Olivia Newton-John's GREASE Jacket Sells for $476,000 at Auction

Julien's Auctions and Turner Classic Movies concluded its year-end blockbuster event A WEEK OF HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS in a grand finish that sold over 1,000 of the most famous and beloved artifacts of all time representing the Golden Age of Hollywood to modern classic films and television series to the biggest box office blockbusters and genre films, to exclusive collections from the likes of British stage and screen royals, Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright, legendary designer Bob Mackie and pop culture phenomenon Olivia Newton-John. The four-day live event held Tuesday, December 10th through Friday, December 13th for the first time at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills fetched a total of $4.5 million in a full room of excited attendees and bidders buzzing in across the globe via online at Julien's Auctions.

“Grease” was the word at Friday's grand finale that culminated in the fantastic white glove sale and celebration of the extraordinary life and legacy of Olivia Newton-John. Not surprisingly, the beloved pop culture phenomenon's most iconic career item and one of the most famous jackets of all time was the top seller at the auction event: Olivia Newton-John's “Sandy Olsson” black leather motorcycle jacket from the 1978 blockbuster musical film strutted to $476,000 (six times its original estimate of $80,000). The four-time GRAMMY Award-winning singer's custom-painted Steinway turquoise baby grand piano and bench charted as the number two hit item at the auction coming in at $158,750 (thirteen times the estimate of $8,000). The entertainment icon's other leather jackets were also top favorites including her emblazoned “Olivia” stage-worn rhinestone-stud motorcycle jacket worn during her Las Vegas residency and other tour dates ($76,200 seventy-six times its estimate of $1,000), her "Meet N' Grease" event faux black leather motorcycle jacket ($12,700 a remarkable thirty two times its estimate of $400) and two motorcycle-style leather jacket pieces from the famous Australian leather company Mars ($12,700 twenty-five times its estimate of $500). Pieces relating to her monster hit "Physical" scored such as her 1982 "Physical" tour worn T-shirts, one with "Texas / Longhorns" on the front and "Newton-John" on the back  ($12,700 an astonishing forty-two times its estimate of $300) and another with "LSU" on the front ($15,875 a stunning sixty times its estimate of $300), worn by the star as she would wear regional T-shirts while singing the song, as well as her RIAA Platinum Record Award for "Physical" ($16,250 sixteen times its estimate of  $1,000). Another top highlight was Olivia's 2000 California driver's license that sold for $16,250, an incredible twenty-seven times its estimate of $600.

A Week of Hollywood Legends' Day Two shined with the brilliance and opulence offered in the white glove spectacular of “Unmistakably Mackie.” Bob Mackie's historic collection of award-winning designs and illustrations for Cher, Carol Burnett, Diahann Carroll and next gen style icons such as Pink and Miley Cyrus (whose shimmering GRAMMY performance vintage Mackie dress was purchased by the pop music diva herself before the sale with a portion of the proceeds going towards MusiCares) sold out to staggering results such as: Cher's 1977 "It Had to Be You" performance costume worn on The Sonny and Cher Show ($101,600 a jaw dropping twenty-five times its estimate of $4,000), her 1975 "Take Me Home Country Roads" performance ensemble worn on The Cher Show ($95,250 nearly thirty-two times its estimate of $3,000) as well as his design illustration of Carol Burnett's famous "Norma Desmond" costume on The Carol Burnett Show that drew in $25,400, an incredible twenty-five times its estimate of $1,000.

Julien's and TCM went over the rainbow in their Classic Hollywood showcase such as with a pair of “Dorothy” Ruby Slippers commemorating the 50th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz (an astounding $104,000, twenty times its original estimate of $5,000); Judy Garland's iconic blue and white gingham pattern pinafore worn by the film's star in a 1938 wardrobe test for her role as Dorothy which sold for $65,000; and a hardcover main cast signed 1903 The Wizard of Oz book ($44,450 four times its estimate of $10,000). British stage and screen royal couple Sir Laurence Olivier and his wife, the legendary Baroness Olivier, Dame Joan Plowright were honored by the grand results of Olivier's 1948 Venice Biennale Hamlet Golden Lion Award ($35,750) and BAFTA ($26,000) and Plowright's Best Supporting Actress GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS for her roles in 1992's Stalin ($16,250) and 1992's Enchanted April ($13,000). And Marilyn Monroe's most legendary items and personal treasures sparkled including her 1960 Actor's Studio notebook ($26,000), 1962 arm chair ($19,500), mascara ($6,500) and purple eye shadow ($6,500).
 
A high octane collection of props and memorabilia from Sci-Fi, Horror and Action's biggest blockbusters and stars kicked butt in the sales of Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon shoes striking for $22,750 (twenty-two times its estimate of $1,000); "City Hunter / The Predator" mask prop worn by Kevin Peter Hall in Predator ($13,000 three times its estimate of $4,000); "Jason Voorhees" Friday the 13th Part VII hero machete prop wielded by Kane Hodder ($13,000); an original Robot B-9 technical drawing from Lost in Space ($9,100 twenty-four times its estimate of $500) and more.
 
“We could not have been more thrilled with the results of this magnificent auction that truly lived up to Julien's and TCM's unrivaled reputation as the ultimate destination for Hollywood memorabilia,” said Martin Nolan, Executive Director/Co-Founder of Julien's Auctions. “One legendary item after another from Grease to The Wizard of Oz smashed all expectations in this wildly successful four-day event that was topped off by the white glove sales of Olivia Newton-John and Bob Mackie's historic collections.”

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a two-time Peabody Award-winning network that presents classic films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world highlighting “Where Then Meets Now.” TCM features insights from Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz along with hosts Alicia Malone, Dave Karger, Jacqueline Stewart and Eddie Muller, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests and serves as the ultimate movie lover destination. With three decades as a leading authority in classic film, TCM offers critically acclaimed series like The Essentials and Reframed along with annual programming events like 31 Days of Oscar and Summer Under the Stars. TCM also directly connects with movie fans through popular events such as the annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood and the TCM Classic Cruise. In addition, TCM produces the wildly successful podcast “The Plot Thickens,” which has had more than 9 million downloads to date. TCM hosts a wealth of material online at tcm.com and through the Watch TCM mobile app. Fans can also enjoy a classic movie experience on the TCM hub on Max.