Key Piece of “Titanic” Movie Memorabilia Purchased By Titanic Museum Attraction

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. , March 28 /Businesswire/ - One of the most iconic and talked about pieces of movie memorabilia will surface soon at the Titanic Museum Attraction, which has locations in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Branson, Missouri. The ornate wood panel, which is known to most movie-goers as the “door” that featured prominently in the Oscar-winning blockbuster “Titanic,” recently was purchased by the attraction and will become part of one of the largest permanent collections of Titanic artifacts anywhere.

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Iconic "Titanic" movie prop purchased by Titanic Museum Attractions. (Photo: Business Wire)

The wood panel is an integral character in the “Titanic” movie and one of the most talked about props in Hollywood history; it helped save the character Rose, portrayed by Kate Winslet, from drowning when the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage in 1912. Since the movie was released in 1997, fans have speculated whether Jack, the film’s other main character portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, could have fit on the wood panel with Rose, thereby saving his life. Visitors to the Titanic Museum Attraction now will be able to consider for themselves what role the movie artifact could have played in the characters’ survival.

The movie prop was purchased on March 23 at the Heritage Auctions’ Treasures from Planet Hollywood auction; it was the auction’s highest-selling item, outselling 1,600 key show business items and costumes from other notable films, including “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” “Spider-Man 3” and “The Shining.” The valuable artifact has been in storage for two decades and previously was on display at Planet Hollywood in Orlando.

This spectacular piece of cinematic history joins more than 1,000 artifacts at the Titanic Museum Attractions’ multi-million dollar collection. Titanic Museum Attractions always look for opportunities to display extraordinary pieces from RMS Titanic as well as exhibiting iconic memorabilia from the widely acclaimed movie.

“Being able to obtain this highly-treasured prop used in the 'Titanic' movie is a monumental acquisition for our attraction,” said Mary Kellogg-Joslyn, President of Titanic Museum Attractions. “It’s such an iconic part of the film’s history and popularity, and it will give fans of the movie a unique glimpse into this spectacular film. Adding this piece of memorabilia to our collection of Titanic artifacts will allow our guests to see this one-of-a-kind piece of movie history, and we are solidifying plans for how best to display it at both of our locations in the future.”

Officials with Heritage Auctions said the eight-foot balsa wood movie prop was based on the most famous complete piece of debris salvaged from the 1912 tragedy; the intricately carved prop bears a striking resemblance to the Louis XV-style panel housed in the Maritime Museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Director James Cameron of “Titanic” the movie, regularly visited the museum when doing research for the Oscar-winning film, which inspired him to create a similar piece of debris to stage Jack and Rose’s emotional final moments.

Titanic Museum Attractions in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Branson, Missouri open daily at 9 a.m. Reservations are required and can be made online at www.titanicattraction.com or by phone at 800-381-7670.

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