“The Wizard of Oz” is still making headlines, almost 80 years after its 1939 release. The news was abuzz yesterday with the announcement that an original pair of Ruby Slippers stolen back in 2005 had been returned, thanks to the work of the FBI. I wonder if the designer of the shoes, Adrian, could ever have imagined that his shoes would cross paths with that famed organization of crime?
Most had given up on them ever being found, as the common story was that they'd been stolen by pranksters who got scared and destroyed them/dumped them in a lake/mining pit to avoid leaving any evidence that might land them in jail.
The story has all the makings of a riveting crime caper: stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, back in August of 2005, there was no security camera video, the alarm had not been turned on, and the thief left no fingerprints and few clues, other than a smashed display case and a lone red sequin. The blame game was played and everyone (including owner Michael Shaw and the museum) was a suspect.
The FBI has released few details so far, simply stating that all is still under investigation. Whether or not the full story will ever be released to the public remains to be seen. For me, the big question is where will they end up? Michael Shaw was paid $800,000 by the insurance company for his loss in 2007, so technically the insurance company owns the shoes.
Would Shaw want them back if that were possible? Back in 2015, he stated:
“There’s more to my life than a pair of pumps. I have no desire to have them again. After years of bringing joy and happiness to so many thousands and thousands of people by being able to see them, now to me they’re a nightmare. I’m not going to talk about it anymore. I’m sick of it. They’re gone. Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”
It appears that Shaw has now changed his tune and wants them back, but their value is well over the $800,000 that the insurance company paid him back in 2007. Recent estimates say they could fetch more than $2 million.
Personally, I hope they land at the Smithsonian or some other institution that has the backing to restore them and put them on display for the public.
For a current article with the few details available about the recovery, visit CBS News.
For one of the best articles on the web pre-recovery, visit the Newsweek website.
See more photos at my main website.
I had heard that there were 4 pairs of shoes...this pair being the one that was used for the close up, thus perhaps being the most valuable of all. KS
ReplyDeleteWow! Thanks for this background. I saw a brief snippet about this yesterday but appreciate knowing the background. Hope that someday more information will be forthcoming.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading how Smithsonian helped identify the recovered shoes as the real deal -- AND that it was an unmatched pair with slightly different left and right shoes that actually matched the left and right the Smithsonian already had - I think S. should acquire them, if only to match the shoes up correctly and then be able to rotate them in and out of display. But we shall see what the insurance company wants to do.
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