The Estate Archive of Edgar G. Ulmer, one of the greatest Film Noir and Horror filmmakers of all time, consigned directly from his daughter Arianne Ulmer Cipes, provides the anchor to Heritage Auctions Beverly Hills’ Signature® Music & Entertainment Auction, Nov. 13-14. The treasures in this remarkable archive include Ulmer’s storyboard for The Naked Dawn, a superb piece of art in its own right, Ulmer’s pre-production sketches from multiple projects, and many other artifacts directly from the filmmaker’s personal archive.
“Heritage has become the go-to place for the estates and archives of Golden Age Hollywood,” said Kristen Painter, Manager of Music & Entertainment Auctions at Heritage. “The Ulmer archive is just the tip of the iceberg in this auction. Beyond the estates we have in this auction the roster of great music and entertainment memorabilia goes very deep.”
Beatles memorabilia is always in high demand, and Heritage has responded in this auction with more than 50 lots for collectors to contend for, from autographs and awards to posters and exceedingly rare assorted Beatles memorabilia. Top offerings include an autographed Please Please Me album cover (signed by all four Beatles), a 1966 Toronto Press Conference Vintage Reel-to-Reel Recording directly from the board and a stunning concert poster from the Beatles’ Final Concert at Candlestick Park.
Another stunning music-related find making its auction debut in Beverly Hills is a Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Yardbirds Multi- Signed Address Book, featuring no less than 10 authentic Hendrix signatures, all obtained by a young British girl, and devoted Hendrix fan, who became close friends with the star. Five of the autographs are Jimi alone, with great sentiments (e.g. “Love always and forever”), with five more are accompanied by autographs of fellow members of his band, Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell.
“Hendrix’s signature is rare, as his fans know,” said Painter, “and to find this many outstanding examples in one place is literally unheard of.”
Heritage is also presenting the Bud Westmore Archive, consigned directly from Mrs. Jeannie Westmore, his wife. The Westmores are Hollywood royalty in the history of makeup in the movies, and this archive features original life casts of John Barrymore, Clark Gable, Charles Laughton, and Errol Flynn, as well as Westmore’s prototype Wolf Man mask.
One of the most compelling, and moving, archives in this auction is a revealing grouping of actress Sharon Tate memorabilia – which comes directly from Sharon’s cousin – including a collection personal letters written to the family by Sharon.
“Sharon Tate signed items always command great interest,” said Painter, “and the personal nature of the pieces reflects Sharon’s love for her family and her climb to stardom. This is a rare opportunity to own some of the most personal Sharon Tate items ever offered at auction.”
Also included in the auction is Part II of the Lucille Ball Archive from the Estate of her second husband, Gary Morton. These treasures from the undisputed “Queen of Comedy” include her personal golf bag and clubs, gorgeous, large format signed and inscribed portraits from Lucy to Gary, and many other pieces directly from Gary Morton’s estate.
On the Music end of the spectrum, Heritage will offer a stellar collection of more than 500 rare and vintage guitars, including a 1960 Fender Precision bass owned and played by the legendary Bill Black, Elvis Presley’s original bassist throughout the 1950s, a gorgeous 1961 Gibson ES-335 Cherry, #16858, including its original hard case, a flashy 1956 Gibson Les Paul Standard All Gold Electric Guitar, #63899, a 1965 Gibson Firebird VII Sunburst Electric Guitar, #256742, with original hard shell case, and a 1962 Fender Custom Esquire Sunburst Electric Guitar, #8867, the last of the rosewood slab board Fenders, with its original Tolex hard shell case.
As part of the continued celebration of Elvis Presley’s 75th birthday year, this auction presents a huge array of Elvis memorabilia, more than 100 lots in all, featuring a rare “Baby Let’s Play House”/”I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone” Sun 45, an Elvis inscribed photo to his lifelong friend George Klein (1958), Elvis’ signed Humes High School library card from 1948, Elvis’ opal ring and the very draft card that conscripted Elvis to the U.S. army, and broke the hearts of millions of his fans.
Further highlights from November’s auction include, but are not limited to:
Nicholas Ray’s signed set of contracts to direct Rebel Without A Cause.
A prop Crystal Ball used by Boris Karloff The Mask of Fu Manchu.
An original Ewok mask from the third film in the Star Wars saga, Return of the Jedi.
A Gone with the Wind signed final shooting script.
Frank Gorshin’s Riddler costume from the first episode of the original Batman series.
Lee Harvey Oswald’s apartment door from his 1962-63 Dallas residence (an item described by Oswald’s neighbors in the Warren Commission testimonies).
Heritage Auctions, headed by Steve Ivy, Jim Halperin and Greg Rohan, is the world’s third largest auction house, with annual sales more than $600 million, and 500,000+ registered online bidder members. For more information about Heritage Auctions, and to join and gain access to a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit HA.com
