Published: January 9, 2024

JULIEN’S AUCTIONS

THE ICON NEWSLETTER

6.15.23

Funny ladies often thrill us with their style as much as with their brilliant comedy. Julien’s has had the honor of selling many iconic costumes, gowns, and jewelry items worn by these royal women.

Last year, we sold a brown silk taffeta day dress made for Lucille Ball—arguably the most influential of them all—for The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour episode “The Celebrity Next Door,” on which Tallulah Bankhead visits Lucy and Desi. The episode is one of Lucy’s all time most hilarious classics, and fans were delighted to have the chance to see it at our exhibit and bid on it at auction. That same sale brought an embarrassment of Lucy riches, also including a lace-trimmed silk organza apron worn by Ball in her hit film The Long, Long Trailer (MGM, 1953).

Julien’s has sold many costumes from Carol Burnett’s celebrated collaboration with Bob Mackie, including a silver sequined ensemble she wore while impersonating Cher on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, and later on Cher, when she and the grand diva herself sang “Lonely at the Top.”

At the blockbuster sale “Property from the Life and Career of Betty White,” fans clamored to own a sapphire necklace worn by White in episodes of two of the most iconic sitcoms of all time: The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls. In a delightfully meta twist, White wore the necklace on an episode titled “The Auction,” on which Rose accidentally bid $30,000 on a painting she hated!

There will be more costume pieces worn by comedy queens available for bid in our upcoming “Legends: Hollywood and Royalty” sale, including a screen-matched skirt worn by Penny Marshall as Laverne DeFazio on the opening sequence of seasons six through eight of Laverne & Shirley, a nice companion piece to the Shirley (Cindy Williams) bowling shirt which we sold last April; and a gorgeously garish group of ‘80s sweaters as seen worn by Wendi McLendon-Covey as Beverly Goldberg, (one of the funniest TV moms) on The Goldbergs. They’re especially unique because they were originally owned and worn by the real Beverly Goldberg, who inspired the series!

Register now for a chance to bid in our upcoming “Legends: Hollywood and Royalty” auction!