Comisar Collection Summer 2012_PRINTING

Television
PRESERVING
MUSEUMOFTV.ORG  SEPTEMBER 2012
[email protected]  (818) 242-4343 P (818) 242-8484 F
OUR MISSION
The Comisar Collection conserves more historic television costumes, props, sets and related
ephemera than any other archive (including the Smithsonian in Washington DC), and it maintains a
level of collection care that leads the nation in the preservation of Hollywood ephemera.
The Comisar Collection of cultural materials will serve as the permanent collection of the Museum of
Television, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization beginning in 2013, and our archived materials can
currently be seen at exhibits including “Out of the Box” (in partnership with Warner Bros. Television)
on view at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills, California; “The 1969 Exhibit” (supported by the National
Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services) traveling from the
Atlanta History Center, to the Chicago History Museum, and to the Oakland Museum of California;
and our year-long tribute to Johnny Carson including at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills (in support
of the PBS “American Masters” series), at the Hammerstein Theater in New York City (in conjunction
with Comedy Central), and in the forthcoming theatrical release, “The Amazing Burt
Wonderstone” (Warner Bros. 2013) and others.
The objects in our care are the touchstones of the TV generation, including those worn or wielded by
the pioneering performers that transitioned from vaudeville, to radio and finally to the television
medium. These beloved costumes, props and sets anchor sixty years of our shared history and
memorialize the reciprocal influence between television and American culture. We are proud to
excite and educate the general public about social history, and materials have been showcased on
programs including “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The Today Show,” “Entertainment Tonight,” “Extra,”
CNN, as well as having been the subject of documentaries produced by The Learning Channel and
The History Channel. Additionally, our artifacts and expertise have been highlighted in Forbes, The
Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Art & Antiques, Esquire, People
Magazine, TV Guide and many other publications. Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, California
Governor Gray Davis, a dozen senators, and many others have also acknowledged our archival and
humanitarian efforts.
We are pleased to be of service to a clientele that includes top-tier actors, directors, studios,
networks, production companies, museums and high net worth individuals including: Johnny Carson,
David Chase, Simon Cowell, Endemol Entertainment, FremantleMedia, NBC Productions, Norman
Lear, David Letterman, Paul Reubens, Ray Romano, Phil Rosenthal, Jerry Seinfeld, Sony Television,
Donald Trump, Steven Spielberg, Aaron Spelling, 20Th Century-Fox, TV Land, Viacom, the Walt Disney
Company, Warner Bros. Studios, John Wells, Dick Wolf and numerous others.
While Comisar Collection president James Comisar preserves the past, he is also uniquely committed
to assisting those who struggle with the present, having sponsored tens of thousands of meals for the
homeless population of Los Angeles, underwritten medical and nutritional necessities for children and
their caregivers challenged with HIV-AIDS, and lent support to persons in suicidal crisis. He also
continues his long association with Project Angel Food, a Los Angeles-based agency that delivers over
one-thousand nutritional meals a day to those with life-threatening illnesses, and to date James’ efforts
have helped to raise nearly $1 million through Hollywood-centric auctions and donations.
Wish you could journey through the memories and
memorabilia from 60 years of Television?
Yes, Master.
Museum of Television
PHOENIX
PREVIEW CENTER OPENS 2013
CURRENT ACTIVITIES
The Comisar Collection and Warner Bros. TV display various cultural materials at the “Out of the Box” Exhibition.
EXHIBITIONS
“Out of the Box” at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills, CA
“PBS American Masters” at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills, CA
“The 1969 Exhibit” at the Atlanta History Center
“The 1969 Exhibit” at the Chicago History Museum
“The 1969 Exhibit” at the Oakland Museum of California
“The 2012 Comedy Awards” at the Hammerstein Theater, NYC
“The Amazing Burt Wonderstone” motion picture - Warner Bros. 2013
Curator James Comisar
speaks at the Paley Center
as part of the PBS
American Masters
documentary about
Johnny Carson.
The 1968 Exhibit
A FEW FEATURED
EXHIBITIONS
This exhibit focuses on the social
forces that swirled through the
turbulent 1960s cresting in 1968
and was supported by major
grants from the National
Endowment for the Humanities
and the Institute of Museum and
Library Services. Pictured here, Tommy Smothers
zebra jacket from “The Smothers
Brothers Comedy Hour” (top left);
Goldie Hawn go-go boots (top
right) and a psychedelic stage
door from “Laugh-In” (below right)
signed by the cast.
A Year-long Tribute to Johnny Carson...
Johnny Carson Lifetime Achievement Awards
Recipient David Letterman wins the coveted award in 2011 that is presented to him by
his friend Bill Murray. In 2012, Don Rickles is awarded by Jon Stewart, and in both
years the recipients make their entrance through Johnny Carson’s original “The
Tonight Show” monologue curtains.
“The Tonight Show”
Monologue Curtains
used by Johnny
Carson.
Donated by
Mr. Johnny Carson.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
We loaned the original “The Tonight Show” set to the Warner Bros. film “The Incredible Burt
Wonderstone” starring Steve Carell and Steve Buscemi. A flash back shows these
magicians being discovered on the famous set in the 1980s.
The desk was prepared as if it were one of Johnny Carson’s own tapings with two custom
pencils, a guest intro card, a cigarette box, and his coffee mug. We did not use his original
chair for filming as an actor was required to sit in it - something we would never allow.
Detective Lennie Briscoe
blazer (top left); the New
Yo r k D i s t r i c t A t t o r n e y
courtroom seal (top right);
the NYPD precinct sign
(bottom right): and
Detective Cyrus Lupo desk,
chair & set dressing (bottom
left) from the “Law & Order”
franchise.
A FEW FEATURED
ACQUISITIONS
“LAW & ORDER”
Special thanks to NBC-Universal
And Mr. Dick Wolf
“THE LUCY-DESI COMEDY HOUR”
Special thanks to Ms. Breanna Livie
In the history of the broadcast medium,
perhaps nothing has resonated with more
viewers over more decades than the
characterizations of entertainer Ricky
Ricardo and his wife, Lucy, a vibrant red
head with show business aspirations and a
knack for getting into trouble. These
characters portrayed by Desi Arnaz and
Lucille Ball were enjoyed by tens of
millions of viewers on “I Love
Lucy” (1951-1957) and on “The Lucy-Desi
Comedy Hour” (1957-1960).
The Comisar Collection is pleased to
announce it has acquired the first known
Lucy Ricardo daywear ensemble to have
survived the 1950s productions, which
appeared in the episode “Lucy Goes to
Mexico” (original airing on October 6,
1958) that is most memorable for the little
Mexican boy stowing away in Lucy’s car
causing her, Ethel Mertz, and guest star
Maurice Chevalier to be detained at the
border putting Ricky’s USO show into
jeopardy.
A FEW FEATURED
ACQUISITIONS
“AMERICA’S
GOT TALENT”
Special thanks to
FremantleMedia
And Mr. James Yarnell
The iconographic judges desk (bottom center) from “America’s Got Talent.”
“DANCING WITH
THE STARS”
Special thanks to BBC Worldwide
And Mr. James Yarnell
The judges desk (top left and bottom center) and Red Room chandelier
(top right) from “Dancing with the Stars.”
COLLECTION CARE
The Twilight Zone
The Comisar Collection is a proud
member of the American
Association of Museums (AAM)
and our objects are conserved to
the standards of the International
Institute for Conservation of
Historic and Artistic Works (IIC).
At any given time, we have various
television objects receiving care
b y t h e m o s t h i g h l y t ra i n e d
conservators in the museum
world.
Pig Snout Make-up Appliance - object #1959.001.1 - 1960s
To reduce the potential for further cracking, the reverse of this object was padded out at high points
with Japanese paper-wrapped paper pulp mixed with a Klucel GF solution. Two areas of cracking and
loss in the latex were visually reintegrated by covering them with small bits of Japanese paper pretoned with acrylic paints. A few light-colored cracks in the proper left nostril were in-painted with
water-soluble gouache paints to reduce their visibility. A mount was then fabricated for the fragile
make-up appliance using an Ethafoam ellipse, a layer of washed, unbleached cotton muslin, and black silk
charmeuse.
ROMPER ROOM
A cl e a r ove rl ay wa s
placed over the original
Doo Bee wall mascot
identifying the various
condition issues that now
challenge the object.
Before care is rendered,
consideration must be
given to what areas of
l o s s m ay h ave b e e n
sustained during the
rigors of production and
what damage was
sustained in handling
and storage afterwards.
Romper Room Doo Bee Classroom Mascot - object #1953.002.5 - 1970s
The raised edges and lifted paint chips were laid flat by injecting a water-reversible PVA emulsion
adhesive, Jade R, then compressed using a sandwich of Plexi blocks held together by clamps. To achieve
a uniform surface, the many gouges and paint losses on the front were filled in using a barrier layer of
10% Aquazol, then a resin based on Poly (2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) was added before an acrylic spackle
(Flugger) was used to fill in the losses.
MUSEUM DEVELOPMENT
ONGOING CONCEPT REFINEMENT FOR
OUR PERMANENT MUSEUM
IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA
All exhibits will be built to be modular, allowing them to fit within most existing spaces,
including historic buildings with challenging configurations, the varied galleries
encountered when exhibits tour, moving vans, and storage facilities.
Ours is a decade-by-decade journey through the history of television,
and the overall look is that of a dimly-lit sound stage.
Selected areas will be presented thematically to immerse visitors into exciting
TV environments such as a Wild West saloon in the 1960s.
Decade galleries will reflect the attitudes of the day such as a preoccupation
with Truth, Justice and the American way in the 1950s.
The Museum of Television is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission it is to offer a
full range of experiences that illuminate the story of American television; to provide
educational content for schools and community programs; and to improve the community by
raising awareness for local and national charities.
Ours is a unique, interactive museum dedicated to the reciprocal relationship between
American television and American culture, and it will take visitors on a fun, stimulating walk
back through our country's dynamic history. Here they have a chance to gauge how much our
nation has changed, to understand how and why some of our collective views and tastes have
evolved, to think about how television has influenced their own lives, as well as to consider
what might come next.