Were They Really White Fedoras Back Then ?

[Mr. 'H']

Is that one of yours B T?

What era?

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Very nice hat! I'd rate it elegantly fuzzy.

 

[Michael Mallory]

Whenever I see what looks like a pure white fedora in an old movie, I wonder if it's a Panama. The camera doesn't always get close enough to tell. The white fedora Lionel Atwill wears with his tuxedo in "Murders at the Zoo," for instance, looks like straw, and Gable's white gambler in "Gone With The Wind" is a Panama. But back in the old days, if you wanted something to photograph stark white, you made it blueish-grey, so maybe the "white" hats are really pearl.

As for fuzzy fedoras, they pop up quite a bit in old movies. Check out the one Dick Purcell wears in the Republic serial "Captain America" (which, by Republic serial standards, is pretty lame, alas).

On a slightly different subject, a truly unique hat, which I have never seen in any other movie or old photograph, is the one worn by Barton MacLane in "The Mummy's Ghost," which appears to have "belt-loops" cut or sewn into the crown, through which the band is woven.

 

[jpdesign]

I forget which movie, But Eastwood hat a western with slots cut in and the band woven through in one movie.

 

[MattC]

The film of the day

In the 20s, 30s and 40s, pictures and films were shot on Ortho-chromatic film (spelling is prob off). The film had just four tones: black, 2 greys, and white. So colors read to the closest tone in a way that makes most of them look extreme. Look at women's and especially men's lips in 20s to 30s pictures. It isn't that men were wearing dark lipstick; its that black is the closet read for dark red lips. Light colored hats read white on ortho film.

 

[MattC]

Bluish grey

Michael--

I think that it was with the early color films--the old Kodachrome--that you needed blue grey to get a flat white. Also early b&w tv.

 

[Mr. 'H']

I agree with the above Matt.

I just can't "see" white hats being realistic back in the 20-40s!!

Does anyone have a modern color photo of a real white hat from that era??

That's the real proof that they existed.