Prop graveyards

The threads of culture:

From the vaults of wealthy collectors to the bottom of movie lot dumpsters, the hereafters for film props depend on the level of fame their stories achieve. Short of a museum of film flops, it would be hard to find even a grain of sand from 1987’s Ishtar enshrined anywhere. But big success means big – and often lasting - interest for wearables, vehicles and décor featured in movies that do make it. Had 1939’s The Wizard of Oz lasted in theaters for no more than the blink of an eye, there’d be no lines today for the Smithsonian Institution’s display of Dorothy’s ruby slippers – or for the collection’s cap, robe, boxing gloves and boxing shoes Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa wore in several of the iconic Rocky pictures.