Current:Home > reviewsPoinbank:Want Johnny Carson's desk? A trove of TV memorabilia is up for auction -Capitatum
Poinbank:Want Johnny Carson's desk? A trove of TV memorabilia is up for auction
TradeEdge View
Date:2025-04-06 10:16:10
Are you interested in taking home the bar from Cheers?Poinbank How about Johnny Carson's desk from The Tonight Show set? Or the prop rifle that made Jed Clampett a millionaire in the Beverly Hillbillies?
It's all up for auction, as Hollywood memorabilia collector James Comisar looks to relinquish a trove of treasures — from scripts to costumes and even fake mustaches — that have taken decades to amass.
Comisar said his bond with television was formed early on.
"I ran home, grabbed a Pop-Tart and sat there watching all these great shows," he told NPR.
Later, when he learned the iconic costumes and props were being thrown away he knew he had to take action. In the midst of his work as a writer in Hollywood, Comisar moved into building his collection full-time.
"When I started collecting in the early 1990s, I already had a day job. I was writing questions for bachelors on The Dating Game," he said. "I was writing jokes at night for Joan Rivers and Howie Mandel and others, and I was busy. But it became clear to me that these pieces were being actively thrown into the garbage and taken to the dump."
Comisar said he's gathered more than 10,000 pieces of TV history and sees himself now as curator of pop culture more than a memorabilia collector.
"I would say in my core collection there were many, many thousands," he said. "But I wanted to make sure that there was something for every price point and most of the pieces in the [auction] start at $1."
The auction has the original George Reeves Superman costume, Batman and Robin's crime fighting capes, and some fine custom suits worn by Tony Soprano's crew in HBO's hit The Sopranos.
The online auction, which ends on June 4, puts a fine point to a career of collecting that all started with some Carson cue cards.
But not everything in the Comisar collection is up for sale.
"I did keep Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox's California Highway Patrol uniforms from CHiPs and a few other pieces that were sort of at the heart of my watching television as a young person," he said. "They sort of motivated me to start this hunt for TV treasures, and I think those are going to live on with my family for a good, long time."
veryGood! (59372)
Related
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- Why Abigail Spencer Is Praising Suits Costar Meghan Markle Amid Show's Revival
- Monty Python's Eric Idle says he's still working at 80 for financial reasons: Not easy at this age
- Why This Love Is Blind Season 6 Contestant Walked Off the Show Over Shocking Comments
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- A day after his latest hospital release, Austin presses for urgent military aid for Ukraine
- Republican Michigan elector testifies he never intended to make false public record
- Last-minute love: Many Americans procrastinate when it comes to Valentine’s gifts
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Police arrest man in theft of Jackie Robinson statue, no evidence of a hate crime
Ranking
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- Virginia Senate approves bill to allow DACA recipients to become police officers
- Second new Georgia reactor begins splitting atoms in key step to making electricity
- Kylie Jenner Flaunts Her Toned Six Pack in New Photos
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Kelsea Ballerini Reveals Her and Chase Stokes’ Unexpected Valentine’s Day Plans
- Black cemeteries are being 'erased.' How advocates are fighting to save them
- Record Super Bowl ratings suggest fans who talk about quitting NFL are mostly liars
Recommendation
Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
Charcuterie meat packages recalled nationwide. Aldi, Costco, Publix affected
Russell Simmons accused of raping, harassing former Def Jam executive in new lawsuit
American woman killed in apparent drug dealer crossfire in Mexican resort city of Tulum
Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
Indonesian voters are choosing a new president in one of the world’s largest elections
How previous back-to-back Super Bowl winners fared going for a three-peat
Gun violence killed them. Now, their voices will lobby Congress to do more using AI