Hollywood Treasure
Fascinating hunt for Tinseltown gems is fun family viewing.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this is generally a show they can watch with their kids, although a few of the items up for auction (including the Wicked Witch of the West's hat from The Wizard of Oz and an eerily realistic sculpture of Heath Ledger as the Joker) could creep out younger viewers. There's also the show's promotion of its subjects' exclusive auction house, although most viewers won't be tempted to participate in these super high-end purchases.
Community Reviews
Fun show that builds nicely to an exciting auction!
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What's the Story?
Joe Maddalena and his team of experts are searching high and low for HOLLYWOOD TREASURE in this Syfy reality series about Joe's successful auction business, Profiles in History. Acting on third-party tips and first-person observations, the Profiles team heads out into the field to investigate potential auction pieces and give the items' owners an estimated value of their worth. But, more often than not, the actual auction at the end of every episode produces some surprising final price tags.
Is It Any Good?
Although it starts off on shaky ground with some forced and overly scripted "dialogue" during a staff meeting, Hollywood Treasure quickly redeems itself with some legitimately cool items that are truly Hollywood treasures. Like the iconic pointy, black hat worn by Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (which ends up selling at auction for $200,000). Or the seemingly bottomless carpet bag Julie Andrews toted around in Mary Poppins (which sold for nearly $100,000).
Seeing these rare items up close -- or, at least, as close as your TV screen allows -- is the real treat. But Hollywood Treasure also peppers each episode with interesting facts about the items' history and sheds light on some often-overlooked entertainment icons. Shows with real cross-generational appeal don't come along too often, so keep this one at the ready -- and enjoy.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about consumerism and the value of some of these items. How do auctions work, and how do Joe and his team set values for the items they put on the block? Were you surprised by how much some of the items went for at auction?
How does Joe's business benefit from being featured on this show? Before watching the show, did you realize that you could buy items like these at auction?
Parents and kids can also have fun discussing the movies and television shows associated with the most famous items. Would you ever want to own a piece of Hollywood history? How much would you be willing to pay?
TV Details
- Premiere date: October 27, 2010
- Cast: Joe Maddalena
- Network: Syfy
- Genre: Reality TV
- TV rating: TV-PG
- Last updated: March 31, 2022
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