|
Cagney was one of the most enduring performers of Hollywood's
golden era having starred in films like 1949's "White Heat" and
1938's "Angels with Dirty Faces." He was nominated for three
Academy Awards.
"If it's an Oscar like this, which is considered one of the best
ones, James Cagney's Oscar ... will command a really high
price," auction manager Laura Yntema said.
It is rare for an Oscar statuette to go up for sale as the
show's organizer, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences, began making winners since 1951 agree to offer the
prize back to the Academy for $1 before selling it.
The Academy has in the past gone to court to stop some sales of
Oscar statuettes.
In "Yankee Doodle Dandy," Cagney plays longtime Broadway star
George M. Cohan, who was an acclaimed singer, actor and
playwright of the early 20th century.
"People were just blown away by the performance, and it really
stands as one of the best performances of all time," said Yntema.
Cagney, who died in 1986 at the age of 86, first gained a
reputation as a tough guy in films like 1932's "Taxi!"
Late actress Joan Fontaine's best actress Oscar statuette for
Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 thriller "Rebecca" will go up for
auction at Christie's next month.
(Reporting by Reuters TV; Writing by Eric Kelsey; Editing by
Piya Sinha-Roy and Cynthia Osterman)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
