A collection of Broadway memorabilia, Tony Awards, and other belongings from the personal collection of late Broadway legend and Hello, Dolly! star Carol Channing will hit the auction block June 17 in an online-only sale, administered by Abell Auction Company.
Among the items set to be up for bidding are Channing's three Tony Awards, a 1968 Golden Globe for her performance in Thoroughly Modern Millie, a dress Channing wore on stage performing the title number from Hello, Dolly!, and a tiara prop from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, along with many other personal effects and mementos collected over her more than seven decades–long career on stage and screen.
Best known for creating the title role in 1964 original Broadway production of Hello, Dolly!, a role she would go on to play for more than 4,500 performances over various productions through the 1990s, Channing made her Broadway debut in 1942's Proof Thro' the Night. 1949's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes made her a star and gave her one of her first signature numbers, "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend." She would go on to appear on Broadway in a string of shows including Wonderful Town, The Vamp, Show Girl, and Lorelei, and gave memorable screen performances in Thoroughly Modern Millie, The First Travelling Salesman, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, among many others.
Channing passed away in 2019 at the age of 97.
For more information, visit Abell.com.