The Toht Turn

In-depth discussion of the Fedora of Indiana Jones and all other hats appearing in the Indiana Jones movies

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Western New York Indy
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The Toht Turn

Post by Western New York Indy »

A while back, I was watching the truck chase sequence from Raiders. As I was watching, something looked strange about Major Toht's hat. I went back and paused the video, and looked a bit closer. To my eyes, it looked as though Toht's hat had been turned, like Indy's hero hat. The bow was resting forward of the ear, creeping towards the corner of Toht's eye. The brim also displayed a curl and swoopage similar to Indy's. I thought at first that it was an accident, as we've seen the hat be turned off center accidentally in both Crystal Skull and Dial of Destiny. However, something occurred to me. Was it possible that the hat was put on slightly turned to keep it on Ronald Lacey's head during this high speed scene?

I sent the image to the Herbert Johnson customer service email, to get an expert eye on it. I received an email back, with a paragraph from a person referred to in the email as "Our Hatter" (I'm assuming Michelle herself.) This was the response I received-

"The hat was not supplied by us to the studio with any turn and in many early Raiders shots the hat is clearly NOT turned. By the time it gets to the chase the hat looks much more handled and the shape affected which could add to an appearance of being off symmetry to anyone looking for such details. My thoughts are it does not have the turn but Toht is wearing it more roughly in this particular scene."

So, COW members, what're your thoughts, is this an example of a "turn," is it just an accident, is it just a really roughed up hat, or am I seeing things? (that one might be likely :[ )
Looking forward to people's thoughts on this.

Fortune and Glory,

Western NY Indy :TOH:
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Indy Magnoli
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Re: The Toht Turn

Post by Indy Magnoli »

It's a great way to quickly and easily tighten the fit of a hat, so that makes the most sense in this particular scene.
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Western New York Indy
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Re: The Toht Turn

Post by Western New York Indy »

Indy Magnoli wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2024 3:58 pm It's a great way to quickly and easily tighten the fit of a hat, so that makes the most sense in this particular scene.
Thanks for the reply!!
That was what I thought as well. I know this probably seems like a super random observation. The reason I posted it was because I thought that perhaps if this hat was turned to tighten the fit, then it could possibly be evidence for the turn being put into a hat somewhat intentionally to tighten it on the head, rather than just an accidental off center bash. It's all really just speculation though. It's not like I've stumbled upon the answer to unlocking the murky history of the Raiders turn, I just thought this was an interesting screenshot. :TOH:
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