The ruby slippers are the shoes worn by Dorothy (played by Judy Garland) in the 1939 MGM movie The Wizard of Oz. Because of their iconic stature, they are now among the most treasured and valuable of film memorabilia. As was customary for important props, a number of pairs were made for the film, though no one knows exactly how many. Five pairs are known to have survived; one pair was stolen in 2005 and has never been recovered.
In L. Frank Baum's original novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy wore Silver Shoes. The movie's creators changed them to ruby to take advantage of the new Technicolor film process.
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Famous quotes containing the words ruby and/or slippers:
“Its quick silver bell beating, beating
And down the dark one ruby flare
Pulsing out red light like an artery,”
—Karl Shapiro (b. 1913)
“I have placed slippers very carefully under my bed, only to have them crawl out during the night to a position where I will step into them the wrong way round when leaping out of bed to answer the telephone.”
—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)