Luxist Photo Tour: Heritage Auction Galleries Entertainment Auction Preview

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Jul 16th 2010 at 11:01PM

Tomorrow will see the auction of some of Lucille Ball's personal effects sold as part of Heritage Auctions' Entertainment Auction in Beverly Hills. I swung by the Heritage Auctions office to check out some of the goods including the 1984 Rolls Royce Silver Spur sedan was owned and driven by the "I Love Lucy" television star and her second husband, Gary Morton. It is estimated to sell for upwards of $50,000

The items were consigned by Morton's third wife, former professional golfer Susie (McAllister) Morton who married him in 1996, seven years after Ball died. Lucie Arnaz, the daughter of Ball and her first husband Desi Arnaz, went to court in an attempt to stop the sale. On Friday a judge said that he would block it but then said that Arnaz would have to pay a bond of $250,000 in order to get a restraining order on the auction. Her lawyer, Ronald Palmieri, said that the amount was too high and could to be met and so the auction will take place. I decided to take a look at some of the contested goods first hand.

UPDATE: Heritage Auction Galleries reached a deal with Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill to return Ball's lifetime achievement awards to her daughter.

The auction features a variety of photos including this one that is inscribed "I'm watching you, Gary, With Love and Admiration Always, Lucy."

Ball's personal address book contains listings for phone numbers for famous celebrities of the era including Steve Allen, Jack Benny, Edgar Bergen, Milton Berle, Gypsy Rose Lee, Dean Martin, Ethel Merman and Edward G. Robinson as well as her former husband, Desi Arnaz, and her television show co-stars, Vivian Vance and Gale Gordon.

Other items include awards and personal objects. The photos above are from a Truman Capote party.

It's easy to see why Lucie Arnaz would want to protect some of these deeply personal and private notes.

Arnaz has said she wanted some of the pieces to be part of a museum exhibit.

The auction also includes other items like only the known surviving piece from one of the original 1984 Terminator movie robots, a prop metal arm retrieved by a crew member from the debris of an explosion in the film's climax scene. It is estimated to sell for upwards of $15,000.

A prop hat from the movie "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is estimated to sell for over $15,000.

A variety of Fender, Les Paul and other guitars are also for sale.

There's something a little sad about these animatronic Energizer bunny props, estimated at $3,500.

The auction also features costumes include one worn by Cher, a Bruce Lee suit and a costume used in the Matrix movies.

Tags: gary morton, heritage auctions, indiana jones, lucie arnaz, lucille ball, terminator

Filed under: Auctions

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Gingah Jul 18th 2010 6:25PM

How dare that step mother/second wife sell items that clearly are NOT hers. The auction house should refuse to have the auction until this matter is cleared up. The daughter has grieved enough and now has to have this step-witch sell off her mother's personal items. Shame on Heritage House.