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Photo courtesy: Jeff Baenen/AP file via NBCnews.com
When Dorothy Gale awoke after a tornado, she was sure she’d been on a journey full of wicked witches, flying monkeys, and apple-tossing trees. Although her trip might have been a dream, one pair of the story’s iconic ruby slippers has been on a nightmarish voyage filled with adventures. Thankfully, the shoes are now safely home and about to begin a different kind of road trip.
In 2005, a thief stole one of the four remaining pairs of shoes used in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz from the Judy Garland Museum. The FBI recovered the shoes in 2018 but kept them for future evidence as the agency did not have a suspect at the time. In May 2023, Terry Jon Martin was charged with the theft. In January 2024, Martin pleaded guilty to the charges and received a sentence of time served due to his poor health.
Martin’s attorney revealed that his client had given up his life of crime after losing his wife and children in an accident. However, he believed the shoes contained actual rubies, not glass. That and a desire for one last heist convinced him to steal the shoes. Two days later, when he discovered they were not genuine rubies, he got rid of them.
This week, a second man, Jerry Hal Saliterman, was charged in connection with the theft, though prosecutors have not released any details about a possible connection between him and Martin. In the meantime, the FBI brought the shoes back to Minnesota, where the owner, Michael Shaw, accepted them. Shaw consigned the shoes to Heritage Auctions, which plans to tour the shoes and then sell them at auction in December 2024.
The Wizard of Oz‘s ruby slippers are instantly recognizable and a treasured piece of American film history. From Oz to Minnesota and now a world tour ending with a new home, these shoes have a story in every step. Stay tuned for further developments.
Brenda Kelley Kim lives in the Boston area. She is the author of Sink or Swim: Tales From the Deep End of Everywhere and writes a weekly syndicated column for The Marblehead Weekly News/Essex Media Group. When not writing or walking her snorty pug, Penny, she enjoys yard sales, flea markets, and badminton.
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