When it comes to costume and prop exhibits it's often like feast or famine, you go for ages without anything, then along comes a veritable smorgasbord of treasures from the world of cinema and television. Recently I've glimpsed original movie costumes from Avengers: Age of Ultron at various cinemas in L.A., visited the Doctor Who Experience exhibition in Wales and this month I returned to Universal Studios Hollywood to see the latest archival treasures that had been brought out from the vaults.
NBC Universal Experience archive attraction at
Universal Studios Hollywood in May 2015
Once again the display cases were crammed with delights from your favourite films and TV shows you used to watch on May 8, 2015, from genres spanning musicals to war dramas, comedy to science fiction and more besides.
There's always something cool about spying some iconic piece of wardrobe from a classic TV series, like seeing Don Johnson's infamous white 80's jacket from the original Miami Vice, which was the look of a generation.
Miami Vice TV poster
He wore this jacket as
'Detective James Crockett' in the season two episode
'One Way Ticket', with
Costume Design by
Bambi Breakstone.
Miami Vice and Covert Affairs TV series costumes
From one crime show that ran from 1984 to 1990 to a more modern counterpart that has recently finished after five seasons from 2010 to 2014.
Covert Affairs starred
Piper Perabo as
'Annie Walker', a young female
CIA operative out in the field undercover, and this glamorous purple dress is from the second season episode
'Good Advices' (with
Costume Design by
Trysha Bakker).
Covert Affairs TV billboard
From one
Piper to another and the next costume is from the classic 1953 swords and sandals movie,
The Golden Blade, which starred the red-headed
Piper Laurie as a
Baghdad princess,
'Khairuzan', opposite
Rock Hudson.
Original costume worn by Piper Laurie
as Khairuzan in The Golden Blade
If you like this outfit by
Costume Designer Jay A. Morley, Jr., be sure to also check out this
gown worn by Piper Laurie in The Golden Blade.
The Golden Blade movie poster
Also from the world of cinema and the next collection of film props may seem slightly unconventional to put on display, but the wheelchair and glasses helped
Eddie Redmayne transform into renowned theoretical physicist and cosmologist,
Stephen Hawking, for his
Oscar-winning role in
The Theory of Everything.
Screen-used movie props from The Theory of Everything
If you're a fan of the movie biopic, be sure to also take a look at these
costumes worn by Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones in The Theory of Everything.
The Theory of Everything movie poster
Plus if you're a fan of
Eddie Redmayne, you should also check out his
Marius costume from Les Misérables, which was previously on display at the
NBC Universal Experience exhibit back in February 2013.
Original TV props from Parks and Recreation
From drama to a bit of comedy on the small screen, and
Parks and Recreation came to an end this year after seven seasons.
Amy Poehler starred in this mockumentary as
'Leslie Knope', a mid-level bureaucrat at the parks department of the fictional town of
Pawnee, in
Indiana, from 2009 to 2015.
Parks and Recreation TV billboard
This collection of screen-used props were featured in episodes ranging from the second to sixth season of the quirky
NBC comedy.
Costume worn by Lauren Graham as Sarah Braverman
in TV's Parenthood
Next is a signature outfit worn by former
Gilmore Girl Lauren Graham as
'Sarah Braverman' from the fourth season of the
NBC TV series
Parenthood (based on the 1989 film of the same name), which ran from 2010 until 2015 for six seasons, with
Diane Crooke as
Series Costume Designer.
Parenthood TV billboard
This is just a sample of the items on display on my most recent visit to this archival attraction, so be sure to stay tuned in the days to come for a closer look at:
Jack O'Connell's World War II bombardier costume from Unbroken
Cheerleader costume and props from Bring It On
Costume and props from sci-fi comedy Paul
Original costume and props from the Jurassic Park movies
Christopher Walken's Captain Hook costume and miniature pirate ship from Peter Pan Live!
Fortune Teller Booth prop from TV's
Warehouse 13
Uma Thurman's gown from TV's Smash
Plus
muscle cars from Furious 7 also on display at the theme park
There's always something for everyone at this often overlooked attraction at
Universal Studios Hollywood and I can't wait to see what surprises they have in store in a couple of months when they'll refresh the ever-changing exhibit with costumes and props from new and classic movies and TV shows.
