After nearly two decades, a man has been charged with stealing the pair of red shoes worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz,” federal authorities said Wednesday.
Terry Martin, 76, stole the glittering shoes, now valued at $3.5 million, from a museum in Garland’s hometown in August 2005, according to federal prosecutors in North Dakota.
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When the owner of the accessory – Hollywood memorabilia collector Michael Shaw, who lent them to the museum – received the slippers back, he was delighted to find them in “perfect” condition.
On Wednesday, prosecutors said that when the slippers were stolen, they were insured for $1 million and now have a market value of about $3.5 million.
In an unforgettable scene from the classic film, Garland’s character, Dorothy, clicks on the heels of her Technicolor flip-flops and says “there’s nothing like home” to return to Kansas.
