The world’s most famous ruby shoes
SMITHSONIAN’S OZ EXPERT TO SHARE ‘ THE SAGA OF THE RUBY SLIPPERS’
Ryan Lintelman is like many of us, in that he grew up watching “The Wizard of Oz” with his family. But unlike many of us, his job gives him a close- up, daily look at two sparkly pieces of history from that remarkable 1939 film.
We’re talking about the magical ruby slippers worn by Dorothy Gale, the beloved character who was brought to life by Judy Garland.
“I find that so many people who love the film and the slippers have warm, nostalgic feelings when they think about the movie because they remember those cherished moments gathered around the television watching with people they love,” says Lintelman, curator of the entertainment collection at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, where the slippers are on display.
“The movie is magical and glamorous, yes, but at its heart it’s about the desire to get back home to the people you care the most about, and the annual rerun of ‘ The Wizard of Oz’ was such an important tradition for so many, it’s like a comfort blanket of memory and warm feelings.”
Of course, seeing the slippers up close each day is different from just watching the film. “I don’t usually like to use the word iconic because it can diminish the complexities of history, but the slippers are absolutely icons of American popular culture,” he says. “When you’re able to see the shoes in person, it does nothing to make the film less magical — instead, you feel a sense of ownership of this big, historical thing.
“You start to think about Judy Garland wearing those shoes — only 16 years old — and how she must have felt excited, scared, and ultimately, exhausted, working on this huge, important movie. You think about the whole Hollywood studio system that was designed to make movies like a factory made cars, with people employed to design, make, repair, and care for every piece of the magic you saw on screen, down to each sequin tied to the slippers.
“And you think about all the millions — maybe billions — of people around the world who have seen these very slippers on the screen, and how you’re part of a massive, inconceivable human race, but things like movies have the ability to bring people together in common experience and common cause. They’re pretty powerful shoes!”
So powerful, in fact, that a pair from the film was once stolen, and the FBI had to take on the case. That’s part of what Lintelman will discuss in his livestreamed presentation, “The Saga of the Ruby Slippers,” Thursday, July 23 at 6: 30 p. m. You can catch it on Brookfield Library’s Facebook page, as part of Brookfield’s “One Town, One Read” celebration of L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” ( Additional programming is also highlighted on that page.)
“In my talk, I’ll discuss the history of the slippers, starting with the making of ‘ The Wizard of Oz,’ the ultimate product of the Hollywood studio system,” Lintelman says. He’ll also get into “the long, strange history of the shoes,” from their near- miraculous discovery and recovery in the midst of the 1970 auction of MGM’s costumes and props, to the journeys of the five pairs known to have survived.
The popularity of the slippers at the Smithsonian will be addressed, as well, along with “the theft and recovery of the pair of slippers currently in FBI custody — evidence in a still- pending and eagerly- anticipated investigation of their 2005 disappearance from the Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota.”
Dorothy’s ruby slippers have been called the “holy grail” of movie memorabilia. Lintelman says they’re definitely among the most valuable pieces if you look at auction results, but their real value lies in the shared cultural experience they represent.
“Millions of people have seen and loved ‘ The Wizard of Oz,’ and the slippers represent not only that film but the entire Hollywood film industry, with its fabulous costumes, rich Technicolor, and glamorous stars and sets. To a certain extent, they also represent American values: the plucky resilience that allows Dorothy to face so many fantastic challenges, the friendship she shares with the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion, and her belief in the importance of home and family.
“The slippers are among the most- requested and best- loved objects on display at the museum and I think that it’s for all of these reasons and more. The other things people come looking for — Abraham Lincoln’s hat or George Washington’s uniform, for example — are things we’ve heard about or think we should see because we know they’re important. The ruby slippers are something that most of us have experienced, and have experienced the same way everyone else has, seeing the movie. They’re a part of everyone’s American experience.”
Lintelman says the Smithsonian doesn’t actually know how many pairs were made, as “the records have not survived, but we think at least seven and as many as 10 or 12 pairs were likely created for Garland and her double, who stood in when she was off set. The pairs that survive are all slightly different — different sizes, for example, for a still- growing Garland’s feet, or with felt attached to the soles to deaden the sound of footsteps on the wooden ‘ yellow brick road.’
“One pair, called the Arabian test pair, is richly decorated with beads and gems and an upturned toe for test shots when filming began; the director felt this pair was too elaborate for a Kansas farm girl. The other pairs are mostly in private hands, but another pair of filmworn shoes is in the collection of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.”
Lintelman says he greatly enjoys his position at the Smithsonian Institution. He grew up in Columbus, Ohio, went to William & Mary for undergrad, began interning at the museum and then started working there. “While I worked my way through the museum I earned my master’s in history at George Mason University.” He’s been at the museum since 2009.
“I was lucky enough to be able to work my way into my dream job,” he says. “I’m responsible for building, researching, and caring for the most significant and important collection of historic entertainment objects in the United States, tracing how theater, film, television, comedy, and other forms of performance have shaped the nation’s history.”