Why Is Ford's Left Hand Inside His Hat?

Flash Gordon · Post by **Flash Gordon** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 1:42 pm

On the Bonus Material DVD that comes with the boxed set of Indiana Jones movies, there's the scene in "The Making of Raiders" where Harrison Ford is shown putting on his hat and adjusting it just so. He grabs the hat at the pinch with his right hand, and before he puts it on, he puts his left hand inside for several seconds. He's obviously doing something to the hat. My question is this:

What's he doing?

:

Any ideas? It might help us in the long run.

Colby · Post by **Colby** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 1:57 pm

I don't have the bonus dvd with me at the moment to see for myself but maybe he is adjusting the liner?

VP · Post by VP » Sat Oct 15, 2005 2:21 pm

Or maybe the hat got bumped and he straightened it up?

whiskyman · Post by **whiskyman** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 2:34 pm

Adjusting the centre crease by pulling on it from the inside. I do it too.

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 3:20 pm

Actually, he was in the process of making a puppet out of it for a deleted scene where he scares away the hovitos with his hat. But that never happened, because they cast the part of Belloq, and, well, the rest is history...

bink

IndyK · Post by **IndyK** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 4:12 pm

binkmeisterRick wrote:Actually, he was in the process of making a puppet out of it for a deleted scene where he scares away the hovitos with his hat. But that never happened, because they cast the part of Belloq, and, well, the rest is history... bink

I think his just catching the rubberband that goes under his chin to hold the hat in place...

Cheers

Indiana George · Post by **Indiana George** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 4:31 pm

That's where he keeps his stash?

George

prairiejones · Post by **prairiejones** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 9:36 pm

This is easy, he's looking for the rabbit. It's a rabbit hat, right?

IndianaWill · Post by **IndianaWill** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 9:52 pm

He may be checking the sweatband for moisture (sweat), or needs two hands to hold his hat, so he won't drop it. Mabe he just wants to hide his hand By picking up the hat by the front pinch, and holding the inside with his left hand so it will be secure.

Have a Great Day!!!!

IndianaWill

He may be feeling for the Hare, in his hat..

Skippy · Post by **Skippy** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 10:01 pm

As whiskyman said, he's creasing the crown bash from inside. See this pic...

Your actually creasing/folding the bash, so it's like an inverted front pinch. Know what I mean?

I've done it to my hat too. Only this is while I now have a VERY deep crown bash & camel humps like in the Raven Bar scene, I seem to have pulled the sides in on the hat & lost the stovepipe look

Indiana Jerry · Post by **Indiana Jerry** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 1:31 am

He wasn't just smoothing his hair back under his hat so he wouldn't have hat-head?

(I was being serious...see, serious face.

)

3thoubucks · Post by **3thoubucks** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 3:08 am

That is something I have wondered about too, so I just rewatched it. Something strange is going on here. He's not working on the front crease. Ford's whole hand is grabbing front beyond the front crease, and it's not moving up and down.... but it does seem to be working on something beside the front crease, perhaps in conjuncton with the other hand. Look at his cuff, and when he pulls the hat off his hand, his palm is facing the front of the hat, the cuff hasn't rotated. His hand is all the way in there, working only on the front of the hat. If he's pinching the top crease, he's only working on the very front of it. The humps on the crown aren't moving- I tried pinching my top bash and the humps moved together quite obviously.--- I don't think he's working on the front pinch OR the top bash. He's putting a lot of effort into it, whatever it is, like he's moving furniture in there.

Indiana Jerry · Post by **Indiana Jerry** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 3:15 am

Or maybe trying very hard to get rid of a wrinkle in the sweatband that is poking him in the forehead? Just a thought.

Harrison_Davies · Post by **Harrison_Davies** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 3:34 am

I heard that he had foam fitted in there to keep it tight, maybe some had come loose and he's trying to reinsert it?

3thoubucks · Post by **3thoubucks** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 3:43 am

Please, H.D.. tell us where you heard about a foam insert. This is the first time I've heard of it.

Indiana Williams · Post by **Indiana Williams** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 3:53 am

Indiana George wrote:That's where he keeps his stash?

George

stash of what?

- Joe

Harrison_Davies · Post by **Harrison_Davies** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 4:07 am

Well from what I can rememebr an old friend of mine, who was an extra as one of the crowd at the nazi gathering in Last crusade, picked it up from a crew member. I know we are talking about Raiders, but surely the same would apply for each film, to keep it tight? Herbert Johnson actually sell foam inserts to keep a tight fit....

This is from IMDb "Unable to keep his hat on during the scene where he was chasing the tank on horseback despite trying glue, tape, and newspaper wedges, Harrison Ford pretended (in a "Making Of" special) to staple the hat to his head." Crusade I knwo but i'm looking.

But i know I heard/seen it elsewhere, after that. I will think, may take my old brain a while but hey, when I know, you'll know.

Here we go...also from IMDb regarding raiders "Indy's hat was actually kept on with double-sided tape." Foam/Tape very close.

I still have this nagging thing that says foam. Surely tape would pel away when sweat hits it?

Erri · Post by **Erri** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:06 pm

Could we have a pic of that scene please??

Canyon · Post by **Canyon** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 1:00 pm

I presume you mean when Harrison is sat in a plane adjusting his fedora?

Not sure if this will help, but I found a picture here:

Erri · Post by **Erri** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 1:08 pm

Where do you find all those incredibly rare pics Stella?????

Strider · Post by **Strider** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 1:41 pm

She takes great screen shots, don't she?

Dakota Ellison · Post by **Dakota Ellison** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 1:47 pm

It's not really rare anymore. It's from the making of Raiders section of the Bonus Material DVD.

Strider · Post by **Strider** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 1:55 pm

He could just be using his left hand to steady the hat as he adjustst the front of it. I don't think this is one of those things that requires a magnifying glass.

WConly · Post by **WConly** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 2:12 pm

Strider wrote:He could just be using his left hand to steady the hat as he adjustst the front of it. I don't think this is one of those things that requires a magnifying glass.

Thank you! W>

Canyon · Post by **Canyon** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 2:56 pm

erri_wan wrote:Where do you find all those incredibly rare pics Stella?????

From spending far too much time on the internet.

Strider wrote:She takes great screen shots, don't she?

Why, thank you Strider.

The screenshot isn't mine, though. I got it from harrisonfordmedia.com

prairiejones · Post by **prairiejones** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 6:04 pm

Maybe there's a knob in there that he is turning...and this is how he achieves the "turn"!!!

Dakota Ellison · Post by **Dakota Ellison** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 6:52 pm

You put your hand inside and squeeze the center dent, while the other hand keeps the front pinch in place.
This makes for a front and rear reverse taper and a taper on the sides until you put the hat on and pull down on the brim as you see Ford doing, which squares everything up.
No problems, mate.

Hemingway Jones · Post by **Hemingway Jones** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 11:25 am

Wow Dakota, Ford certainly is doing a lot of work on that hat. He seems much more concerned about the look of it than I ever thought he bothered with. I had always assumed that is was someone in costuming who fussed over his hat, but your pictures clearly show Ford obsessing over it, which means that Mr. Ford may know quite a bit more about the styling of it than he has ever offered. -So, if anyone ever sits next to him on a plane...

prairiejones · Post by **prairiejones** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 12:52 pm

-So, if anyone ever sits next to him on a plane...

I'll show him how to really bash a hat.

Hemingway Jones · Post by **Hemingway Jones** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 12:57 pm

prairiejones wrote:
-So, if anyone ever sits next to him on a plane...
I'll show him how to really bash a hat.

As John Travolta said in "Pulp Fiction:" "That's a bold statement."

eaglecrow · Post by **eaglecrow** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 2:54 pm

Well, I looked really close onto these pictures for a while. Than I compared it with my 5 year experience wearing Fedoras myself and I guess I found out what he's doing:

he's holding his hat

Erri · Post by **Erri** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 2:56 pm

BreinederIndy wrote:Well, I looked really close onto these pictures for a while. Than I compared it with my 5 year experience wearing Fedoras myself and I guess I found out what he's doing:

he's holding his hat

That's my same thought

IllinoisJones · Post by **IllinoisJones** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 3:20 pm

BreinederIndy wrote:Well, I looked really close onto these pictures for a while. Than I compared it with my 5 year experience wearing Fedoras myself and I guess I found out what he's doing:

he's holding his hat

My thoughts exactly, he also could be fidgety, and a hat is good to fidget with. Illinois

Andiana · Post by **Andiana** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 3:34 am

I remember seeing this as well, and I always thought he was ajusting the liner.

Erri · Post by **Erri** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 4:40 am

Let's keep in mind that Ford wasnt a gearhead like us and he didnt care a lot how he wore his hat. So i don't believe he's adjusting anything inside the hat, he's just holding it while tighten the front pinch, that's it. We are nuts for that hat and we want every little detail faithful to the movie but he was the movie so he would have never cared about these things

Indiana Jerry · Post by **Indiana Jerry** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 11:05 pm

I don't know about that...he might have loved having a chance to look like Heston in Treasure Of the Sierra Madre...

THE...HAT...MUST...BE...QUINTESSENTIAL...HESTON!

3thoubucks · Post by **3thoubucks** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 1:47 am

Colby and Andiana got it right. He's adjusting the liner. He's stuffing it up into the overhanging humps over the front dents. I can see his actual FINGERTIPS poking the felt up in there, MOVING SIDE TO SIDE RAPIDLY! That's how that left hand can be so deep into the hat - that's the highest point. Can anyone else see the magic fingertips in the Bonus Material DVD?

(If true, then we can assume the hat had a liner intact in it throughout the film.. Unless he's just shaping those overhangs or something)

Indiana Jackson · Post by **Indiana Jackson** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 2:06 pm

He's just holding the hat and slightly creasing the center dent while pinching the front of the hat. My $0.02.

eaglecrow · Post by **eaglecrow** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 12:44 pm

3thoubucks wrote:Colby and Andiana got it right. He's adjusting the liner. He's stuffing it up into the overhanging humps over the front dents. I can see his actual FINGERTIPS poking the felt up in there, MOVING SIDE TO SIDE RAPIDLY! That's how that left hand can be so deep into the hat - that's the highest point. Can anyone else see the magic fingertips in the Bonus Material DVD? (If true, then we can assume the hat had a liner intact in it throughout the film.. Unless he's just shaping those overhangs or something)

If he was adjusting the liner, why didn't he turned the hat upside down? At least I'm used to do this since I want to see what I'm doing

IllinoisJones · Post by **IllinoisJones** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 12:56 pm

Probably because he wanted to make sure itwouldn't jar whislt he put t on his head. Illinois

Why Is Ford's Left Hand Inside His Hat?

Why Is Ford's Left Hand Inside His Hat?

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