Dealers: Beyond the Rainbow P.O. Box 31672 St. Louis, MO 63131 (314) 271-2727 Cinema Collectors (aka Jerry Olinger's) 1507 Wilcox Av. Hollywood, CA 90028 (213) 461-6516 Also in New York and Las Vegas Collectors Book Store 1708 N. Vine Street Hollywood, CA 90028 (213) 467-3296 eBay Search "Judy Garland" Hollywood Book City 6631 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90028 (213) 466-0120 Judy Garland Museum PO Box 724 Grand Rapids, MN 55744 Judy Garland Photo Catalogue online dealer Judy Garland Posters Save money - buy reproductions! Larry Edmunds Bookshop 6644 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90028 (213) 463-3273 Movie Poster Warehouse A good place to get Judy posters and photos (order on-line) Robert Swan Collection for sale Magazines: Movie Collector's World P.O. Box 309 Fraser, MI 48026 (810) 774-4311 Paper Collector's Marketplace 470 Main St. P.O. Box 128 Scandinavia, WI 54977 (715) 467-2379   JGDB: Judy Forum JGDB Classified Ads JGDB Guestbook   Judy's Movies Judy's Music Judy on Radio Judy on Television   Home Judy Garland Database ©1995-2004 Jim Johnson See copyright statement

Collecting Posters & Lobbies   Home Collecting Judy For some reason that I don't fully understand, movie posters and lobby cards are the most sought after forms of movie memorabilia, so they are also the most expensive. Many posters have very nice artwork but, in my opinion, many more are not all that exciting. Besides, where would you display them? And who can afford them? As you can probably tell, this is not one of my favorite collecting areas. The posters I've displayed here are some of the few that I would be willing to pay the going price for, but I've yet to find one for sale. Original posters from Judy's MGM movies generally sell for about $600 and up. Lobby cards usually go for about $100 and up. Posters from some of her later movies such as Summer Stock and Easter Parade are usually somewhat less expensive. And, of course, posters from her earlier movies, such as Listen, Darling and Love Finds Andy Hardy may be more expensive. As for the Wizard of Oz, forget it! There are many more Oz collectors than Judy collectors, so between the two markets there is a lot of demand. Oz lobby cards are often priced at $3000 and up, and posters are often over $10,000. So, if you want to collect original Oz material, try an auction house, and carry a big checkbook! As for me, I am quite certain that I will never own an original Oz lobby card or poster! Lobby cards (or "lobbies") are available as reproductions, as are some posters. If you don't care that much whether the item is original or not, this is a much more economical alternative. Keep an eye open for reproductions! What are lobby cards? One of the more common questions I hear is, "What are lobby cards?" Well, they are essentially miniature posters. They are 11" high by 14" wide (landscape orientation), and usually in color, even if the movie wasn't. There are generally eight to a set, and they briefly summarize the movie in a series of captioned scenes. They were displayed in theater lobbies. There were standard display cases - counter top, wall-hanging and floor standing. There are still some around today, but it is unusual (at least I don't see them much anymore). I think that part of why they are so popular with collectors is that they are in color (color movie stills, on the other hand, are very unusual - even today). The first card in a set of lobby cards generally includes the title of the movie, and so is referred to as a "title card". The other cards are sometimes referred to as "scene cards". You have no doubt seen the artwork above on a postcard or poster. This was the original title card for the film The Wizard of Oz. Lobby cards are relatively small and easy to frame (compared to posters), and they can be displayed in albums. The artwork is usually quite nice, though sometimes the colors are not the same as in the movies. This is due to the fact that they are often "colorized" by a tinting process, and by marketing artists who are trying to sell the movie. An example of this is the lobby card for Judy's "Who?" number in Till the Clouds Roll By (as shown on the Collecting Judy page). Her gown in the movie is yellow, but on the lobby card it's red. The artist who colored the still (lobby cards were often printed from tinted or hand-painted black and white stills) may have thought that the red color would attract more attention, or maybe the lobby card was made while the movie was being filmed, and after the lobby card was made the gown was changed to yellow and the scene was reshot. This didn't happen, it's just an example of how that sort of thing can happen. There can be many reasons for the differences. Above is a scene card from the lobby card set for Babes in Arms. The caption reads, "Mickey gives some hot licks on the cello as Judy and Betty Jaynes show the 'old folks' their idea of a show!" The best place to look for posters and lobby cards (in my opinion) is "Movie Collector's World," a newspaper-format collector's publication that contains gazillions(!) of ads for posters. They also have ads for other memorabilia, and you'll find ads for other collector's publications as well (it was MCW that got me started collecting). You should be able to find a copy of MCW at a local news stand. MCW is also on the Internet. I have provided a link to their web site and their address in the box to the left (above).

Home Collecting Judy