USA: NEW YORK: AUCTION OF MARLENE DIETRICH MEMORABILIA: PREVIEW

(31 Oct 1997) English/Nat

More than five years after the death of Marlene Dietrich, relatives will share her legend by sending private possessions from her Manhattan residence to auction at Sotheby's in Beverly Hills.

This weekend admirers of the star will have the chance to bid on a sample of Dietrich's furniture, clothing, art, and gifts from some of the prominent men in her life like Yul Brynner.

The 270 lot collection is valued at 300-thousand dollars - and APTV took a look at some of the goodies due to go under the hammer.

Dietrich bought a Park Avenue apartment back in 1959 and it remained her only official residence until her death in Paris in 1992.

The famous diva lived here during her triumphant post-screen incarnation as a live performer, and her grandsons say it was her most intimate dwelling.

The apartment has remained virtually untouched since she left it in 1978, but this Saturday, possessions from the love icon's private world will go up for auction in Sotheby's this Saturday.

Fans and buyers will come here to make a bid or just get a glimpse of Marlene Dietrich's personal items from her Manhattan home.

The screen goddess was perhaps as famous for her sexual conquests as her acting and singing - the auction reflects this with a range of memorabilia given to Dietrich by the men in her life.

This letter from Ernest Hemingway addresses Dietrich as "My Dearest Kraut" and the writer signed it "Papa".

Whether or not the two were lovers is still in dispute, but they were certainly close friends sharing a daring approach to life.

The Hemingway letter and note are expecting to get several thousand dollars each.

Another highlight of the auction is this French desk given to Dietrich by one of her lovers, journalist Edward R. Murrow - it could fetch three to five thousand dollars.

Sex is the driving power of the auction - these fur throws come from Dietrich's bedroom or inner sanctum, the place where her grandsons remember an all star cast of lovers paying homage to her.

Her amorous encounters reportedly include affairs with Kirk Douglas, Adlai Stevenson, Harry Cohn and even Edith Piaf.

But the man she spent the most time with was the King and I star, Yul Brynner - the couple had two separate affairs during the 1950s.

David Riva, Dietrich's grandson recalled how Brynner and Marlene used make love in her apartment in between the actor's afternoon and evening performances of the King and I.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"And so there was no time to remove his makeup so more often than not the sheets would be covered - and as you know Yul Brynner's the King and wore body makeup from head to foot it wasn't just the face and so it would get all over everything and Marlene sort of enjoyed having my mother come over and see the pattern of the makeup on the bed."
SUPER CAPTION: David Riva, Dietrich's Grandson

A married Yul Brynner gave these keys to Dietrich as a romantic gesture, envisioning a place where the two could be free.

At the auction they could go for five-hundred dollars.

The most costly items at Saturday's auction are likely to be these Corot works.

Sotheby's is looking for 70-thousand dollars for the painting and around 10-thousand for the pen and ink.

Erich Maria Remarque, author of All Quiet on the Western Front gave them to his friend Dietrich as a financial safety net in her older years.

This dining table from Ernest Hemingway could sell for five-thousand dollars - as with most things from the apartment, it has a story attached.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
SUPER CAPTION: Peter Riva, Dietrich's Grandson






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