Leonardo Dicaprio and Steven Spielberg have dipped into their pockets to help out US film academy bosses in buying the famous ruby red slippers from the seminal film 'Wizard of Oz.' The slippers will go on display at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures which will open in Los Angeles.
The Press Association reports that the slippers were believed to have been worn by 'The Wizard Of Oz' main star Judy Garland in close-ups and insert shots, most notably when her character Dorothy clicks her heels three times to return to Kansas at the end of the film. Known as the "witch's shoes," as they're the pair believed to have been seen at the feet of The Wicked Witch Of The East after Dorothy's house crushes her, they were initially kept in storage for three decades following the finishing of filming in 1939 before being discovered, among several other pairs, by costumer Kent Warner in 1970.
The pair that have just been sold were kept by Warner in his private collection until 1981 before being sold at auction. They were then sold again in 1988 to a private collector and have since only been on show to the public a few time. 'The Wizard of Oz' remains one of the most popular and critically acclaimed musicals of all time.