There is quite an interesting find of vintage movie theater memorabilia being auctioned this weekend at the Keith Albee Theater in Downtown Huntington, WV.
Here are the details from AuctionZip.com:
OUTSTANDING 1920 & 30’s THEATER MOVIE MEMORABILIA AUCTION
FEB. 17th 2008 @ 3:00p.m.
KEITH ALBEE THEATER
924 4th Ave. Downtown Huntington, WV
Please be patient as we are listing the items as we pull them feel free to email for questions
The Garden Theater located in Louisa, Ky was recently purchased and renovated. Hidden in the ceiling for the past seventy years was a wonderful collection of movie posters, window cards, lobby cards, sheets, heralds and banners. These are original advertisements from the 1920’s and 1930’s.
DIRECTIONS: I -64 Exit 11 Hal Greer Blvd. to 4th Ave make a left 7 Blocks on your Left. There are several Hotels and Restaurants within walking distance of the theater.
MOVIE POSTERS: 9′ 91/2″ Fabric Banner Detective Jack Lloyd @ Scotland Yard, partial listing,
WINDOW CARDS: Sadie McKee 1934 w/ Joan Crawford, Francine Tone, Edward Arnold, Gene Raymond, Ester Ralston, A Clarence Brown Production A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures. Total of 5 cards. Jesse James 1939 w/ Tyrone Power, Henry Fonda, Nancy Kelly Randolf Scott, Directed by Henry King a Daryl F Zanuck Production a 20th Century Fox Picture. Total of 6 cards all in good condition. We’re Not Dressing 1934 w/ Bing Crosby, Carol Lombard, Ethel Merman,George Burns, Gracie Allen, Leon Errol. Directed by Norman Taurog. Paramount Pictures. Total of 3 cards fair condition due to foxing. Handy Andy 1934 w/ Will Rogers,Conchita Montenegro, Mary Carlisle, Roger Imhof and Robert Taylor. Based the play “Merry Andrew” by Lewis Beach. Directed by David Butler Fox Film Corp. Total of 7 cards in good condition. The Life of Vergie Winter 1934 w/ Ann Harding, John Boles and Helen Vinson. From the story by Louis Bromfield, directed by Alfred Santell. RKO Pictures. Total of 4 cards in fair condition. Waikiki Wedding 1937 Bing Crosby.Martha Raye, and Shirley Ross, Great Gambini 1937 w/ Akim Tamiroff, Marian Marsh, John Trent BP Schulberg Production Paramount Picture, Partial Listing
LOBBY CARDS: The Sea Wolf 1930 Milton Sills by Fox Productions, Singer Jim McKee 1924 w/ William S. Hart a Paramount Picture, Parlor Bedroom and Bath 1931 w/ Buster Keaton A Metro Goldwyn Mayer all Talking Picture, The Fighting Marshall w/ Tim McCoy, Mother’s Millions Universal Pictures, Huckleberry Finn 1931 w/ Jackie Coogan, MItzi Green, Junior Durking and Jackie Searl a Paramount Picture, Battling with Buffalo Bill chapter 1 Captured by Redskins A First National Picture, The Prodigal 1931 w/ Lawrence Tibett a Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Perfect Flapper 1924 w/ Colleen Moore A First National Picture, Zane Grey’s The Heritage of the Desert an Irvin Willat Production, North of 36 1921 w/ Jack Holt, Ernest Torrence, Lois Wilson, and Noah Berry from the famous novel by Emerson Hough,
HERALDS: Bela Lugosi in I’m Chandu the Magician 1932, Back Street 1932 with Irene Dunne and John Boles,(1930’s) Rackety Rax 1932 w/ Greta Nissen, Nell O’Day, Arthur Pierson, & Allen Dinehart(1932), The Big Broadcast 1932 w/ Stuart Erwin, Leila Hyams, and all the Big Radio Stars like ( Bing Crosby, Kate Smith, Cab Calloway & More, (1932) The All American 1932 w/Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, James Gleason, Gloria Stuart ( also has the 1931 All American Football Team) , Rough Romance 1930 w/ George O’Brien and Helen Chandler presented by Willaim Fox, Partial Listing
GLASS SLIDES:
MISC.: Tickets for the movies Partial Listing
You Can Bid On-Line, Live or by Phone
On-Line Bidding Closes 1 1/2 Hours Prior to Live Auction
10% Buyers Premium Donated to Keith Albee Theater
PREVIEW 1 HOUR BEFORE AUCTION
TERMS: Cash & Cashier’s Check, No out of town checks accepted without proper ID. Visa & M/C accepted. All descriptions believed to be correst but not guaranteed. No guarantees or warranties given or implied. All announcements from auction block take precedence over printed material.
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT
V. Gale Ferguson (304) 544-4880 or Joanna Sexton (304) 654-2067
Email: [email protected]
Guest Auctioneer James Stewart #1530
More details can be found at the Herald-Dispatch, along with this full feature:
’20s, ’30s film memorabilia on sale Sunday at Keith-Albee
Feb 13, 2008 @ 10:16 PM
By JEAN MCCLELLAND
The Herald-DispatchHUNTINGTON — Are you a movie memorabilia buff? Do you enjoy a good auction? Do you love the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center? If you can answer yes to any of those questions, then there is somewhere you need to be Sunday, Feb. 17.
There will be an auction of 1920s and 1930s theater movie memorabilia at 3 p.m. at the Keith-Albee located on 4th Avenue in downtown Huntington.
The goods to be auctioned are from the old Garden Theater located in Louisa, Ky. The theater was recently sold and is being renovated. During the renovation, the ceiling of the old projection booth was taken down and a treasure was discovered. Movie memorabilia from the 1920s and 1930s fell into the arms of the contractors.
Old Central Auctions has been engaged by the owner to conduct a sale of the cache.
“This is truly a rare find, most film memorabilia is second- and third-generation (reproductions) and this is all original,” said auction company representative Joanna Sexton. “To find the originals is just unheard of in this world of collectibles.”
The collection includes movie posters, window cards, lobby cards, glass slides and other items. Such stars as Joan Crawford in “Sadie McKee,” Loretta Young in “Kentucky,” Will Rogers in “Handy Andy,” Bing Crosby in “Walking Wedding” and many more.
One notable find is a hand-painted banner that relates to a film produced in 12 chapters. It was evidently made in England about a detective named Jack Lloyd, and Jack Lloyd looks to be the actor’s real name. It was advertised to the public as a 1930s series filmed in Scotland Yard.
For a complete listing of the memorabilia visit the auction Web site at www.auctionzip.com. When you reach that site, it will ask for the auctioneer ID number in the top right corner. Just type in 3835 and it will take you right to the site. Photos of most of the memorabilia are available by clicking on the small camera icon.
Online bidding is available. Directions for participating are on the Web site. Online bidding will be halted prior to the live auction. At that time, you can switch to the phone bank to bid. Directions for phone bidding are on the site.
Prices for this kind of memorabilia are anyone’s guess. Movie posters and cards can go for a few dollars or thousands of dollars. Recently in Houston, Texas, a 1933 movie poster for the Son of Kong sold for $69,000. This is a top dollar example. On eBay, most of the film posters are priced from a few dollars to $2,000.
The Keith-Albee will also profit from the sale. A 10 percent buyers premium added to each sale will be donated to the historic facility.
“It was just a good idea for everyone,” said David Tyson, co-president of the board of directors for the Keith-Albee. “We help them (by allowing the sale to be at the Keith) and they in turn help the Keith-Albee.”
Obviously a very intriguing find, and very rare vintage memorabilia.
Jason De Bord