I’ve been watching SyFy’s (why did they drop their ‘Sci Fi’ logo anyway? Were they getting tired of being known as the goto science fiction channel or something?) new collectible memorabilia show ‘Hollywood Treasure’ since it’s debut.
If you haven’t heard about it, the show follows the hunting, discovering and appraising of showbiz and pop culture’s most collectible and valuable items by an auction house – Profiles in History, run by Joe Maddanlena.
Having a big auction looming over their heads, Joe and his crew are on a constant search for the best film/television memorabilia they can get their hands on. Bruce Lee’s Kato hat from the Green Hornet show. The model bi-plane used in the original King Kong. The deadly tricycle from the Omen. A 1940’s Superman comic. A Willy Wonka golden ticket. Movie fans get a chance o see all that, plus much more!
The show has been categorized as one of those “reality shows”, with Joe and his team under the pressure to find items for the their next auction which is coming up quickly. Though in reality there was really only one auction during this season and all the final auctions on the episodes are indeed just one big one edited separately around the items featured on that particular episode. It’s a convenient way to create a time framework and anticipated end to each episode as the audience gets to learn about individual items and find out what it ultimately sold for.
As I’ve watched past episodes I will admit to a feeling of disappointment that such valuable film items are not being preserved in a museum for fans to see, but are residing in rich collectors homes.
In fact, that’s one aspect the show hasn’t really explored yet – who are these people? With the amount of money that gets exchanged for some of these items, you start to wonder who would pay that much for it? Where do they keep it? Was the purchase simply an investment or based on affection for that particular film or television show? Hopefully the show if it returns will spend more time on these buyers and less on the same weekly routine of “the auction is coming, we need to find items!” time crunch.
Still it’s not a bad show. It’s one I’ve continued watching and have been regularly entertained by. Hardcore film fans might find some of the information a little too basic for them and would like a bit more detailed insight, but the show can’t distance the general TV audience from watching and has to keep the information somewhat accessible and straight forward.
I would still recommend film geeks to check it out. I’m not sure how long the show will continue on for (the way shows are nowadays they come and go before you set your DVR for them) but I’m continuing to watch as long as it airs. And at some point during each episode I’ll wish I had the money to spend on some of this really cool stuff!
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