BBM shirts in museum display in LA!

[sel]

Thank you so much, Pete and Eric, for all of the information and photos - it was definitely the next best thing to being there. 

Ditto! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[Ellemeno]

Thanks for posting the video, Eric.  I still want to gripe that the shirts were squished between other stuff in the exhibit.

[Brown Eyes]

This is all so interesting!  Somehow I'd missed this thread until the current bannering... so this is great!

As a museum type myself, I'll agree that the display looks a little crowded.  But, it's so nice that the museum is treating them and the subject of BBM and the subject of being gay in the west with such respect and in-depth content.  I think that's great.  I'll be curious to learn more about the archive of the Gay Rodeo Association too, that Pete mentions earlier in this thread.  It would be nice if that finds a permanent home.  I'm curious... did any of the content address the subject of gay cowgirls... or just cowboys?

About the shirts themselves... the lack of blood bothers me more than the crowded-ness of the display case. 

I'd really love to know more about what happened to the blood... since that's such a key feature in the storyline of the shirts.  To me, having the blood washed away is a little bit like taking a piece of the BBM context away. I wonder what they use to make stage blood like that?  It seems possible that the blood material might fade away and be less intrinsically stain-y than real blood.  But, if someone actually washed the shirts... that kind of boggles my mind.  I'd be curious to know if it was someone associated with the film (costume dept, etc.) or if it was the collector.  Also, it makes me wonder if there were more than one sets of shirts.  In filmming don't they often have a couple versions of the same costume on hand?  Maybe some of the shirts were bloodless for some reason.

Also, as others have commented... it would be great if the shirts someday found a permanent home in a museum.  But, they shouldn't be displayed permanently.  To preserve fabric (like paper) properly it needs to be "rested" from time to time in the dark.  Ideally, fabric would be displayed for several months then rested in the dark for several months and then put back on display (repeat cycle).  It's astonishing how fast fabric and paper fade and change in terms of character and appearance when exposed to light for extended amonts of time.

 

[southendmd]

Regarding the blood on the shirts, I can say that when I received my Jack's shirt (the grey one when he picks up Lureen's red hat), the first thing I did was hold it up to my nose, hoping for some faint smell of Jack...

...alas, only dry cleaning fluid. 

[Jeff Wrangler]

About the shirts themselves... the lack of blood bothers me more than the crowded-ness of the display case. 

I'd really love to know more about what happened to the blood... since that's such a key feature in the storyline of the shirts.  To me, having the blood washed away is a little bit like taking a piece of the BBM context away. I wonder what they use to make stage blood like that?  It seems possible that the blood material might fade away and be less intrinsically stain-y than real blood.  But, if someone actually washed the shirts... that kind of boggles my mind.  I'd be curious to know if it was someone associated with the film (costume dept, etc.) or if it was the collector.  Also, it makes me wonder if there were more than one sets of shirts.  In filmming don't they often have a couple versions of the same costume on hand?  Maybe some of the shirts were bloodless for some reason.

I think they generally do have more than one copy of costume items. It also wouldn't surprise me if the shirts had been laundered by the wardrobe people shortly after use. After all, when the film was being shot, nobody could really know the impact the film would have or the following (that is to say, us  ) that it would inspire. There would have been no thought of preserving the shirts for posterity as bloodied because they're "such a key feature in the storyline." They would just be seen as a couple of dirty shirts that might even be used again as costumes in another film.

If a collector did it, that would have been kind of stupid because by the time the shirts were bought by a collector, they would have had value as collectables just as they are. This is why I would suspect it was the wardrobe people.

[fritzkep]

Didn't know about this thread until seeing it in the header.

Thanks for sharing your pictures and thoughts, Pete and Eric!

[Sason]

Didn't know about this thread until seeing it in the header.

Thanks for sharing your pictures and thoughts, Pete and Eric!

Ditto.

[mouk]

Howdy Pete

I wanted to tell you that I have had opportunities to use the Pass and have really enjoyed it. I went to northern Alberta  and saw the Oil Sands Discover Centre (it's amazing how much they lie about the 'low impact' of their activities!!!), and Victoria settlement which was very lovely.I was hoping for some northenr lights, but the sky was overcast... another time...  I look forward to more outings and discoveries.

How are you? And David? You were planning a trip to see the polar bears in Manitoba, have you been yet? I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks for the postings about the shirts. I must say I felt a stab at the heart at the photo. I had not realized they were presented on the door, with the postcard and all. Very moving. I am sure that some day, I will go see them too.

All the best, and thanks again

 

mouk