The robot was an expensive prop. It cost MGM $125,000 to build it during the days it cost $25,000 to purchase an upscale three-bedroom home. It was a complex machine that had been left in the dust of previous clunky bots.
All of the parts were made in MGM’s prop shop. Constructed of metal, plastic, and glass, it has a glass dome for a head and functional limbs. It was Professor Morbius’ servant and constant companion.
Dorothy’s Dress
Garland wore this dress in the transition from sepia-colored Kansas to technicolor Oz. The filming technique that brought the vivid land of Oz to life made it the most famous color movie of its day. It wasn’t the first color movie, but the contrast of black and white to color cleverly captures the dreariness of L. Frank Baum’s descriptions of Kansas in his novel, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”
The only thing more iconic than the dress is Dorothy’s ruby slippers.
Forbidden Planet (1956) - Robby the Robot: $5.3M
In 2017, Robby the Robot hit a world record, becoming the priciest movie prop ever. At the time, it outsold the Maltese Falcon figurine and Marilyn Monroe’s famous dress by a million dollars.
The 7-foot-tall robot from MGM’s “Forbidden Planet” is one of science fiction’s most treasured movies. This marked the first sci-fi movie set entirely on a fictional planet.
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) - Lightsaber: $450K
Believe it or not, Ripley won the bid for Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber. It is his light-blue-bladed saber and the first one he ever used. It was given to him by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Mark Hamill once wielded this particular model in “The Empire Strikes Back.”
It had been from the private collection of film producer Gary Kurtz, producer of the first two Star Wars movies. It went on the block shortly after he died in 2018. The lightsaber sold for $450,000 in 2019.
Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber
It was constructed from a 1930s Graflex flash tube, a tube that is part of an old-fashioned film camera’s flash mechanism and the camera’s handle. Sci-fi-effect buttons and gadgetry were applied with glue. It came to life with a blue beam of light. However, this one no longer works.
On the upside, anyone can see the famous prop at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum in Hollywood. For far-flung Star Wars fans, Ripley displays it on YouTube.