No Place Like Home

Do you remember the first time you watched The Wizard of Oz? The familiar pair of red shoes that sparkle as Dorothy skips down the yellow brick road, a rare collector’s item worth millions. In the summer of 2005, a pair was stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in the small town of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. No Place Like Home follows a classic heist story against the nostalgic backdrop of one of the most famous movies and Hollywood props of all time. Journalist Ariel Ramchandani and editor Seyward Darby investigate the strange story that dives into small town suspicions between local cops and the FBI, the fraught relationship between Grand Rapids and its most famous daughter, Judy Garland, and brings listeners inside the peculiar world of Hollywood memorabilia and the market for lost and stolen art. Although the shoes were eventually recovered, there are more questions left than answers. We still don't know who stole the shoes and where they were hiding for nearly 13 years. No Place Like Home is an Audacy original.

Episodes

Welcome to No Place Like Home

June 3, 2021 • 3 mins

Do you remember the first time you watched The Wizard of Oz? Those famous red ruby slippers are some of the most iconic objects in Hollywood history that still bring back nostalgic memories every time they’re seen. They became a rare collector’s item worth millions. In the summer of 2005, a pair was stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in the small town of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. In No Place Like Home, C13Originals, a Cadence13 Stu...

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The Ruby Slippers Are Gone

June 15, 2021 • 31 mins

A thief steals a pair of the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz from a museum in Garland's hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Who took the slippers, and where did they go? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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The Robin Hood of Hollywood

June 22, 2021 • 37 mins

Despite being among the most iconic props in film history, the ruby slippers were once relegated to the trash heap. A man known as the "Robin Hood of Hollywood" saved multiple pairs, and they eventually became collector's items worth millions. When a pair is stolen in 2005, their owner comes under suspicion. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more ...

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Terribly Happy

June 29, 2021 • 38 mins

Judy Garland left her hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota when she was four. She became one of the most famous movie stars in the world, but her life was infamously tinged with darkness. Grand Rapids grappled with her legacy, unsure whether to honor or condemn her. When a pair of ruby slippers are stolen from the Judy Garland Museum, people suspect a local connection. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices vi...

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Dear Dorothy, Hate Oz, Took Shoes

July 6, 2021 • 34 mins

To find the stolen ruby slippers, detectives in Grand Rapids respond to every tip, no matter how strange. On the 10th anniversary of the theft, a clever publicity stunt leads to a lucky break. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Who Can You Trust?

July 13, 2021 • 33 mins

Detective Brian Mattson continues talking to the mysterious caller who says he knows where the missing ruby slippers are. When the investigation stalls, Mattson takes a risk and calls a friend at the FBI for help. Law enforcement plots an elaborate sting in Minneapolis, to get the shoes back. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad ch...

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Everything Is Lining Up

July 20, 2021 • 35 mins

The FBI and Brian Mattson get their hands on a pair of ruby slippers. But nothing is certain without the help of an expert conservator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Very Accomplished Thieves

July 27, 2021 • 38 mins

The hosts explore connections between the theft of the ruby slippers and an infamous art crime known as the Rockwell Heist, orchestrated by master thieves in Minneapolis. They learn the identity of the man who returned the slippers, and the name of the person he claimed was responsible for stealing them in 2005. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn ...

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They Don't Like Being Owned

August 3, 2021 • 34 mins

If the slippers were released from FBI evidence tomorrow, where would they go? Michael Shaw might buy them back. An auction house hoping to set a world record wants them, too. But some people think they should go back to the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and stay forever. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choic...

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Presenting Gone South Season 3: The Sign Cutter

October 23, 2023 • 2 mins

On September 3, 2018, a rancher in Laredo, Texas, discovered a woman’s body shot execution-style on the side of the road. When investigators identified her as a local sex worker, their search for the killer took them into the darkest corners of the city. Then, after days of false starts and dead-ends, another body turned up, terrifying residents and leading law enforcement to conclude a serial killer is at large. More would die bef...

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