Club Obi Wan

Hey all,

I was watching the Cary Grant/Katharine Hepburn comedy classic "Bringing Up Baby" last night, it being a favorite of mine (if you haven't seen it, shame on you) and I noticed something that caught my complete attention. The film was made in 1938, and in one scene Grant and Hepburn are trying to get a dog named George to dig up a bone he stole. At the first hole, he digs up a boot. Now I know what you'll say - "Nope, not an Alden. It has a heel loop on it." However, this was 1938. Were 405s slightly different then? Maybe with a heel loop? Check these pics...

OK, and now for the second installment. In the WWII classic "The Great Escape," action star Steve McQueen is led back into the camp and for the first time, his shoes are over his shoulders rather than on his feet and under his pants. These are screengrabs right from the DVD as well, cropped of course to isolate McQueen. Check these out! Those almost have to be 405s. Or am I wrong?

French,
Two of my favorite films! And "Bringing Up Baby" just came out on DVD!
Another tie-in, Grants character, "Dr. David Huxley" is a Palentologist, so he may have bumped into Dr. Jones somewhere along the line, and if the YIJC had stayed on the air long enough, I'm sure he would have!

As for Steve McQueens boots I am almost certain that they are not Aldens 405.

It based on hte shape and present of the sewing from low middel of the boot and back over the heel. Aldens dont have that.

But they have sure the same look.

Best regards

JAN

The screen grab is not clear enough for Cary, however in viewing the movie in the past 405s never occurred to me.

Steve is carrying boondockers. There were 2 different styles issued in wwii. There was a narrow toe version for the army and a wide toe version for the marines or vice versa. They were plain toe rather than moccasin toe as with the 405s. Check out wwiiimpressions.com.

High tops were pretty standard right up into the 1930's, and made by a LOT of companies across the U.S. Aldens is about the only one still making them in the old way. Regards. Michaelson

The boots Steve are carrying are called type two rough out service shoes. The first version issued by the US army had the smooth side out and a toe cap. This was changed to the type two after the US entered the war in order to speed up production, and to make them more water repellent. They changed again in late '44 by adding an extension to the top of the type two. The third type is known as the two buckle boot. www.atthefront.com has pictures of the type one shoe, and the two buckle boot.

just my buck and a half

Serial Hero