Debbie Reynolds to open Hollywood Motion Picture Museum

“The Hollywood I remember from my early years in the business — the real ‘Golden Era’ — is now gone,” said Reynolds, who began her film career in 1948. “What is left of it in this collection should be preserved and protected for future generations.”

Valued at more than $50 million, the collection contains more than 3,500 costumes and tens of thousands of props, movie posters, still photos, lobby cards and other items, she said.

The sleeveless white dress blown upward as Marilyn Monroe stood on a subway grate in “The Seven Year Itch” is included, as are the ruby red slippers Judy Garland wore in “The Wizard of Oz.”

The collection has items from almost every Academy Award-winning film, from the silent movie era through the present, Reynolds said.

Reynolds, who starred in films such as “Singing in the Rain,” “Tammy and the Bachelor” and “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” said she chose Pigeon Forge because it is in the heart of the country — “an ideal location for a museum that celebrates a form of entertainment that has always been shaped by American vision and creativity.”

The area attracts more than 11 million visitors a year as a gateway to the country’s most visited national park. Pigeon Forge also is home to singer Dolly Parton’s Dollywood amusement park, Tennessee’s top tourist attraction.

The Hollywood Motion Picture Museum is the first major attraction announced for the Belle Island Village development in Pigeon Forge.