movie hats that inspired you...

[T Jones]

I liked the hats that were worn by Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen in the movie, "Appaloosa". Ed Harris wore a killer Western in that movie, (and check out the OR style ribbon and bow work on Harris' hat)....

 

[Hothir]

Not a movie per se. but I found the hats in Foyle's war a bit of inspiration.

Foyle (the main character) has a narrow ribbon sloped crown fedora that is a charcoal grey color it often appears a little green.

 

[RJR]

The bow on Harris's hat is nice.

 

[Zombie_61]

I liked the hats that were worn by Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen in the movie, "Appaloosa". Ed Harris wore a killer Western in that movie, (and check out the OR style ribbon and bow work on Harris' hat)....

I saw those costumes when they were on display at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood in 2008. I probably would have paid closer attention to the hats if I'd been more of a hat wearer at the time, but that "bug" hadn't bitten me yet. I do remember that the hats and the wardrobe were wonderfully crafted and that they contained more detail than you could see on screen in most scenes, and that they were also a lot "dustier" (artificial dust, that is) than they appeared to be in the movie. Also, Viggo Mortensen is really thin. lol

 

[fedoracentric]

That last big gunfight in Appaloosa was pretty good. The hats are great Hollywood, not so great for history.

 

[Bushman]

For me, it was a mixture of 4 main hats.

Jimmy Stewart's stylish high crowned fedora that he wears as George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life:

It's a Wonderful Life has been a movie I've grown up on. I've watched it every Christmas season since I was a little kid, so it's no wonder that something from it rubbed off on me.

Next was the famous Herbert Johnson Poet from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Growing up as a kid, I loved Indiana. The cool, kinda laid back dashing adventurer who captured the ladies hearts entranced my young mind. I never had an Indy hat growing up (though, I asked for a Coyle's Downtowner for Christmas this year), but I had a rope swing, and I would spent countless hours in the summer swinging across it like my hero Indiana Jones.

Then, there's my favorite film franchise: Jurassic Park. I think anybody who grew up in the 1990's wanted to be a paleontologist a little bit after seeing that movie, and Alan Grant was everyone's go-to mascot.

Sam Niell really rocked that panama hat, and it's been quite a challenge to the Jurassic Park fandom to track down it's closest match. That is, until I tracked down the maker myself. Through some clever detective work, I found a prop auction site that held the original Jurassic Park Alan Grant hat! Through the description provided, I found that the hat was apparently made my a prop house in Burbank called Baron Hats. Resigned to the fact that the Alan Grant hat was not something we could buy online, many fans have resorted to what we believe is the closest match: a Scala Panama Outback, which is on my wish list for the coming year.

Then there's my final influence, also from the Jurassic Park franchise. Pete Postlethwaite's character of Roland Tembo, retired big game hunter, left me with the biggest impression.



When I was a kid, I idolized Roland Tembo. He was cool, he wore a cool hat, he was a gentleman, and he was the only guy in Jurassic Park who could take down a T. rex! I remember as a kid, that I used to walk around in my backyard with my kiddy Stetson and Disney rifle. I wanted to be Roland Tembo! I haven't tracked down Roland's hat yet, and I don't think it's an Akubra. For one, the vent holes are a dead giveaway. For me, finding Roland's hat will be a challenge I shall not give up easily on.

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

"Sam Niell really rocked that panama hat, and it's been quite a challenge to the Jurassic Park fandom to track down it's closest match. That is, until I tracked down the maker myself. Through some clever detective work, I found a prop auction site that held the original Jurassic Park Alan Grant hat! Through the description provided, I found that the hat was apparently made my a prop house in Burbank called Baron Hats. Resigned to the fact that the Alan Grant hat was not something we could buy online, many fans have resorted to what we believe is the closest match: a Scala Panama Outback, which is on my wish list for the coming year."

The Sam Neill/Alan Grant hat is a good one and can be approximated with a Guatemalan palm leaves body from www.sunbody.com.



I bought this in Arizona while hiking national parks there and in Utah. It works very well for yard work here in the South. This worked very well for the style and was incredibly cheap. The front pinch was much tighter when creased around a thin wooden dowel, but it has relaxed here in the winter time. It comes open crown so you have to wet it and shape it to suit you which was perfect for my needs.

I second your choice of the Roland Tembo as an all-time favorite hats style. I have thought that the Coober Pedy might have been the correct hat and there are bands similar on the David Morgan site, but I would braid my own.

Fed

 

[Bushman]

The Sunbody is another long time contender for the spot, and I know a lot of fans go for that one as well. On both hats, the band is wrong, however, as the original Akan Grant hat has a braided horsehair band. I know a lot of fans simply swap out the band on whichever hat they choose.

 

[tropicalbob]

My first Sunbody is due to be delivered tomorrow. Really looking forward to it.

 

[Benzadmiral]

viggo and kirsten
the two faces of january
he's in lock and co., persol, and vintage tag heuer

Huh? There was somebody else in those pics besides Kirsten?

 

[Benzadmiral]

View attachment 21651 . . . I haven't tracked down Roland's hat yet, and I don't think it's an Akubra. For one, the vent holes are a dead giveaway. For me, finding Roland's hat will be a challenge I shall not give up easily on.

I'm sure it's been said here before . . . but JS's hat/suit/vest/tie combination is The Quintessence of the Golden Era.

And as for Mr. Tembo, don't some of the more "safari" or outback-styled Akubras have vent holes? Something about the chin string or whatever it's called suggests that to me. Mr. Tembo was a vivid character, as was the hunter in the first film who tells the audience how clever and supremely dangerous the raptors are, and has just time to murmur, "Clever girl," before they fall on him.

 

[Bushman]

And as for Mr. Tembo, don't some of the more "safari" or outback-styled Akubras have vent holes? Something about the chin string or whatever it's called suggests that to me. Mr. Tembo was a vivid character, as was the hunter in the first film who tells the audience how clever and supremely dangerous the raptors are, and has just time to murmur, "Clever girl," before they fall on him.

They do, but that's the problem. Roland Tembo's hat doesn't have vent holes. Furthermore, because of the nature of the chinstrap itself, many have speculated that it was an addition to the hat, rather than an original piece of it. Looking at some behind the scenes pics:

I found that the Stetson Weekender makes a close match, but the brim is too stingy on the Weekender, and the band is all wrong.

 

[DougC]

Viggo Mortensen's character in Appaloosa including the hat were the inspiration for my cowboy action shooting persona, Lonesome Doug.

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

My first Sunbody is due to be delivered tomorrow. Really looking forward to it.

Well?

Fed

 

[miket5r]

my first hat who inspired me, and i had bought was the scout hat from Franco Nero in the Italo western mercenario

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

My first Sunbody is due to be delivered tomorrow. Really looking forward to it.

Well, did the Sunbody arrive and will it do for your need?

Fed

 

[tropicalbob]

Hey, Fed, yes, it did. I received two hats: the Sunbody three-inch brim and a Capas straw Bogart with a two-and-a-half brim. To tell the truth, I'm wearing the Capas almost constantly, as the fit is absolutely perfect (thanks to Bruce at Holland Hats). The Sunbody is a size larger than my usual and it's really a big hat (almost feels like a helmet). I'm going sail-fishing with it this Saturday, so I'll see how it does.

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

Good news is that after wetting and aging, my Sunbody did shrink, but the bad news is that the shrinking took a long time of not being worn. (It lives on top of my John Deer lawn tractor most of the time - the hood gives it a good form and that is where it is most convenient for outdoor work anyway.)

Good luck with your hats and fishing!

Fed

 

[T Jones]

It's going to be a good marathon movie Sunday for classic hats from the 1940s on TCM today.

1. "Johnny Eager", 7am - 9am 1942

2. "T-Men", 9am - 10:45am 1947

3. "The Naked City", 10:45am - 12:30pm 1948

4. "The Asphalt Jungle", 12:30pm - 2:30pm 1950

5. "The Blue Dahlia, 2:30pm - 4:15pm 1946

6. "The Maltese Falcon", 4:15pm - 6:00pm 1941

 

[Blackthorn]

Yeah, I have my DVR all set.