Original Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and Ghostbusters Production Materials to be Auctioned
Prop Store – one of the world’s leading film and TV memorabilia companies is to hold an exclusive online auction of puppets, models, artwork and production materials from the career of animator Phil Tippett. The veteran effects artist and filmmaker worked on some of the most beloved films of all-time, including the original Star Wars trilogy, Dragonslayer, Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom, the Robocop films, Jurassic Park, Starship Troopers, and countless others.
Over 400 lots of historic memorabilia will go on sale in the exclusive online auction, which begins on Monday October 10th. Bidding for all items will be open until the auction closes on Friday October 21st. Many of the lots will be sold without reserve. Bidding is possible from anywhere in the world, and global shipping is available.
Phil Tippett’s professional career began as a stop-motion animator in the 1970s before being hired by George Lucas to produce the Millennium Falcon chess-game sequence for Star Wars. Tippett stayed on with ILM for several years, notably animating the Tauntauns for The Empire Strikes Back and developing “go-motion” technology for the memorable dragon Vermithrax in Dragonslayer. Tippett founded Tippett Studio in 1984 and went on to produce or supervise visual effects for Robocop, Jurassic Park, Starship Troopers, and numerous other titles. Tippett Studio continues to provide visual effects services for many projects, with Phil directing and supervising projects in addition to working on his passion project—MAD GOD.
Some of the notable items collectors and fans can bid for include:
- Trash Compactor Monster from Star Wars: A New Hope – Estimate $50,000 – 70,000
- Hand-drawn Holochess Character Sketches by Phil Tippett from Star Wars: A New Hope – sold without reserve
- ‘Duros’ Cantina Mask from Star Wars: A New Hope – Estimate $50,000 – 70,000
- Washington Square Ghost Puppet from Ghostbusters 2 – Estimate $3,000 – 5,000
- Ford Explorer Animatics Model from Jurassic Park – Estimate $3,000 – 5,000
- Robocop Costume from Robocop 2 – Estimate $30,000 – 50,000
- Warrior Bug Maquette with Tippett Studios crate from Starship Troopers – Estimate $5,000 – 7,000
- Eborsisk Monster Maquette from Willow – Estimate $2,000 – 3,000
- Screenplay with Phil Tippett’s Handwritten Story Notes from Jurassic Park – sold without reserve
- Tauntaun handwritten animation notes by Phil Tippett from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back – sold without reserve
Brandon Alinger, Prop Store COO, commented on the upcoming auction: “We’re very proud to be handling this collection of materials from Phil Tippett’s amazing career in the film industry. In addition to the props, costumes, models and maquettes there is a vast collection of artwork and archival materials, many of which have never been seen before. If you’re a collector or a fan of the films Phil Tippett has been part of, this auction presents a wonderful chance to get a glimpse behind the curtain and become a caretaker of a small piece of film history.”
Phil Tippett said of the auction: “It’s been a lot of fun to take another look at these materials, some of which I haven’t seen for years. I’m glad that fans will have a chance to get them, and I hope they’ll enjoy them and look after the materials for the future. ”
The auction begins at 9:00AM PST on Monday, October 10th, with the first lots closing at 9:00AM PST on Friday, October 21st. Bids can be placed online via the Prop Store website at: http://propstoreauction.com/
What’s on tap for Now Playing Podcast in 2016
Looking ahead to what will be the ninth year of Now Playing Podcast, I don’t know how you top 2015. In terms of franchises — Fast & Furious, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Mad Max, Star Wars — I’m not sure you can get any bigger. But, thanks to Hollywood, there’s never been a better time to be a franchise-focused podcast, and so the show will go on!
So, listeners will hear more Marvel, DC, and Star Wars in 2016, for sure. There are even Star Trek and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequels to look forward to. But the Now Playing Podcast calendar is constantly in motion, so here’s a peak at what you’ll definitely hear in the coming months.
January: The Grindhouse Universe
Machete don’t podcast. But Now Playing does!
After taking listeners inside 2007’s Grindhouse experience, Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob will get even bloodier with two characters spawned from the film’s faux trailers: Machete and Hobo With a Shotgun. The former stars the great Danny Trejo, who finally got to headline his own film in 2010, and returned for a sequel, Machete Kills.
While not a runaway success, the first Machete was well received and, as this article correctly points out, was “tailor-made for the current political climate.” The sequel, released three years later, was not as well received, and that’s about all I’ll say about it. Oh, it had Mel Gibson as a villain.
The idea for Hobo With a Shotgun came from another Grindhouse trailer, but one you would have only seen if you saw the film in Canada. The feature length Hobo stars Rutget Hauer, who you might remember from 1992’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or possibly some other films.
January-February: Listener Requests
Our heroes, ladies and gentlemen.
Things will get really interesting in late January. That’s when we’ll hear reviews of listener requests made during 2015’s Kickstarter campaign to fund the show’s first book, “Underrated Movies We Recommend.” Listeners who supported the book at a certain level had the option to choose a film for the hosts to review, and the first one to be covered is 1987’s Masters of the Universe. It’s been almost 30 years and they still haven’t gotten a new He-Man movie made, so this is all we’ve got to hang onto folks. Just Dolph Lundgren and Courtney Cox and the lady who played Bruce Willis’ cheating wife in The Last Boy Scout as Teela. It’s a treasured memory, to some people.
If you’re looking to do some extra research before the Now Playing review, I recommend checking out Electric Boogaloo: the Wild Untold Story of Cannon Films. Cannon is the company that made the film, and Electric Boogaloo is a great behind-the-scenes documentary for film industry buffs. It’s on Netflix now, as is Masters of the Universe, coincidentally.
On the heels of He-Man, Now Playing will take up another listener request, a review of 1997’s Japanese anime epic Princess Mononoke.
February: Pool, Dead.
It’s the part I was born to play baby!
The first Marvel character to make it to the screen in 2016 is not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and if he were it’s unlikely Disney would allow him to exist in a hard R film. Ryan Reynolds takes his fourth turn in a superhero flick with the part he was born to play — and played a version of in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but the less said about that one the better.
February-March: DC Heroes Return
This happened.
The first really big retrospective of 2016 will feature a cadre of characters that aren’t connected in the same cinematic universe, but they’re all part of Now Playing’s ongoing DC Comics series. Listeners can look forward to hearing the hosts talk Stardust, American Splendor, and the animated Gen 13; as well as the 2003 adaptation of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and the highly requested review of Zack Snyder’s Watchmen, which leads into the release of his Man of Steel follow up, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Also featured in this retrospective is a real treat for DC Comics fans, a review of 1979’s live-action Legends of the Superheroes TV specials. Decades before the CW made quality DC shows (and I’m hoping for more of the same from Legends of Tomorrow), NBC took Adam West and Burt Ward – more than a decade removed from Batman – and gave them headlining gigs in shows that also featured appearances by Green Lantern, Sinestro, Solomon Grundy, The Huntress, The Flash, Hawkman, and somebody named Ghetto Man, according to Wikipedia. Alas, two of DC’s biggest superheroes were missing from the lineup, because they were busy starring in blockbuster films and on CBS.
If you don’t know what Legends of the Superheroes is, just watch the intro on YouTube. The whole concept has a Star Wars Holiday Special feel about it, and I can’t wait to hear how this thing came about.
So that covers the first few months of Now Playing Podcast in 2016, and that’s just on the air. I can’t forget to mention that behind the scenes the hosts are furiously finishing their work on “Underrated Movies We Recommend.” It’s set to ship in the second quarter, and you can pre-order it now at the Now Playing Podcast website.
Maybe 2016 will be Now Playing’s biggest year after all.
Now Playing hosts talk Indy, Crichton and more
Dr. Jones prepares to introduce villain Mola Ram to Kali.
Twice a year, Now Playing Podcast holds a pledge drive, offering bonus shows as a “thank you” to listeners who support independent podcasting. This spring, hosts Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob will be reviewing the Indiana Jones films and “Goonies” for Silver Level donors, and the “Westworld” and “Jurassic Park” series’ from novelist Michael Crichton at the Gold Level.
Jakob: Indiana Jones has been requested by many, many listeners for a while. It’s always exciting getting to talk about iconic films; to get into the technical side that makes them more than just a “cool” movie, but true historic cinema.
Arnie: It’s been discussed as long as we’ve been doing Retrospective Series’. I always vetoed it, not wanting to end on a lousy film — and one I’d reviewed in the early days of Now Playing to boot.
Stuart: Lucas and Ford would tease the possibility of an Indy 5, but I never believed it was imminent.
Jakob: We found a way to end [the retrospective] — not on Crystal Skull — but on another Spielberg production about hidden treasure and booby traps that will hopefully wrap this series up more positively.
Stuart: It had been so long since I’d seen most of the Indy movies, I really was looking forward to re-experiencing it through adult eyes.
Arnie: I haven’t seen Crystal Skull since theaters–and never wanted to again!
Jakob: I do have a story for the podcast about meeting someone who had only seen Crystal Skull, which brought a unique perspective.
Stuart: [Arnie and Jakob] say they could quote every line from Raiders. I only remembered it in fragments… how did that monkey eating the poison date tie in with melting Nazis? I was excited to have a loved series on the docket.
Yul Brenner as the Gunslinger in “Westworld.”
The inclusion of Michael Crichton’s “Westworld” and “Futureworld” for Gold Level donors comes as HBO prepares to debut a JJ Abrams and Jonah Nolan series adaptation of the films, which tell the now-familiar story of chaos at a futuristic theme park. “Westworld” was released in 1973, while the sequel arrived three years later. The concept was also adapted into a 1980 television series, “Beyond Westworld.”
Stuart: They seemed like the right films to add to the four Jurassic Park’s to make it Gold Level.
Arnie: That was Stuart’s esoteric pick, but it makes sense as a tie-in to Jurassic Park. Both are theme parks run amok, brought to us by Michael Crichton.
Stuart: I don’t think I ever read a review of Jurassic Park in 1993 that didn’t mention Crichton’s Westworld as an influence.
Jakob: They’re not films I’m familiar with, but that’s one of the joys of Now Playing — getting the opportunity to watch movies that haven’t hit your radar.
The park is open.
Although “Jurassic Park” remains the most successful adaptation of a Crichton novel, there have been more than one dozen films based off his work. Crichton has also received writing credits for numerous screenplays, including 1996’s “Twister.” However, Now Playing’s Spring Donation Series may be the only time films based on his novels are reviewed on the show.
Arnie: Given that we’re doing Jurassic Park as a donation series I think we can rule out a full Crichton retrospective. It would be unfair to put “All Crichton other than Jurassic” on the main feed while Jurassic Park is locked in the vault. I don’t see Rising Sun and The 13th Warrior as big draws for a future donation drive.
Stuart: I agree with Arnie that it’s no longer a possibility as a franchise. But who’s to say a one-off of Twister or Congo might not appear when you least expect it.
Jakob: The only way I’m going to watch Twister again is if we do a “really stupid natural disaster movies” retrospective, with the likes of Volcano, Dante’s Peak, The Day After Tomorrow, and 2012. And I don’t see that happening. So, no, I’m not interested.
The first episode in the Spring 2015 pledge drive — “Raiders of the Lost Ark” — will be released to donors on April 17. Details can be found on the Now Playing Podcast website.
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