Many years ago, I was out antiquing and came across a somewhat ordinary looking secretary. I had one day hoped to buy a secretary for our house, so it caught my eye. It wasn’t quite what I’d had in mind but what really grabbed my attention was the label attached to the sales ticket stating it had been used in the movie, Bull Durham. I was intrigued.
Though, Bull Durham wasn’t necessarily a favorite movie of mine, how cool would it be to watch a movie in your family room while sitting next to a secretary that was showing on the screen at that very moment. If I’m remembering correctly, the secretary was only priced around $1,200 but that might as well have been $10,000 at the time. It was way out of my budget.
Periodically, I would stop back by the shop and I always looked to see if the secretary was still there. Eventually, the price began to come down and when it got down to around $800, I started thinking more seriously about the possibility of taking it home. One Saturday, months after I had first come across it, my husband was available to go with me to see it. Wouldn’t you know it, it was gone. I still think about that secretary from time to time and I’ve always regretted not getting to own a little bit of movie history.
Do you have a favorite movie…one that you love to watch over and over? How would you like to own a prop or piece of furniture that was used in the making of your favorite movie or television show? Well, guess what? You can!
I came across the most interesting site recently called: Newel. Newel rents out furniture and decorative pieces to the film, television and theatre industries and once they are no longer needed, some become available for purchase.
Here are just three examples of the many props they have available from lots of your favorite movies and shows:
Are you a fan of the movie, Julie and Julia? How about the movie, Sex and The City?
This French Louis XVI salon appeared in both of those movies and could be yours for $12,000.
Never miss an episode of Ugly Betty? Do you love the movies, All the Kings Men and Too Big to Fail?
This painting appeared in all of those.
For about the price of a luxury vehicle, you could own a gorgeous secretary that “starred” in: You’ve Got Mail and Mona Lisa Smile.
This same secretary was also used in: The Manchurian Candidate, Perfect Stranger, Masquerade, Boardwalk Empire, Too Big to Fail and A Perfect Murder.
There are hundreds more props from your favorite movies at Newel. It was kind of fun seeing what they are going for these days.
I'd certainly love to have the secretary from "You've Got Mail!" What fun! Thank you for sharing Newel's link.
Have a beautiful weekend, Susan,
: )
Julie M.
That's a very interesting site. Thanks for the link. What a shame the company didn't kit out the whole Hamptons house in Something's Gotta Give! xx
Nope…nothing there that I NEED!!! lol We just watched Julie and Julia a couple weeks ago and loved it. My husband and I both were just rolling. That Meryl Streep is just amazing in everything I have ever seen her in!
Oh I adore that bonnet top secretary, but that price tag could re-furnish my entire house!
But what fun to look.
Cass
I would be too afraid to bring home "famous" furniture though- it would probably come with paparazzi following it and demand to be displayed in certain rooms while being polished frequently ; )
Fun post!
I had no idea you can buy movie props. That is way cool.
Oh my gosh I am heading over there now! What a great post!
Doesn't the guy in the painting look a bit like Barnabas from Dark Shadows!! I'm rather fond of that painting! 14th Street Antiques sometimes has pieces from films in the very back of the store. Posting this reminds me it's time for a visit there!
Happy weekend.
Oh my, what a site, I'll be heading over there right away! Thanks for sharing.
Nancy
This is such a FUN post! I can't wait to explore that site! …check out my site if you have a moment, I'm having a fun SCENTSY give away!
I ADORE "You've Got Mail" and "Sleepless in Seattle" mainly anything with Meg Ryan, she is soooo cute! Wow, would I love to have that secretary, just a "wee" bit out of my price range though…
ROFL! Thanks for the great info, love your blog!
Wow! How very interesting!
I think it would have been really cool to have that secretary from Bull Durham! I was in high school when that movie came out and I was in love with the house that Susan Sarandon's character, Annie, lived in! The big wrap-around porch, her brass bed with crocheted lace coverlet…I think she even had jadeite dishes in her kitchen. I loved her old fashioned Southern style….and I really loved that movie! I confess that at the time I thought Kevin Costner was really sexy.LOL!
It's funny you should do a post about this because I made a quick trip to a local antique store before the storm hit last weekend, and a guy came in when I was paying for my merchandise, looking for some old camera bulbs because he was shooting a film for Showtime, starring Claire Danes. (Apparently, the Charlotte Observer, did an article on it this week.)
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/01/14/1980227/tv-pilot-will-turn-charlotte-into.html
We were talking, and I told him that I lived in Columbia when they were shooting Leatherheads, and they filmed it near my husband's office, and I had been in an antique store there, when the set decorator was shopping for items for the movie. Turns out, he filmed that movie too, and he told me the set decorator for that movie (which I never saw b/c I heard it wasn't very good) was the set decorator for this film, and he shops in the store I was in last weekend, too. To make it more interesting, he said he works for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Dale's sister, who own a production company in town (which I didn't know either). It's amazes me, the info. you find out just by going shopping. LOL!
One of my favorite places to visit and go antiquing is a little town called Micanopy, which probably means not a lot to most ppl…But you all have probably seen it's main street and thought how gorgeous it is…It is the location the movie "Doc Hollywood" staring Michael J Fox was filmed…The town in the movie was said to be in SC, but in reality it was filmed here in FL.
Also live not far from Yankee Town which was the location of the Elvis movie "Follow that Dream" in 1951…Took my mother and Aunt to visit there this summer as they are big fans…Sadly there is not much to see but a sign on the highway commemorating the event.
Thanx for the fun post about movie props.
Blessings Kelsie
There's a lot of filming that goes on in my area and town. Well a few years back I had bought a set of black iron birds for my front gate. I had called ahead and told the shop I was going to pick them up SHE said I couldn't until the movie was finished filming. I watched the filming which was fun…When the movie came out ONE of the birds is in it, SO I now have a movie star birdie!!! My son owns one of the spiders that was in Arachnophobia! hehe, we have MORE FUN with that at Halloween… You REALLY SHOULD have bought the secretary, BUT we all have those things we let get away… Thanks for the fun post…
Hugs, Donna
Loved reading about the movie props. Never thought there was this market. Hugs, Ginger
After looking at their inventory, I think you should have scooped up that secretary, Susan!
It was fun going through all the things I could not buy! Well, maybe I could afford one of the dining chairs! 🙂
What a fun post! I love things like this!
Mary
Thanks for the interesting lead! I loved everything in her "house" in Bull Durham.
OH my gosh! What a deal! My Mercedes is running in the driveway and the driver just came to help me down the steps…so talk to me later!!
Hugs,
Mona
Would love to someday find that gorgeous “silver” table lamp in Diane Keaton’s bedroom in “Something’s Gotta Give”.
Janis, I just looked back at the movie house tour I did in this post: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/the-beach-house-in-somethings-gotta-give/
and it appears they move that lamp around. I see it beside her at the desk in one shot, but then I see it over on the table near the door in another. 🙂 Maybe you could buy a crystal lamp and then add a silver shade to it. It is beautiful! I can’t tell exactly what the base look like but a crystal or glass base like I see so often in HomeGoods would be gorgeous with a silver shade. Here’s a silver shade at Shades of Light: http://www.shadesoflight.com/19-inch-silver-metallic_paper-shade.html
Also found this: http://www.bellacor.com/productdetail/trend-bt7102-s-pure-metallic-silver-one-light-28-inch-table-lamp-with-smooth-aluminum-shade-611348.htm
You may want to email Linda at the blog Surroundings because she’s a designer and she did a post about how to “Get the Look” in that movie. Here’s her blog: http://chameleon-interiors.blogspot.com/2007/01/get-that-look-somethings-gotta-give.html
Hope you can find one…the search is half the fun. 🙂
Thanks much! And Home Goods, one of my favorite stores!