Hollywood Treasure

In the series opener, Joe and his team hit the ground running. With only ten days left till the next auction, the hunt is on. The team attempts to set straight an Internet rumor that one of the original sharks from the movie Jaws has been on display in a junkyard to attract visitors. Joe and his right hand man, Brian, journey to the junkyard only to discover a sun-damaged and poorly taken care of shark prominently on display in the desert sun. Next, an avid collector of Lost in Space memorabilia has traveled to Profiles in History from the East Coast with hopes of adding to his collection. Joe meets with him and showcases a handful of items. A thoroughly impressed collector leaves the showroom but was it enough to entice the collector into attending the upcoming auction? Then in Chicago, Joe investigates the claim of a young man alleged to have the screen-used carpet bag from the 1960s Disney classic, Mary Poppins. The bag has been in his family his whole life and was purportedly won in a promotional raffle during the film’s release nearly fifty years ago. Joe rescues the bag from a dark, dank basement with the hopes that it may indeed be real.

At the Profiles in History archives, Joe Maddalena'’s team, Brian Chanes and Jon Mankuta, search for an unknown treasure that might be stored right under their own noses. They locate a box of costumes said to possess a priceless piece of wardrobe: what may be an original costume worn by Bella Lugosi in his second film, White Zombie. If the coat can be authenticated it will easily fetch upwards of six digits. Joe travels to the Midwest to personally visit the owner of the legendary Wicked Witch of the West’s hat from The Wizard of Oz and must convince the owner to let go of her 21-year love affair with the hat. The pressure is on for Special Events Coordinator Tracey McHall to deliver props from the personal collection of a star of 60’s television, Dawn Wells, better known as Mary Anne from Gilligan’'s Island, who shares her collection of iconic wardrobe and prop items from the series. Later at the Sony Pictures movie lot in Los Angeles, Joe gets a one-of-a-kind tour through their prestigious archives. Like a kid in a candy store, Joe peruses props from some of the most recognizable movies and television shows of all time. The head archivist rarely parts with the lot’s property... but Joe makes his best case for a not so small piece of film history.

Joe Maddalena rallies his troops as they descend on Comic Con, an annual fan convention held in San Diego. The hunt is on and after a day of rubbing elbows with celebrities, Joe meets Erin Grey, better known as Col. Wilma Deering from the sci-fi classic, Buck Rogers. The team also discovers an original Fantastic Four comic book. To substantiate its authenticity, they turn to the comic'’s infamous creator, Stan Lee. Later, with the remake of The Green Hornet on the horizon, Joe travels to Chicago to meet with a well-known collector of Bruce Lee memorabilia. Once the movie is released, any memorabilia from the franchise will skyrocket. Will Joe'’s timing be impeccable? After two items drop out at the last minute, Joe leaps into action to save his upcoming auction. In Santa Monica, CA, he sees a collection that’'s out of this world but is brought back to Earth when he learns he can only choose one item.

Joe Maddalena travels to New York City to meet with the owners of the world’s most valuable movie poster from the 1931 movie, Frankenstein. Believed to have disappeared forever, this poster has recently surfaced and is worth millions. Could this be Joe’s biggest auction yet? Meanwhile back in Los Angeles, Special Events Coordinator Tracey McHall is tasked to authenticate an item from the Syfy series, Stargate SG-1. Christopher Judge, Teal'c from the series, visits Profiles in History to lend a hand. Later, a collection of original set photography from the 1933 classic King Kong has emerged and the daughter of the photographer turns to Profiles in History to help auction her father’s legacy. If Joe can verify an original screen-used prop’s authenticity and piece together a King Kong collection for his upcoming auction, he will attract some of the film’s elite enthusiasts.

Joe Maddalena and his team plan a trip to the English countryside to hunt down several iconic items hidden in the country. First, Joe's Acquisitions and Consignment Relations manager, Brian Chanes, hunts down an old business contact hoping to find some haunted relics to include in the upcoming auction, Harvey Stephens, the child actor who played Damien in one of the most iconic horror movies of all time, "The Omen". Harvey welcomes Joe, Brian and Joe's Special Events Coordinator, Tracey McCall, into his home and shares behind-the-scenes moments from the making of the film. More importantly, he shows them his original costume and famed prop used during prominent scenes from the film. Joe wants the items for auction but is Harvey willing to let go of these pieces from his childhood? Later, the team travel off the beaten track and deep in the English countryside to pay a visit to the privately owned leather shop of one of Hollywood's premiere leather makers, Peter Botwright. Peter is the creator of the original Indiana Jones bomber jacket as well as many other significant pieces from movie history.

Joe Maddalena and his team are gearing up for the next auction. They discuss a possible consignor, Paul Mayer, owner of one of the largest animation archives in the world. Paul was the personal archivist and dear friend to Walter Lantz, famed creator of Woody Woodpecker and many other cherished childhood cartoons. Paul has spent his life building a substantial collection in hopes of one day opening a children's television museum. Sadly, his dreams were thwarted by constant health struggles. Joe wants to help Paul and bring his work into the auction. Joe and his Acquisitions and Consignment Relations manager, Brian Chanes, travel into Hollywood to visit with Paul, whose collection dates back to the birth of animation. Entering his apartment, it's clear that the sheer volume of this collection has taken over not only Paul's space but also his life. Joe and Brian scale shelves and dig through boxes in efforts to unearth lost treasures. Their hard work pays off as they make a wondrous discovery. Back at the office, Joe's special events coordinator, Tracey McCall, continues to hit roadblocks in her hunt for a signature piece for the upcoming auction. She's frustrated and feeling the weight of the looming deadline. Finding a piece of the famed yellow brick road from the Wizard of Oz is at the top of Joe's agenda. He tasks the team with making it happen. The goal is to get him a meeting with one of the last surviving principle cast members from the movie, one of the original lollipop kids, Jerry Marin.