I came across what appears to be a press release included in a discussion on the Classic Horror Film Board, in the topic “Jack Pierce Scrapbook pages“. I have not been able to find the release anywhere else on the web to verify it, including a search of the official press releases found at HA.com.
Interestingly, if accurate and if not retracted, it would seem the Christopher Lee Dracula cape claimed to have recently been discovered by Angels as reported by the BBC just a few weeks ago (see article, BBC News: “Lee’s Dracula Cape Found in Store”) has been consigned with Heritage Auction Galleries for an event in April:
Halloween Discovery: Actor’s 1958
“Dracula” Cape Now a Collector’s Treat(Dallas, Texas) – A routine, pre-Halloween inventory in a London, England costume shop revealed that a long, black cape found in storage was worn by famous horror-film veteran, Christopher Lee, when he played the legendary vampire in the 1958 film, “Dracula.” It now is consigned to Heritage Auction Galleries of Dallas, Texas and expected to sell for $50,000 in an auction scheduled for April.
“The cape was created for the film by Angels, a London fancy dress and costume company, and was returned there after the movie was shot. It was thought to be lost, but Angels had rented it out over the years without anyone realizing until now that this is the costume worn by Christopher Lee when he first took the role of Dracula a half century ago,” said Doug Norwine, Heritage’s director of movie and entertainment memorabilia. “Lee personally verified that this is the cape he wore, and we have a signed affidavit from him.”
“The coat that actor Peter Cushing wore as Van Helsing in that same 1958 Dracula film also was found in the costume archives at Angels, and it will be included in the auction in the spring. These will be Halloween treats that arrive in April for costume collectors,” said Norwine.
“Angels the Costumiers and Fancy Dress Shop was founded in 1840, and today we have more than two million costumes and uniforms stored on six miles of hanging rails. Over the past year we’ve shown Christopher Lee 15 capes we located in the archives. Each time he said, ‘No,’ it wasn’t his, until he saw this last one, and he emphatically stated it was the (Dracula) cape from the 1958 film,” said Jeremy Angel, a fifth generation descendant of the founder, Morris Angel. “We are pleased to offer these two treasures of horror though Heritage Auction Galleries.”
The Dracula movie costumes were created by Angels for Hammer Film Productions, an English studio that produced well-known versions of horror films from the 1950’s into the 1970s, such as “The Curse of Frankenstein,” “The Mummy” and “Dracula” starring Lee and Cushing.
“The Hammer horror films of the late 1950’s and 60’s were favorites of baby boomers. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing at Hammer were what Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff were to the 1930’s black and white horror films from Universal Studios,” explained Norwine.
On the web: Heritage Auction Galleries, www.HA.com
If accurate, it is interesting that Angels have shown Mr. Lee 15 capes in attempts at authentication, only to immediately offer the one believed to be original up for auction after finally receiving confirmation from the actor via first hand examination (nearly 50 years later).
It will be interesting to see how this develops, and if any other information is provided as to provenance, other than the examination of the cape by the actor.
Also of interest in the topic on the Classic Horror Film Board is follow-up discussion in reference to a prior OPB article, “Heritage Auction Galleries & L.A. Prop & Wardrobe Company“, as well as the more recent Movie Prop Forum topic, “HERITAGE and LA PROP“.
Jason De Bord