WASHINGTON (AP) While Dorothy's ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz" movie are prize artifacts at the Smithsonian museum, Ron Burgundy's burgundy "Anchorman" suit might turn out to be the most popular item at the Newseum.
The museum about news and the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has opened "Anchorman: The Exhibit," featuring costumes and props from Will Ferrell's 2004 movie "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy." The story of a fictional news team's sexist reaction to the arrival of an ambitious female reporter was a parody of real tumult in the 1970s TV business.
For the exhibition created with Paramount Pictures, Newseum curators paired more than 60 costumes and props from the movie with real stories about TV news and the struggle for women to achieve equality in the newsroom.
"In any parody, there's a kernel of truth, right?" said Cathy Trost, the Newseum's vice president of exhibits. "There really was a time in news history when men owned the anchor chair and women were a novelty in the newsroom. The movie gets that right, though in a very over-the-top way, and we wanted to show the reality behind the humor."
In addition to Burgundy's suit, displayed in a revolving case, the museum also exhibits his flute, mustache brush and a reporter's "Sex Panther" cologne. Costumes in the exhibit include those worn by Veronica Corningstone, the ambitious reporter played by Christina Applegate. There's also a replica of the "Anchorman" news desk.
