They are perhaps the most famous Hollywood heels: an American will stand trial accused of stealing the red shoes worn by Judy Garland in the movie “The Wizard of Oz”. Federal authorities in North Dakota announced Wednesday that Terry Martin, 76, has been charged.
The red heels with the sequins and the bow they had mysteriously disappeared in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, the actress’ hometown in Minnesota. Thirteen years later they resurfaced, thanks largely to the actions of the FBI. They were one of four couples left after shooting the 1939 film.
As the years passed, the amount offered as a reward to anyone who found the shoes skyrocketed. In fact, an artist midwife offered 1 million dollars. North Dakota prosecutors estimate that the total amount reached 3.5 million.
This fact is explained by two factors: the adoration of the Americans for Garland, the legendary actress and singer who became famous at the age of 17 with the role of Dorothy but was to meet a tragic fate and to die at just 47 years old, but also the importance of “The Wizard of Oz”mainly for the post-war generations of the ’40s and ’50s.
Prosecutors have not specified what the charge against Terry Martin is. According to the local newspaper Star Tribune, the suspect lives about 20 kilometers from the Judy Garland Museum. “I will be judged, I refuse to talk to you“, said the 76-year-old when asked by the newspaper according to the Athens News Agency.
Source: News Beast
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