Movie Prop Collecting with Jason DeBord's Original Prop Blog Film & TV Prop, Costume, Hollywood Memorablia Pop Culture Resource

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WITHDRAWN: Bonhams Pulls “A Luke Skywalker Lightsaber used in Return of the Jedi” from “TCM Presents… Out Of This World!” Auction

Last week The Original Prop Blog published an article about the “A Luke Skywalker Lightsaber used in Return of the Jedi” prop up for public auction in their current “TCM Presents … Out of This World!” event scheduled to conclude on November 21st.  The description in the online catalog had been edited to remove the (vague) details about the provenance, and the piece in question seems to match a “Return of the Jedi” lightsaber prop that I wrote about in 2013 that was offered for sale on eBay and seemed to have a connection with Elstree Props.  Today, the lot is marked as “WITHDRAWN” on the item page. [Read more…]

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“A Luke Skywalker Lightsaber used in Return of the Jedi” in Current Bonhams Auction Raises Questions

Bonhams has put up a piece for public auction in their current “TCM Presents … Out of This World!” event scheduled to conclude on November 21st – a prop which they describe as “A Luke Skywalker Lightsaber used in Return of the Jedi”.  The description in the online catalog has been edited to remove the (vague) details about the provenance, and the piece in question seems to match a “Return of the Jedi” lightsaber prop that I wrote about in 2013 that was offered for sale on eBay and seemed to have a connection with Elstree Props (and went unsold with a high bid of $5,101 not reaching the reserve).  The 2013 article about that “Return of the Jedi” lightsaber was one of a series of features published on the Original Prop Blog specifically about Elstree Props and lightsaber props attributed to Return of the Jedi (I even had an opportunity to ask Mark Hamill himself about one of these props at San Diego Comic Con in 2009). [Read more…]

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(A Sort of) Movie Review: “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”

A year ago I received a lot of nasty hate mail over my “sort of” movie review for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  In short, I completely hated it (really even more than I let on in my review).  In addition to hating what they did with the classic characters, it kind of ruined the Original Trilogy, in that by Han and Leia having a child and doing such an awful job of raising him (along with Uncle Luke), they created a monster and basically undid all of what they accomplished in saving the universe in the original films.  So it kind of just made the entire Star Wars odyssey all pointless.  But there were plenty of other things wrong with it as well (in my subjective opinion), and you can read all about it in my full review of The Force Awakens.  But this review is different.  Finally, since 1983, there is a legitimate fourth Star Wars film.  Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.  And I absolutely loved it. [Read more…]

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ScreenBid’s “Empire: Official Season One Auction” Ends on May 20th

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ScreenBid and their official online memorabilia auctions is now holding an online auction with costumes and wardrobe from Season One of the Fox series, Empire. The auction is scheduled to run May 9th through May 20th. The sale includes 104 lots with bidding starting at $25. [Read more…]

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(A Sort of) Movie Review: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, A Problematic Film That Could Never Live Up To The Hype

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I didn’t plan on seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens on opening day, let alone write a review about it afterwards, so this is a bit off topic.  I couldn’t find a critical review searching Google, so I wonder if I maybe saw an alternate cut of the film (some hailing it as the best or near best Star Wars film ever)?  As readers of the Original Prop Blog know, I am a huge Star Wars fan, and seeing the original in 1977 at 4 years old was a life-changing event.  Collectively, the first three films (Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi) are my favorite films of all-time.  Didn’t care for much in the Prequels (loved the Maul lightsaber scenes the best).  So how does the J.J. Abrams/Disney relaunch/update/merchandising empire measure up?  It’s a mixed bag, honestly, and as the hours passed from seeing it unfold on screen (about 12 hours ago), it’s the negatives that stick with me most, though I mostly enjoyed it while it was happening, if that makes sense.  I can’t say it’s a complete disappointment, since I went into it with low expectations; there are some excellent elements within the work (I’m also an Abrams fan).  But overall, there are some serious flaws that leave me feeling a bit down on it, because they transcend this film and the characters work against the characters I have grown up to know and love to make them worse.  I kept waiting for that rush of adrenaline to run down my spine, but it never came.  Out of context from the original films, it’s a well-made, entertaining film.  But context is everything.  Search “disappoint” and #starwarstheforceawakens on Twitter, and “does not” or “doesn’t” always precedes “disappoint”, so maybe it is just me, or maybe people just went in willing it to be what they wanted.  [Read more…]

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Yet Another Luke Skywalker “Screen Used” Return of the Jedi Lightsaber Movie Prop with Elstree Studios/Elstree Props/Danziger Collection Connections Surfaces on eBay

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Continuing a long line of “screen used” Luke Skywalker prop lightsabers attributed to Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi with connections to Elstree Studios/Elstree Props/The Danziger Collection, yet another one has surfaced for sale on eBay.  Although there are photos of the prop and related documents and certificates of authenticity (COAs) from “Piece of the Stars Memorabilia” (a company I have never heard of before), of course the resolution of these images are limited to 500px × 375px (do cameras still exist today that shoot at such a low resolution?), rendering examination challenging, to say the least.  In the interests of public debate and discussion, Original Prop Blog has long documented the public sale offerings of other prop lightsabers attributed to Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi that have similar origins and associations, which can be found HERE. [Read more…]

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“Inside the Secret Planet Hollywood Vault” Video News Broadcast & Interview by WOFL FOX 35

Tonight WOFL FOX 35 in Orlando, Florida broadcast a news segment about the 20 year anniversary for the popular themed restaurant, Planet Hollywood.  “Inside the Secret Planet Hollywood Vault” includes a written article as well; both feature Planet Hollywood Chairman and Owner, Robert Earl. [Read more…]

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RL Spear Co. Offering Props, Wardrobe, and Set Dressing from Fox’s “24” Television Series

Auctioneer RL Spear Co. has launched an online-only auction of props, wardrobe, set dressing, and other assets from Fox’s “24” television series starring Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, which recently aired its final episode.  The auction is currently online, and scheduled to end June 24th. [Read more…]