Nude Monroe And Grace's Handbag

Friday Dec. 20, Christie's New York is auctioning off memorabilia that will delight just about any collector. The two-session sale will offer some hot-ticket items from great Hollywood classics as well as some gems from that exciting collecting area in its own right, the vintage Hollywood film poster.

Check out the items on Thursday's The Early Show, as Margaret Barrett, the auction house director of popular arts department in New York, gives us a preview of what to expect:

Star lot of the sale is Ronald Colman's 'Best Actor in a Leading Role' Academy Award that he won for his dual portrayal of Anthony John and Othello in the eerie 1947 film noir classic, "A Double Life" (estimate: $60,000-80,000).

British actor Colman moved to Hollywood in 1923, where he got his big break in the silent film, "The White Sister," which co-starred Lillian Gish. His career then transitioned effortlessly from the Silent Era to the talkies due to his magnetic voice and his amazing onscreen presence. Colman was nominated for a 'Best Actor' Oscar three more times: for "Bulldog Drummond" and "Condemned" in 1930 and for "Random Harvest" in 1942.

Also up for grabs is Grace Kelly's Mark Cross handbag she carried in Alfred Hitchcock's classic "Rear Window." The handbag, which is prominent in the scene where Kelly walks into Stewart's apartment ready to spend the night, will be offered with an estimate of $1,500 to $2,000.

Marilyn Monroe, the undisputed queen of the movie collectors' world, is also represented in the sale. Coming up is a vintage oversized print of the famous red velvet nude image of Monroe bearing her signature, which reads For Steve/In kind remembrance/Always/Marilyn (estimate: $16,000-18,000). Monroe rarely signed nude images of herself, though this one she did as 'Steve' was present during the famous nude photo session that took place in 1949.

Also offered is Monroe's personally owned script from "Some Like It Hot" (estimate: $3,000-5,000) as well as a cocktail cart from "The Seven Year Itch," 1955. This fun piece of set dressing is seen in the New York apartment where Richard Sherman, played by Tom Ewell, tries unsuccessfully to seduce his upstairs neighbor, played by Marilyn Monroe (estimate: $3,000-5,000).

Movie posters will also be sold at the auction. In the poster section will be:

• "Animal Crackers," 1930 - A three-sheet poster from the classic Marx Brothers comedy. This is the first time any poster from this film has surfaced at auction and it is the only known copy to exist (estimate: $20,000-25,000).
• "Mickey Mouse" – It is the one-sheet poster that announced the coming of the first Mickey Mouse cartoon shot in color, which was released in 1935 (estimate: $15,000-20,000).
• "The Bitter Tea of General Yen" - Some New York City history is connected with this poster. (estimate: $8,000-10,000). The movie, a Frank Capra production but rather atypical of his work as the theme was miscegenation, was the first ever movie shown at Radio City Music Hall.
• "City Lights," 1931 - A one-sheet from Charlie Chaplin's masterpiece (estimate: $20,000-25,000),
• "The Bride of Frankenstein," 1935 - A jumbo window card from (estimate: $18,000-22,000)
• "Gilda" - A one-sheet from one of the most sought-after titles of film noir genre (estimate: $8,000-10,000).