Julien’s Auctions Presents Legends of Comedy Featuring the New York Friars Club

Treasures from the landmarked New York Friars Club will be offered to the public for the first time in this historic event presented exclusively by Julien’s. The industry leading entertainment auction house will be opening the once closed doors of the infamous and iconic Friars Club in New York, the celebrity enclave for comedy’s elite and Hollywood’s biggest entertainers and movers and shakers. Founded in 1904, the “monastery” housed in the elegant and glamourous six-story townhouse in midtown Manhattan was the home of comic greatness and the Friars’ legendary and ribald celebrity roasts and toasts for over 100 years. Members of the exclusive private club who also served as roast masters, masters of ceremonies, and abbots included the likes of comedy legends and entertainers Milton Berle, Steve Allen, Red Buttons, Sid Caesar, Jack Carter, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and George Burns with honorary female members such as Phyllis Diller, Barbra Streisand, and Lucille Ball ruling the dais until 1988 when women were granted official membership with inductees such as Liza Minnelli, Joan Rivers and Brooke Shields.

Art, decor, musical instruments and furnishings that were displayed in the hallowed halls and rooms of the celebrity haven will be offered including: a Renaissance Revival style carved oak 8-foot pool tablefrom the billiards room, designed for the New York Friars Club by Blatt Billiards (estimate: $10,000-$15,000) (photo top left); a handmade inscribed 1911 violin from Eduard Reichert owned by violinist and entertainer Jack Benny (estimate: $2,000-$3,000); a black Boston Upright Steinway & Sons piano and bench (estimate: $1,000-$2,000) (photo right) that was donated by Friars Hank & Harris Lane of the Hank Lane Music entertainment agency with matching stand containing two binders of sheet music used by the Stan Gilbert Orchestra; two large Chinese vases and a Friars Club sign and painting among other pieces.

Art pieces featuring some of the Club’s most famous members will delight comedy and entertainment collectors and fans, such as: a bronze bust of Frank Sinatra by Jo Davidson (estimate: $4,000-$6,000) (photo left) that was displayed in the Club’s Frank Sinatra Room as well as a large portrait, photo collage, vintage painting, a record album collection and numerous photos of Ol’ Blue Eyes taken by Terry O’Neill;

… a large black and white photo of Jerry Lewis on stage sticking his tongue out and making a silly face that hung above a fireplace in one of the public sitting rooms in the New York Friars Club (estimate: $2,000-$3,000) (photo right); portraits of Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Bennett, Mel Gibson, Senor Wences and Victor Herbert and more.

Signed pieces from famous artists who themselves were Friars, include cartoonist Al Hirschfield’s signed “Friars Club” print featuring Michael Jackson, Shirley MacLaine, Dom DeLuise, Barbra Streisand, Jackie Mason, Donald Trump, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, and Jackie Kennedy, among others(estimate: $3,000-$5,000) (photo right); and caricature of George Burns (estimate: $800-$1,200);

… an astonishing bronze bust of Ed Sullivan that stands over a foot tall (estimate: $1,000-$2,000) (photo left) as well as sculptures of Abraham Lincoln, Joe E. Lewis, John F. Kennedy and Albert Einstein by the renowned sculptor Robert Berks; and vibrant prints of Louis Armstrong (estimate: $800-$1,200) (photo left), Frank Sinatra “Duets,” Henny Youngman and more by the renowned popular and commercial expressionists, Leroy Neiman.

Memorabilia and archival materials will provide a rich and extensive chronicle of the famed Club’s storied history such as a vintage trunk containing hundreds of jokespertaining to subjects from “Farm Relief” to “College Professors” clipped from a variety of newspapers and magazines and pasted onto index cards (photo)

The Friars Honor photo albums and framed photos of the Friars’ 1969 “Entertainer of the Year” Barbra Streisand; photo albums of Sammy Davis Jr. and other Rat Packers such as Dean Martin; a collection of thirty-one bankers’ boxes filled to the brim with photos, many never before seen, from the New York Friars Clubdating back over fifty years – from their famous roasts to a dance night honoring The Fifth Dimension. The photos feature stars, including Marilyn Monroe, Cab Calloway, Bruce Willis, Cary Grant, Eartha Kitt, and Rob Reiner just to name a few (estimate: $3,000-$5,000) (photo right); as well as a raincoat worn by Milton Berle, St. Francis and Wise Friar statuettes, Jerry Lewis Memorial guestbook, a Billy Crystal celebrity luncheon binder, two binders of photos from Richard Pryor’s roast, a Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz testimonial dinner record album, a Friars Club signed Fender 60th Anniversary Stratocaster, Tom Cruise signed black Jackson Kelly electric guitar, video and audio tapes, scrapbooks, a library of programs of their infamous roasts and celebratory honorary dinners and beyond.

Another standout collection of this auction is iconic items from the world of Gallagher: from his trademark, handmade “Sledge-o-Matic” sledgehammers used to smash watermelons and other fruits and vegetables (estimate range each: $2,000-$6,000) (photo left) – a routine that made the 1980s comic star of numerous Showtime specials and frequent “Tonight” show with Johnny Carson guest famous – to his recognizable stage costumes(with watermelon-stains) and other stage props such as puppets and tools. This comprehensive collection illustrates the comedian’s life and career featuring watermelon-themed items, art, and personal memorabilia including photographs, report cards, and even an arrest record.

More than one hundred pieces drawn from the celebrated career and personal life from the Estate of the beloved comedian and actor Louie Anderson will shine. Spanning nearly four decades, Anderson’s remarkable contributions to comedy include the award-winning animated series Life with Louie, his unforgettable performance as Christine Baskets on the television series Baskets, his stand-up comedy routines and his role in the blockbuster film Coming to Americaand the sequel Coming 2 America. Highlights include scripts and ephemera from his shows and films; his wardrobe worn at award ceremonies and in on-screen appearances such as Coming 2 America (photo right); as well as awards, sports memorabilia, signed keepsakes, cherished mementos gifted to Anderson from the collection of Rodney Dangerfield such as his red ties, bronze tone face cast and an array of other unique collectibles.