Published: July 1, 2023

JULIEN’S AUCTIONS

THE ICON NEWSLETTER

7.1.23

At Julien’s Auctions, we offer clients a unique opportunity to view rare artifacts from classic film productions. Sometimes, these artifacts can reveal parts of a film that were never included in the final version.

In December of 2022, Julien’s sold a provocative black “cellophane effect” evening gown worn by the iconic Marilyn Monroe in a deleted dream sequence from Billy Wilder’s The Seven Year Itch. Monroe wore the Travilla-designed gown to impersonate Mae West. You won’t see it in the released cut though as it was edited out, possibly due to time constraints.

Another great example is the early annotated script for The Godfather, sold by Julien’s Auctions from the estate of Paramount head, Robert Evans, which featured many deleted scenes that weren’t found in the final release, including different opening and closing sequences. Francis Ford Coppola originally began the film with a bright overhead shot of Connie Corleone’s wedding, and finished with Kay (Diane Keaton) in church praying for Michael’s soul – an ending closer to that of Mario Puzo’s novel. What you actually ended up seeing in theaters though was the character Bona Sera in the beginning proclaiming, “I believe in America,” and the door slamming shut on Kay at the ending as she stands in the entrance to Michael’s office.

Storyboard copies sold by Julien’s from the cult classic Elvira: Mistress of the Dark illustrate the film’s original climax, in which Elvira’s punk poodle transforms into a rottweiler, and her evil Uncle Vincent gets sucked into hell – but unfortunately the scene was never filmed due to budget limitations!

Be sure to check out our upcoming “Legends: Hollywood & Royalty” sale, which will feature more treasures from the productions of your favorite films, including an alternate blue version of Will Ferrell’s iconic costume from Elf that wasn’t featured in the final cut!