting “Farewell to Earth,” a posthumous portrait of Jean Harlow, which her mother commissioned after her tragic death in 1937.

The exhibit’s curator Angie Schneider, an avid Mary Pickford collector, whose Mae Murray makeup case is on display, notes that a particular star is usually the gateway into the hobby. “You do find your focus people first,” she says, “but then of course it just snowballs and turns into kind of a little bit of an addiction.”

For featured collector Nicole Marsack, owner of the popular vintage store Paper Moon, it was her love of Marion Davies and Ginger Rogers that initiated her into the club. Together with her husband Nathan, she has amassed a collection aided by her expertise in fashion history and her background in archeology. “You just get to play detective,” she says. “If you find the label, and you know where to look… I just love that.”

One of her coolest finds was at the home of a former costumer for Paramount. “After many trips there, inside the garage in a trunk, there were pieces there that I knew were special,” she says. “There was this inky black satin from the ’30s. I love Busby Berkeley movies. Sure enough, it turned out to be from the most amazing scene — Lullaby of Broadway [from Gold Diggers of 1935]. They have the showgirl’s name on them, so I was able to discover what it was from. I love the detective work. It’s more exciting than going to an auction and buying something.”

For Jack Priest, a collector from Perth, Australia, the love of collecting all things old Hollywood started early. “I’m 22, so I look at it as I’ve got a really, really long time to look after all of this stuff and I want to share it with people, look after it, make sure these people are honored,” he says.

Priest stood in front of a beautifully curated case displaying curios from Ann Miller’s life, including her passport, publicity photos and makeup. “When Ann passed away in 2004, all of her things went to a storage unit because she didn’t have any family unfortunately. And then it all went to auction,” he says. “And then a very, very generous lady purchased it all and gave it to me.”

His most prized possessions are Ann’s baby books, lovingly created and saved by her mother, Clara. “It documents her existence,” he says. “So, I think these have to be my favorite.”

As Margot Gerber, vp of Hollywood Heritage, notes, it is important to preserve these items, which are part of Los Angeles and American history. “Film really is an indigenous art form. And the fact that we’ve maintained it for as long as we have, and it’s been both an art form as well as a commercial business, is a fascinating topic,” she says “As we’re seeing department stores go away and a lot of things, newsstands, things that we really never thought would go away in the 20th century, the film industry has morphed, and it is continuing. So, more power to it.”

But on a more personal level, collecting and sharing unique finds is just a whole lot of fun. “It’s the hunt. It’s a thrill,” curator Schneider says. “There’s always auctions and that makes it kind of easier, but then there are those times where something will just pop up that you didn’t ever know existed, and it’s an adrenaline rush when that does come up. But there’s nothing more rewarding than to show it off. I think a lot of people have a misconception that collectors are very private, they never want to share the stuff they have. In reality, they’re just looking for a way to show it.”