Sunset Blvd Memorabilia

[simon_wilkie]

Posted: 5/13/07 at 4:37pm

Hi,

I'm sorry if this is against the regulations, I'm fairly new to the site. I've also posted this in the London board.

I'm a huge fan of ALW's Sunset Blvd and have been in the process for several years of collecting memorabilia for the show. If anyone has any of the following items that they are willing to sell, or if anyone can point me in the direction of some theatre memorabilia stores in the UK or in the US I'd be very very grateful.

Specifically I'm after:

-Broadway Souvenir Brochures staring Elaine Paige or Betty Buckley.

-The Brochure and Playbill for the US National Tour staring Linda Balgord and Ron Bohmer.

-Any programmes or brochures from the German run of the show.

-Any programmes or brochures from the Australian production of the show staring Debbie Byrne and Hugh Jackman.

Also, the following CDs:

-OLC promo CD staring Patti LuPone and Kevin Anderson.

-Uwe Kroger and Helen Schneider 2 track CD in German.

-Debbie Byrne's As If We Never Said Goodbye Australian single.


As I say I'd be very grateful for any help from anyone in tracking down these items.

Thanks

Simon

[danny10086]

Posted: 5/13/07 at 7:31pm

If you can find the Debra Byrne "As If We Never Said Goodbye" single ... it's extremely rare ... e-mail me if you find it!

[simon_wilkie]

Posted: 5/13/07 at 7:36pm

I know! Am desperate to get hold of it.

Starting to think that it just doesn't exist lol!

[nealb1]

Posted: 5/13/07 at 7:40pm

I used to have all of that SB stuff and more. But, I sold it all on ebay and made quite a small fortune!

The Debra cd on ebay sold for $325, or so. The Austrialian program sold for a lot, as well. As did the German cd and program.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/13/07 at 7:47pm

Scary that I have all those you're requesting (and more). Yes, even the Australian and German stuff, including Daniela Ziegler's promo CD as well as Linda Balgord and Ron Bohmer's 'rare' promo CD.

I have Debra Byrne's SUNSET BLVD. recordings on CD. I had no idea these were so valuable. I have her recordings of "With One Look", "As if We Never Said Goodbye", and even "Surrender". They, of course, are with the original stage orchestrations.

I gotta post some SUNSET BLVD. stuff on that unmentionable site.

Updated On: 5/13/07 at 07:47 PM

Posted: 5/13/07 at 7:50pm

All the stuff I have is from the Canadian Diahan Caroll/Rex Smith tour--sorry
Updated On: 5/14/07 at 07:50 PM

[simon_wilkie]

Posted: 5/13/07 at 7:51pm

Oh yeh!

Forgot to mention that.

Also add the Canadian playbill to the list!

[nealb1]

Posted: 5/13/07 at 7:52pm

BrodyFosse123, I had all that SB stuff that you just posted and more... Ha, ha....

I also had the Faye Dunaway poster for SB when she was to have taken over for Glenn Close here in LA. That went for over $1,000 on ebay.

This was back in 2001 when I put up my entire SB collection on ebay. I didn't put it all together...I spread it out over a period of a week or so.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/13/07 at 8:18pm

Yup...I still have all that (yes...even that large purple Canadian souvenir program). Forgot about that Faye Dunaway window card, which I also still have (even those VANITY FAIR ads for Faye).

Though all these mean nothing to me anymore, I don't find the heart to start selling them.

$1,000 for that Faye Dunaway window card, huh? Hmmm....

[nealb1]

Posted: 5/13/07 at 8:39pm

At the time that I sold all my SB stuff, in addition to other stuff, I had moved. And, as I was unpacking, I'm was looking at all this "stuff," saying to myself, "I don't need this anymore." So, I sold it.

Yeah, the SB poster with Faye went for $1,000. I was really, really shocked! But, it was the musical-that-never-was. So, that's make it all the more rare.

I first saw SB back in 1993 when it premiered here in LA at The Shubert Theatre. That's when I started my SB collection of cds, posters, brochures, etc.....from all over....Australia, England, NYC, LA, Canada, National Tour, etc... Come to think of it, I just may have more National Tour SB stuff in one of my boxes. With the posting of this thread, I remembered that I just may have some more stuff that needs to go on ebay! Ha, ha....

And, who would have thought that Hugh Jackman would have emerged from SB as one of the world's top film and stage stars?

[jo]

Posted: 5/13/07 at 9:03pm

For the memorabilia of the Australian production - try eBay-Australia.

That's where I sourced my programme of the Aussie production and a copy of Debra Byrne's album called New Ways to Dream. The album includes Surrender, With One Look, and As If We Never Said Goodbye from SUNSET BOULEVARD...and a wonderful bonus via a duet medley with Hugh Jackman of two songs from INTO THE WOODS ( No One is Alone/Children Will Listen).

You also might be able to source, via eBay, a copy of the documentary on the making of the Australian production, an hour-long look on the production and the famous theatre which housed it. Plenty of clips of Debra and Hugh singing in the show and short interview clips.

Re Sunset Boulevard being the catapult for Hugh's rise to stardom on stage and screen. Trevor Nunn had a lot to do with it. He helped chose to cast Hugh in SB and was profuse in his praise of his new find ( check out the documentary)...and later cast him in the Royal National Theatre's revival of OKLAHOMA! in London. The show was seen by Hollywood producers, such as Lauren Shuler Donner ( top producer of Hugh's breakout film, X-MEN) and Harvey Weinstein ( Kate and Leopold)

Btw, there is BBC concert version of the show, with Michael Ball and Petula Clark - not sure if copies also turn up on eBay.
Updated On: 5/13/07 at 09:03 PM

[danny10086]

Posted: 5/14/07 at 4:12am

To clear up the Debra Byrne recording thing. There are two versions available.

1) PROMO CD - featuring her singing As If We Never Said Goodbye to the original London orchestral track, similar to what they did with Linda Balgord.

2) NEW WAYS TO DREAM - her solo album that has three songs from the show. A re-recorded version of AIWNSG, With One Look and a acoustic guitar version of Surrender, which is quite lovely.

3) GERALDINE TURNER - there is also a rarity on one of her albums of the As If We Never Said Goodbye track from when she was supposedly taking the role, The Really Useful Company even recorded her version of the song and they let her release it on one of her compilation recordings many years later.

[simon_wilkie]

Posted: 5/14/07 at 5:17am

Yeah, the bloody NWTD album is everywhere. It's the AIWNSG promo CD that's a rarity. Very difficult to get hold of. I've only spoken to about two or three people who have ever seen one. Think gold-dust is a more common household item!

Just out of interest, the people who have owned or own a copy of the single- how did you get hold of it and how much did you pay?

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 5/14/07 at 5:55am

Could anyone post the pix of Faye Dunaway as Norma Desmond?

[once a month]

Posted: 5/14/07 at 6:49am

I have the programs for Patti, Glenn and Betty, as well as the CD's for Patti, Glenn and Betty.

I also have the autographed Broadway poster with Glenn.

I managed to buy the actual door from the Minskoff theatre...the life size Betty Schaeffer as portrayed by Alice Ripley.

Anyone still interested? I'm in New Jersey.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/14/07 at 7:01am

Since Faye never went on, there are no photos of her as Norma. She only got as far as rehearse the role.

All that survives are the window cards that were printed, but it's just the yellow logo with her name -- it doesn't have a photo.

[Flight0017]

Posted: 5/14/07 at 1:48pm

Poor Simon... Everyone keeps bragging about all their memorabilia. I have a lot of stuff, including pages of the script to "Salome", the silent film Norma was writing.

Also, if you're a dedicated Sunset fan, try to find the album "Sue Mathys Sings Broadway And Piaf". She was the final Norma in the German production, and maybe one of the best Normas. On the album she sings a couple of songs from the musical (in English).

PM me if you feel like chatting with an absolute Sunset freak

Updated On: 5/14/07 at 01:48 PM

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 5/14/07 at 3:05pm

I have a Sunset Boulevard poster from Toronto with Diahann Carroll. They were posted all over Toronto and I stole them from coffeehouses-I would take them down off of bulletin boards. I also have Sunset Boulevard Cocktail napkins from the Ford Centre from the perfroming arts. I also have full page color ads from the Toronto Production that were run in the Buffalo News.

[mcphan19]

Posted: 5/14/07 at 5:50pm

Hi Simon,

It's rare to find any Sunset merchandise anywhere but on ebay, but I am one of those rare people how have the Debbie Byrne AIWNSG promo CD (I forget how I actually obtained it - it was so long ago). I also have a multitude of singles and other recordings (if you know what I mean). I have stacks of (American) playbills with Betty Buckley and Elaine Paige, a few window cards (even the rare red poster featuring Alan Campbell and Elaine Paige - signed by both!), and souvenir brochures with Patti LuPone, Glenn Close (LA and Broadway), Betty Buckley (Broadway), Elaine Paige (Broadway) Linda Balgord, and Petula Clark (2nd tour - signed). I also have newspaper and magazine articles regarding the Broadway production.

PM me if you'd like to trade.

[simon_wilkie]

Posted: 5/14/07 at 6:51pm

Tell me about the difficulty in finding stuff from Sunset- especially it being so long since it closed in both NY and London- nearly a decade, wow!

I have found some stuff in a little curio place in London, however trying to find anything in the NY theatre shops (i.e. Shubert Alley store) or in Dresscircle is impossible!

It's such a shame that this stuff is so rare and valuable that it has stayed closed for so long. It is obviously very popular. There was talk after the 2002 UK Tour of the show returning to the West End with Faith Brown as Norma still but that never came to fruition. EP is even nearer Norma's age now- perhaps if she's got a taste for theatre again after Drowsy Chaperone there would be room in one of ALW's theatre for the show to return to all of us out here in the dark.

Thanks for all the replies so far guys!

I'm still desperate. I've been insatiable since I first discovered eBay a few years ago!

Simon.

Posted: 5/14/07 at 7:27pm

I think I may have another copy of the Canadian program I'd be willing to part with (Souvenir one) and definetly another of the actual playbill--for the Vancouver date. But I won't be able to get ot them for another 2 months when I go home

[chernjam]

Posted: 5/14/07 at 8:12pm

About three months ago I let go of ALL of my Sunset Souvenier Brochures - I had all the Broadway ones, the LA one, the Australian and Canadian - the Patti London and the London tour. Tried to post that they were available on Ebay and got screamed at that it violated the Message Board rules.

The sad thing is I sold the entire collection together - and I think I got $100 for the whole thing. I also sold NY Times full paged ads that I had laminated. I'll look again and see if I have some more (sure that I do) and will let you know - I'm willing to put them up on ebay.

But the best advice is to check once a week on Ebay. Stuff pops up on their often.

I even got rid of all the CD's too - and they people on here are right - they can get a lot of money. The Betty Buckley 4 song CD got over $100. When on ebay try typing the actresses names - sometimes you can find stuff that way

[[e-mail]]

Posted: 5/14/07 at 8:27pm

if they hadn't made the startup costs of the Broadway production so expensive, I think it might still have been running (or at least ran much longer)

How the show setting the record for biggest advance could fail to recoup is so utterly beyond me.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 5/14/07 at 8:30pm

My friend has pieces of the iron work off of the set in his living room.

I wonder if he wants to sell some?

[simon_wilkie]

Posted: 5/15/07 at 3:50am

Chernjam- if you do find any more stuff please let me know, it'd be great thanks!

EricMontreal- when you get back home please let me know if you can find those spare programmes/playbills and maybe we can work out a price.

Thanks

Simon