MOVIES - May 22, 1987

A bitter dispute between a leading still photographer of Hollywood’s Golden Age and his daughter over 7,000 pictures of celebrities has ended with the return of the collection to the artist. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Norman R. Dowds ruled that the photos should be returned to Robert W. Coburn, 86, even though his daughter testified he hated Hollywood and had thrown his collection out. At issue were some of the best-known studio portraits of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, so crisply photographed that a poster-size portfolio introduced as evidence drew gasps from court clerks and bailiffs.