Leonardo DiCaprio and director Steven Spielberg acted as a group of angel donors to save a pair of ruby slippers used in the 1939 classic film The Wizard of Oz.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced Thursday that the shoes will be preserved and put on display in the Academy’s new Los Angeles museum. The museum is in the process of fundraising; however, there is no set date for when the public will be permitted into the historic May Company building at Fairfax and Wilshire.
Academy CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement that “Leo’s passionate leadership has helped us bring home this legendary piece of movie history. It’s a wonderful gift to the Academy museum project, and a perfect representation of the work we do year-round to preserve and share our film heritage.”
It is rumored that there are probably 4 surviving pairs of the ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in the film. One pair can be seen at the National Museum for American History at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., and another is on display at the Disney/MGM Studio at Walt Disney World in Florida.
