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As a benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the Broadway Bears roared into their sixth anniversary commemorating classic Broadway performers and performances as well as paid tribute to Award winning Broadway Costume Designers. This newest cast of 40 bears hit the auction block on March 24th, 2003, started at 6:00 p.m. with a private reception and a VIP advance preview of The Broadway Bears VI. The evening took place once again at the wonderful "Broadway friendly" B. B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 W. 42nd Street on the revitalized 42nd Street in the heart of New York City's Broadway Theatre District.
Broadway's annual bear hug--the Sixth Annual Broadway Bears Auction--brought together theater lovers and teddy bear collectors. The event raised $116,495 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. As usual, a cavalcade of Broadway stars were on hand at the warm and fuzzy event. To date, the six Broadway Bears auctions have raised a total of $883,307.
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WILDCAT
1960
Lucille Ball as Wildcat Jackson
"Hey, look [her] over!" The "Wildcat Jackson" Bear celebrates Celeron, NY's most famous leading lady - the inimitable Lucille Ball, who made her only Broadway appearance in this Cy Coleman/Carolyn Leigh musical (with a book by N. Richard Nash). This was Coleman's first complete Broadway score, and the madcap Lucy played an early-20th century (on-land...) oil-driller! Re-created from an 8"x11" production photo, Wildbearcat's costume thoroughly replicates the original - complete with buttoned, blue denim workshirt; zippered blue jeans with a button at the waist; hip-riding, black leather, coin-ornamented belt (with "silver" buckle); laced work boots; and even a pair of work gloves hanging from her back pocket. This bear also sports a real-hair wig (red, of course), as well as a pair of long lashes and luscious Lucy-red lips! Accompanied by a reproduction of the "Wildcat Oil Co." bass drum, as well as the framed Lucy photograph, all we can do is warn you - she may be "fresh outta clover, mortgaged up to here," but ever-the-optimist, still she says, "Look out, world - here I come!"
ORIGINAL COSUME DESIGN: ALVIN COLT
BROADWAY BEAR CREATED BY: CANDY JOHNSON
With the assistance of: Miriam Carlin (wig);
and special thanks to Ric Wyman (photograph donation)
Signed by: Lucie Arnaz and Alvin Colt (Alvin signed it the night of the auction as I watched!)
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| This is the page in the program that I had Mr. Colt autograph for me.
(Notice they called her
"Wildcat Johnson"
in error. Probably due to the fact that the bears creator was
Candy Johnson.)
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This is me with Candy Johnson. She's from Jamestown, NY
and made the Wildcat Bear.
In 2004, I won the Lucie Arnaz as SONIA WOLSK
Broadway Bear from "They're Playing Our Song".
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MOTHER & DAUGHTER
BROADWAY BEARS
BC/EFA is grateful to the creative and talented artists who designed, outfitted, costumed, draped, frocked, dressed, shod, hatted, painted, armored, tattooed, stuffed, "lipoed," wigged, bejeweled and feathered the Broadway Bears - and in doing so created truly one-of-a-kind, museum-quality pieces for auction. BC/EFA is also indebted to The North American Bear Company for generously donating now hundreds of bears - each of which went out a bare bear and came back a star!
This is the display of the Wildcat bear showing everything it comes with - the bear, the drum and the photo of Lucy in costume.
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This is Me with Alvin Colt, the costume designer for Wildcat.
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Some other WILDCAT stuff
I threw onto this page
Lucille Ball with Don Tomkins sing "What Takes My Fancy" in WILDCAT
The entire 2003 class of Bears.
Click picture to enlarge.
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