A large number of props, sets and costumes from television shows beloved by generations of viewers will be sold at auction next month.
The collection James Comisar has spent more than 30 years amassing includes The Tonight Show set Johnny Carson gave him after retiring, the timeworn living room from All In The Family and the bar where Sam Malone served customers on Cheers.
Costumes being sold include the pink outfit Barbara Eden wore in I Dream Of Jeannie and some from Star Trek.
Mr Comisar, who after high school became a TV comedy writer, started tracking down and preserving television memorabilia in 1989.
When Carson retired from The Tonight Show, Mr Comisar was determined to make the famous set part of his burgeoning collection of television memorabilia.
“I would love to say that I convinced him that I was the best guy for the job, but really, if I’m being honest, I had to convince him to save the set at all,” he said. “He told me he had the tackiest set in Hollywood and who would ever want to see it?”
Other items on the block when online bidding starts on Monday are a tunic worn by Superman in the 1950s TV series, barware from Mad Men, tools used to cook meth on Breaking Bad, and costumes and props from the 1960s TV series Batman.
The sale, by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions and which features about 1,000 lots, wraps up with live bidding from June 2 to 4.
Mr Comisar had dreamed of creating a museum to house his collection, but when that failed to come together, he decided it was time the items leave the temperature-controlled warehouses where he has been caring for them.
“I just decided these pieces should go back to the fans and let them enjoy them and then when that good day comes when a TV museum is effectuated, these pieces will be well cared for in the hands of passionate fans and collectors,” said Mr Comisar, 58.
He said the bar from Cheers, complete with the names of the show’s stars carved into it, was in studio storage with a dead skunk in it when he acquired it.
