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Auction History Result 6w101 WIZARD OF OZ signed LC #5 R1949 by BOTH Margaret Hamilton AND Ray Bolger, with Judy Garland! Date Sold 6/13/2019 Sold For: Login or Register to see sold price. A 1949 Re-Release Theatrical Autographed Movie Lobby Card #5 (LC; measures 11" x 14" [28 x 36 cm]) (Learn More) The Wizard of Oz, the classic 1939 Victor Fleming family magical fantasy adventure musical ("MGM's miracle musical show of shows!"; "It's Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Technicolor triumph!"; "Magnificent in its brilliant Technicolor splendor!"; "At Last It's Here Biggest Sensation Since "Snow White"!"; "The mighty miracle show that is the talk of America!"; "Amazing sights to see! The Tornado, Munchkinland, Horse of a Different Color, Startling Balloon Ascent, The Flying Monkeys, The Tree That Throws Apples"; "Gaiety! Glory! Glamour!"; based on the classic book of the same name by L. Frank Baum; nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award) starring Judy Garland (as Dorothy), Frank Morgan (in the title role as The Wizard of Oz!), Ray Bolger (as The Scarecrow), Bert Lahr (as The Cowardly Lion), Jack Haley (as The Tin Man), Billie Burke (as Glinda, the Good Witch), Margaret Hamilton (as the Wicked Witch), Charley Grapewin, "The Munchkins", and Toto too! Note that MGM was worried about how well this movie would do at the box office, and they did something we don't remember seeing on any other major movie advertising! One of the taglines says "Biggest sensation since Snow White", which means MGM was advertising a Walt Disney movie, but that shows just how worried they were! Of course, they needn't have worried, because this was a timeless classic that has only improved with age. NOTE: Click on linked names to see a biography. Important Added Info: Note that this lobby card has been personally autographed (signed) by BOTH Ray Bolger AND Margaret Hamilton (who added the inscription "Well what are they doing on my YBR [Yellow Brick Road]?" and then she signed it both with her name and "W.W.W." for "Wicked Witch of the West")! This autographed item was obtained from the estate of a new consignor to eMoviePoster.com, who recently passed away. He started collecting mostly lobby cards and stills in the late 1960s, and he hit on the idea that he could get a lot of them signed, because he knew that many of the stars were still alive, but that many of them lived in the Motion Picture Home run by the Academy, and he visited there many times, becoming friendly with a number of the stars there. He also was able to meet other older stars, and acquired most of his signatures in person, although a few were acquired through the mail. He went out of his way to obtain signed items from his favorite films and stars, which included It's a Wonderful Life and Harvey (because he became friends with Jimmy Stewart). He was also friends with Moe Howard and Larry Fine, and he obtained many signatures on items from their films, which he loved, and he also was friends with Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, and most of the Munchkins, because he especially loved The Wizard of Oz! His family does not have certificates of authenticity for any of his items, but they do have multiple pictures of him with the stars who signed for him, and we are 100% certain that the items we are auctioning from his collection were personally signed by the stars! Also note that we have a scan of both the front and the back of this lobby card, which should greatly help you see what defects it has. Note that movies on their first release often have somewhat disappointing sets of lobby cards (either some of the cards or occasionally, most of the cards). This is because the scenes for the set were often picked out prior to the film's completion, and often this was done in a hurry. Perhaps the person picking the scenes for the lobby cards did not know what were the most classic moments of the movie, or perhaps they did not think it was important, but certainly, this would help explain why the lobby sets for many movies include some "dead cards" (cards which do not show any of the major stars), and also some not very interesting scenes, and why some of the most classic scenes are omitted. Often, when there is an early re-release of a classic movie, the people who prepare the lobby cards correct this mistake, including better scenes, and often, this early re-release sets are overall better than that of the original! In the case of "The Wizard of Oz", the original set was nice, but none of the cards picture the Wicked Witch (some speculate that this was because they wanted to keep her a surprise), but the cards for the 1949 re-release set include the two of the best scenes from the original set (the "wiping of the tears" card, and the balloon scene), but it replaces the repetitive scenes of Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow, with some really wonderful scenes of the Wicked Witch by the apple tree, the four lead characters by the witch's warning signs, and more. The original set has a parade sequence card where the characters are incredibly tiny, and in the re-release set, the characters are much larger. The 1949 title card has a completely different layout and design from that of the original title card. Certainly, the 1949 lobby cards are an important addition to the collection of any Oz enthusiast! Know that we are not "autograph experts"! We strongly suggest that all bidders do whatever research they want to do about the autographs BEFORE placing bids (such as comparing the signatures to other known signatures found on the Internet). But we also know how hard it is to be certain of an autograph's authenticity when you are not seeing the item in person. So, to make certain that we only have satisfied buyers, we will give anyone who purchases any of these a 30 day return privilege (from the date the auction closes) on any of these autographed items, and of course, that gives every buyer plenty of time to be 100% certain that they have purchased a genuine autograph! But realize that you can't return items AFTER 30 days (from the auction's closing), so be sure to do whatever checking and authenticating you need to do either before the auction ends, or within the 30 days. Condition: good. The card had tape stains and surface paper loss in the corners and a tear in the top left corner that separated a blank piece from the rest of the card. Someone long ago put a piece of paper tape on the back of that area. There was also a piece of paper tape on the back of the top center that someone partially removed, causing surface paper loss on the top center of the back of the card, but it does not affect the front. The card had surface paper loss in the middle right of the image, to the right of the Scarecrow's hand. It also had some creases, tiny tears, and surface paper loss in the top blank border. The card has a diagonal crease in the top right corner. Someone long ago was bothered by the surface paper loss in the middle right described above, and they colored it in, but they did not in any way attempt to match what had been there, so it is still quite noticeable. In spite of the above border defects and the amateur background "restoration" described above, the card still presents really well, since the rest of the card is not affected by the defects, and of course, you look at the characters, the inscriptions, the title, and the caption, and only secondarily look at the background area (and of course, the border defects can be matted out). I would think many collectors could happily display this wonderful signed card as it is, or certainly, one could have the above defects restored, but that will be the choice of the new owner of this card. Learn More about condition grades 
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