Why would anyone spend $400,000 of their own money to preserve costumes and props from old movies? Just ask actress Debbie Reynolds. That's exactly what she did back in 1970 when she bought out a collection of these precious items from MGM. Passionate about preserving Hollywood memorabilia, she established a Hollywood Museum in Las Vegas in 1995. Although that Museum closed in 1998, the unsinkable Debbie is now raising funds for a new Hollywood Motion Picture Museum to be located, where else, in Hollywood, California, at the Hollywood & Highland complex -- the same complex that includes the incredible Kodak Academy Award Theater.    

I hope she succeeds! My husband and I were the first ones into Debbie's Las Vegas Hollywood Museum when it opened, and we still talk about how great seeing her impressive collection was for film fans like us. In my Confessions of a Movie Addict, here's how I described that memorable experience:

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          We were escorted into a small theatre similar to a Hollywood screening room and then dazzled by a multi-media extravaganza lasting about 35 minutes. Film clips from classic movies filled the screen while costumes were displayed on revolving stages. We watched scenes from Ben Hur, How the West Was Won, Cleopatra, There's No Business Like Show Business and many other marvelous old films. Debbie Reynolds popped in and out of scenes, through the wizardry of virtual reality, and tied everything together like a magical cinematic guru.

          Next, we were treated to a guided tour of Hollywood's most memorable costumes. Presented elegantly in glass compartments were such classic items as Marilyn Monroe's famous white dress from The Seven Year Itch, Judy Garland's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz (oh, how I wanted them for my very own!), and Barbra Streisand's beaded gown from Hello, Dolly.

         Afterwards, Todd Fisher (Debbie's son), the genius behind the technical aspects of the museum, invited us backstage for a look at the state-of-the-art technology involved in this amazing multimedia experience.

         Because I needed additional information for an article I was writing, I went back for another tour the following day. Debbie herself participated in this one. When I asked what musical number was depicted by the Singin' in the Rain  display, she belted out a few bars of "Fit as a Fiddle and Ready for Love" with her legendary effervescence. 

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If the new Hollywood Motion Picture Museum offers as much nostalgic pleasure as Debbie's first Museum, it should be a key California attraction for movie buffs. "The Collection" now includes over 3,000 costumes and props from almost every Academy Award movie and star from the silent era through the late 1970s. On December 6, Debbie will auction off 300 movie costumes and props to help raise the 2 million dollars needed for this worthy project. Among the items available to bid on are two needle point armchairs from Gone with the Wind and costume and props used by Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and by James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy.

Although Debbie's December auction will be held at the Le Meridien in Beverly Hills, bids can be made online at eBay or at www.autographs.com.

Photo: Debbie Reynolds (center) with daughter Carrie Fisher (left) and Todd Fisher (right). Copyright © 2001-2003 Hollywood Motion Picture Museum.