What Happened To The Godfather Script Featured On Pawn Stars?
Whether you have a personal interest in collecting movie memorabilia or you like the haggling that takes place on History Channel's show Pawn Stars, there's one episode in particular that you have to check out. As IMDb notes, the 2011 episode "Making Cents" sees an autographed studio script for the beloved movie The Godfather come into the shop, but its owner doesn't bite on the offer made by the guys behind the counter.
Pawn Stars, which since 2009 has been highlighting the coolest items to come through the family-owned Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, offers a glimpse of how three generations of the Harrison family manage the well-known operation, which is located on the outskirts of Las Vegas. While there have been several items linked to the entertainment business that the pawn shop was able to purchase, you might be wondering what happened to The Godfather script that got away on Pawn Stars.
The autographed screenplay of The Godfather wasn't purchased on Pawn Stars
The Pawn Stars episode features a woman from the Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada thrift shop who brings in the leather-bound script hoping to raise money for the charity. The Harrisons call in John Reznikoff to authenticate that the signature was truly that of the movie's star, Al Pacino, as the customer suspected. After analyzing the autograph, Reznikoff agrees that it was Pacino's signature, and suggests that the signed script would be worth $2,000. Based on Reznikoff's recommendation, the shop offers the customer $500 for the item, which she declines. As Reality TV World notes, she decided to put the autographed script up for auction in an attempt to get more money for it.
However, the signature would later turn out to be that of the movie's producer, Al Ruddy, which actually made the autographed script way more valuable than the guys from Pawn Stars thought.
The Godfather script featured on Pawn Stars was sold at auction
According to the Las Vegas Sun, Al Ruddy saw the episode, and said he knew right away it was his signature, in part because of the short inscription he wrote: "Bob — It cost me a lot of money but there's one thing I got. Ulcers. Thanks, Al." Once Ruddy learned the screenplay would be sold at an auction, he donated more memorabilia and taped a congratulatory "thank you" message for the eventual winner.
To his surprise and delight, the autographed screenplay sold for $12,000. However, he was even more surprised to learn it was his wife Wanda McDaniel, executive vice president of Giorgio Armani, who purchased the signed item. Ruddy told the publication she simply presented it to him one morning with his breakfast, adding, "I was flabbergasted." McDaniel was determined to win the screenplay once she learned about it, saying she wasn't sure how high she was willing to bid on the item, but commenting, "It's priceless."