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Rue used this plate for this and that, here and there in her Manhattan apartment. The beautifully etched (or is that a molded design?) Depression Era glass piece measures 6″ square and it comes with a Certificate of Authenticity from Estate of Rue.
$175
Original Martha Swope 8" x 10" Stage Shot
Martha Swoop is one of the most prolific and successful dance and theatre photographers in the world. This is an original rehearsal shot that she took of Rue in her early career. If we knew who the man was, we could figure out the show. Do you know? We’re thinking this may be “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” but Rue looks a little too young for her turn as Martha. If you know, please email us at info@estateofrue.com. Ms. Swoop stamped this piece, so it is clearly marked as one of her photographs. Remember, because the photographer is famous, the piece is already highly collectible, but when you add in that it was OWNED by the Rue McClanahan, the provenance goes off the chart! Rue’s Martha Swoop original 8″ x 10″ comes with a Certificate of Authenticity from Estate of Rue.
$325 NOW $162.50
Gift from Bea Arthur [SOLD]
This is a very difficult piece to let go of because it was one of Rue’s prized possessions, but Rue’s son intends to follow his Mother’s final wishes and make ALL of her personal property available to her fans – except family items of sentimental value that he selected. Bea Arthur had this sterling silver and 14kt gold pin custom made for her friend Rue McClanahan way back during the “Maude” years. Both their friendship and their working relationship continued for many more years – the friendship until Bea died, in fact – and there were many more gifts exchanged during that time, but Rue said this was the one she cherished most. There was something about a talented, professional like Bea recognizing and setting down in silver and gold that she thought Rue was a star that really touched Rue’s heart. The pin measures 1″ x 1.5″. We’ll include prints of some of Rue’s personal photos showing the two ladies together and a Certificate of Authenticity from Estate of Rue.
$2,000
Rue's 1985 LA Weekly LAWEE Award
Did you know that after 35-years LA Weekly has stopped the LAWEE Awards this year? Rue received her LAWEE Award 30 years ago in 1985 for a performance she gave in a play entitled “In The Sweet Bye and Bye.” Interestingly, while Rue was in this production, a pilot she had done for NBC was picked up for a whole season. That pilot was “The Golden Girls!” That meant Rue was working at NBC taping this new show during the day, and then she was going on stage in the evenings with this theatrical production. The play was doing well and it ended up extending – in no small part because of Rue’s stellar performance – and the new show for NBC took off, too. Rue had two hits on her hands. Rue’s LAWEE Award comes with prints of the images shown and a Certificate of Authenticity from Estate of Rue.
$325 NOW $162.50
Original Signed 8" x 10" Head Shot [SOLD]
When Rue signed head shots, if she didn’t like the way her signature turned out, she’d shove it in a drawer, or a book, a magazine, a script, under a couch cushion, etc… We thought we had found the last of them, but we recently came across a couple more in a box of office supplies. Here is one of them. We think the signature looks great, but perhaps she didn’t like all the squiggles she put around her name. Anyway, here it is, one of the last 8″ x 10″ original signed head shots we have. Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.
$275
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Silk Floral Arrangement (And a Story!)
Rue had a new boyfriend at the time of her death. She had already been married six times, had had recent open heart surgery, was recovering from a stroke, and STILL she was like a giggly teenage girl wanting nothing more than to talk about her new man! Her new man sent her three silk floral arrangements. She is posing with her suitor’s photograph and one of the arrangements in the photo taken in her home office posted here, her handyman Julio accidentally smashed the second one – THAT WAS A TENSE DAY AT CASA RUE! – and here is the third. To write that these arrangements were Rue’s prized possessions at the end of her life is an understatement. See the little stuffed dog she is pressing to her cheek in the other photo posted? That was sent to her by her new guy, too, and you can see how important it is to her by the way she is holding it. The gentleman courting Rue was having a birthday the month after her death, his 85th. Rue had already lovingly signed 30 birthday cards to him so he would receive one each day for a full month leading up to his birthday, and she had inscribed one of her gorgeous “doodles” to him for that special day. Just so you know, we sent one of those cards to Rue’s intended each day for those 30 days, and then we sent Rue’s signed doodle to him so it arrived on his birthday. We know that was what Rue would have wanted. Although he was heartbroken at the lose of his “girl,” he was so grateful for the expression of her love for him. Isn’t that romantic? This piece measures 11″ x 11″ and it comes with a Certificate of Authenticity from Estate of Rue.
$275
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Rue's 1976 Playbill From "A Chorus Line" (And a Story)
“A Chorus Line” opened on Broadway in 1975, and by 1976 it was already touring. It held the record for longest running Broadway Show for over 20-years. Rue was in “Maude” at the time and living in Los Angeles so she had to wait to see it until it opened there. Luckily, some of the original Cast transferred from Broadway to the Los Angles production and so Rue was able to see “A Chorus Line” with Donna McKechnie in the role that made her famous – “Cassie.” Rue could spot talent, so after the performance she went back stage and made a beeline for Ms. McKechnie. With Rue’s dance and acting backgrounds, she knew that Ms. McKechnie was the real thing. Donna McKechnie jotted her number down for Rue on the front of her Playbill and here it is – 40 YEARS LATER! This piece of Rue McClanahan and Donna McKechnie and Broadway history comes with prints of the photos shown and a Certificate of Authenticity from Estate of Rue.
By the way, I was recently at an event here in Manhattan and ran into Donna McKechnie – see the photo posted. She looks great, right?
$150
