In a special donation ceremony onMarch 8, Warner Bros. chairman, Barry Meyer, presented more than 30 Hollywood movie artifacts to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Created for use in 13 Warner Bros. Pictures releases, spanning from 1942 to 2005, the objects represent significant performances and films that have been influential in American life. The objects join the museum’s permanent entertainment collections and offer a rare glimpse into the material culture associated with Hollywood moviemaking.
Meyer presented a wide variety of props and costumes, including the Batman mask and cowl from the 1997 film Batman & Robin, the suit Paul Newman wore in The Helen Morgan Story and props used by the cast in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Costumes, such as Halle Berry’s suit from Catwoman and Christopher Reeve’s outfit from Superman III, enhance the museum’s existing entertainment collections by further addressing the role of the Superhero in American culture. Similarly, the large selection of stop-action puppets from Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride enriches the museum’s current collection by documenting a more contemporary generation of puppets.
For more information, visit http://americanhistory.si.edu
