Full Monty’s red satin thong fails to sell in Hollywood prop auction
An expectant mob of women cheered from the audience as Robert Carlyle and his band of unemployed steelworkers stripped to reveal nothing but their red thongs in 1997’s The Full Monty.
But no crowd was waiting as the satin underwear went on auction on Tuesday.
The red thong worn by Carlyle’s co-star Mark Addy – complete with Velcro tearaway fastenings on the left and right hip – was left unsold at an auction of famous props and costumes this week.
After the auction, the satin underwear was slapped with a “buy it now” price of $625 (£495) and remains for sale.
It was being sold alongside a number of other props owned by Planet Hollywood, the restaurant and resort chain.
The auction saw a total of $15.68 million raised, making it one of the most successful sales of Hollywood memorabilia to date.
Joseph Maddalena, of Heritage Auctions, said: “There were countless bidding wars... so many we lost track.”
Titanic’s door raft
The wooden door prop that saved Titanic’s Rose from an icy death fetched $718,750 (£569,739) at the auction.
The listing for the approximately eight-foot long, 41 in-wide door noted that the prop “has caused much debate from fans”.
Ever since the release of the 1997 film, fans have speculated whether both Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio could have survived by sharing the door.
James Cameron, the film’s director, previously revealed that this point of controversy was one of the biggest complaints by fans.
Debate raged on for so long that in 2022, Cameron revealed that he had done “a thorough forensic analysis” to prove Jack could not fit.
Indiana Jones’s whip
Other props that were auctioned off included the whip from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which sold for $525,000.
Its sale earned it the status of the franchise’s most valuable costume or prop.
Spider-Man suit
Tobey Maguire’s Spider-man suit, presented on a custom-built mannequin display, sold for $125,000.
The skin-tight spandex bodysuit was made for the production but ultimately unused.
Axe wielded by Jack Nicholson
An axe used by Jack Nicholson in The Shining sold for the same sum as Spiderman’s suit.
It rose to infamy in 1980 after Nicholson delivered the line “Here’s Johnny” after breaking through a bathroom door to attack his wife amid a psychotic episode.
Murray’s bowling ball
Bill Murray’s red-rose bowling ball from the 1996 comedy Kingpin sold for $350,000, making it the most valuable bowling ball in the world.
Marilyn dress
Marilyn Monroe’s pink ombré halter dress worn in George Cukor’s Let’s Make Love in 1960 fetched $137,500.