Fate Of Things From Popular Movies (8 pics)

1

The Death Star from Star Wars: A New Hope

After the first film of the franchise wrapped production in 1977, most of the movie’s iconic set pieces and props were kept in a storage facility. Years later, the studio decided they no longer wanted to pay the storage unit's rent and threw away most of the items kept there. Over a decade later, Todd Franklin was working at his local TV station in Missouri when he noticed an object that looked similar to the Death Star at an antique store they were doing a story on. 

It turns out that the antique store used to own the storage facility in California that housed the old Star Wars props and when it shut down the movers wanted to save them. The store ended up selling it to a short-lived country and western musical show, Star World, and the iconic prop was being used as a trashcan. Franklin saved it from this fate and sold it to the Star Wars Collector’s Archive website owner.

2

Dorothy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz

In August 2005, a pair of ruby slippers, known as the “Traveling Pair,” worn in The Wizard of Oz, was stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, MN. The Grand Rapids police searched far and wide but they made no arrests and never found the slippers until 12 years later when they got the FBI involved. They did a sting operation and found the slippers in July 2018.

Five years later, 76-year-old Terry Jon Martin pleaded guilty to theft of the shoes. Martin believed the shoes contained real rubies and his intention was to remove and sell them. Upon discovering the rubies weren’t real, he ditched the slippers altogether. In March 2024, the FBI returned the ruby slippers to their owner, Michael Shaw.

3

Spider-Man (2002) suits

Not one, but four of Spidey’s suits were stolen from the studio. Sony offered a $25,000 reward for the suits’ safe return but there were no leads for 18 months. That’s when the ex-wife of Jeffrey Gustafson, a former studio security guard, called and pointed investigators in his direction. Three of the suits were discovered in collectors’ homes and the fourth was found in the home of Robert Hughes, who was later discovered to be Gustafson’s co-conspirator.

Authorities also found a Batman suit that had been missing since 1996 in their search.

4

The Goonies treasure map

Sean Astin shared an anecdote about the lost map at a 30th-anniversary screening and Q&A of the movie. “I don’t believe we were formally gifted these items. But I remember being in possession of it [the map]. It’s an item that would probably be worth like a hundred grand now. And I think my mom threw it out…I moved out when I was eighteen, but I left all of my stuff at home. And then I went to do Memphis Belle in London, and when I came back, my mom had sold our house. But now nobody knows where the map is. It wasn’t in any of the boxes.”

5

The Red Ryder BB gun from A Christmas Story

“There were six guns made for the movie, and I knew that Peter Billingsley had one and Daisy had one in its museum. And I wasn’t sure where the other ones were,” said Peter Jones, the former owner of the “A Christmas Story House.” Luckily, someone on Facebook contacted him to tell him of a site that was selling one of the guns. This particular rifle belonged to one of the prop masters who was willing to sell the iconic prop for $10,000. 

6

James Bond’s 1964 Aston Martin

In 1986, entrepreneur and car collector Anthony Pugliese bought 007’s silver Aston Martin for $275,000 and stored it in a private hangar at the Boca Raton Airport for 11 years. In June 1997, a Bond movie-esque heist occurred when the car, featured in Thunderball and Goldfinger, was stolen. Leads and theories about the car’s whereabouts led to decades of dead ends until early 2022 when Art Recovery International’s chief executive received a tip from an “eyewitness” who claimed to have seen the Aston Martin in the Middle East. The investigation was then focused on Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait but the car, which is now valued at $25,000,000, has not been found.

7

Fiberglass cows from World War Z

While filming the zombie movie in Falkirk, Scotland, two fiberglass cows were stolen while a security guard was on duty. A resident who lived near the set told reporters, “A herd of fake cows was brought in a few days ago and put in the field. They were taken from under the nose of the security staff. The thieves were a bit cheeky.” The stolen cows were never located.