Club Obi Wan

This being casual Friday at the office, I wore my Aldens and my lambskin with a pair of jeans. I had the hat, but it was back in the office when I went across the street to Starbucks. I was crossing the street, and I guy walking the other way was staring at my feet. When we met halfway across the crosswalk, he said "Are those Indiana Jones' boots?" Stunned by the recognition, I said yes, and as we kept walking he said "Wow! Cool!"

Randy

I love when stuff like that happens. I've had people recognize the jacket before. Rather neat, isn't it?

I never have the same reaction. I was wearing my Aldens the other day and someone came up to me and said, "are those the same shoes that Lamont on Sanford and Son wears?". I reluctantly had to say, "yes".

Check out the front cover of the Sanford and Son dvds and Lamont's Aldens are quite visable.

OK, Tone. You've got the east side, I'll take downtown Phoenix and the central corridor. Anyone out there want to take charge of the west side of Greater Phoenix? We'll take this town over for COW -- it will become COW Capital of the World!

Randy

That's pretty cool!

I don't have the Aldens, but I wish that somebody would recgnise my Wested as being the Indy jacket...

Canyon wrote:That's pretty cool!

I don't have the Aldens, but I wish that somebody would recgnise my Wested as being the Indy jacket...

Excuse me miss, that jacket looks awfully familar? Was it from a film?

Hi Everyone! I'm the new guy in town. I just wanted to say that at work they call me Indy because I wear my Aldens every day. Thankfully I don't have to wait for a casual Friday. They also poke a little fun at me for my "purse", my Mark VII, which is always with me. It has been recognized a time or two. Always fun.

Oh, I've had the jacket recognized, too. A few weeks ago, right after it turned a little bit cool here, I wore it into Starbucks and the girl behind the counter recognized the jacket -- and now, everytime she sees me, she calls me "Doctor Jones."

Randy

Several months ago, I was at the local grocery store, and as my girlfriend and I got to the checkout, I realized I forgot the bread. I offered to run and get it real quick, and after grabbing a loaf, I turned to hurry back to the checkout when I heard a voice say "Is that a Wested?"
I replied "Sure is!", and my new found friend and I had a rather pleasant conversation about the Wested Indy jackets...the different types of leather, how they compare to the other jackets offered, so on. Suddenly it dawned on me what I was SUPPOSED to be doing, and when I rushed back to the checkout, their were several annoyed customers, including my girlfriend, who was still waiting to pay for our groceries. However, after I explained what happened, she understood completely. That's partly why we're getting married next month. The other customers in line were NOT so understanding.

That's so cool Jim! He obviously had to be a gearhead. Did you catch his online name? I wonder if it was Band Director Jones or rxbx. They are both down in central Texas near Waco.

Unfortunately, I didn't get his name . He was a young guy, like 30 or so (I can remember when thirty was OLD) . He looked military, or ex-military. This was in Harker Heights, near Ft. Hood. Nice guy, though. If I was more familiar with COW back then, I would have asked if he was a member.

Indiana_Tone wrote:One doesn't just spot and identify a pair of Indy boots at a glance unless they've been "HERE" on COW a time or two.

That's my thought too. You don't just know that's the Indy boot by causally watching the movie once in a while.

I heard something about Indiana Jones whispered behind me in at play once, while wareing my jacket. However no one said anything when I saw Raiders on the big screen recently. 0_o (there was some one that had more gear than just the jacket though, but I don't know any one locally from COW)

The first time I met Rundquist and Sergei was at a gunshow in Costa Mesa, Ca and a man walked up to me and said "Are those Aldens?" I said "yes."

Immediately I thought he was either Sergei or Rundquist... nope. Turned out he was a contractor who went into the original Sherman Oaks shop where Harrison Ford bought his first pair, and he asked Fritz "what would you recommend for a contractor?" Fritz pulled out an Alden 405 and the guy's been wearing them for about twenty years! Up until he talked to me he had no idea they were the Indiana Jones boots!

For those of you who are unaware of "Fritz." Fritz was the owner of the small Sherman Oaks shop that supplied Harrison Ford with his personal Aldens during Ford's carpentry days. Fritz did not supply the shoes for the films.

Well isn't that an interesting bit of trivia! Ford wore Alden's before he hit the big time. What a trip.

Jim wrote:Unfortunately, I didn't get his name . He was a young guy, like 30 or so (I can remember when thirty was OLD) . He looked military, or ex-military. This was in Harker Heights, near Ft. Hood. Nice guy, though. If I was more familiar with COW back then, I would have asked if he was a member.

Makes me wonder if it was Glenbird (I think that was his online name.) or perhaps JPDesign.

Wow!! I've never seen a thread like this before. I've never read about a situation where the boots are recognized. That's fantastic!

I hope somebody gets me Aldens for the COW Christmas exchange... Yeah right. I do love the look of those things though.

Take Phoenix, man!!

In Christ,
Shane

Shane... what's your size?

lol - I'm about a 7E.

In Christ,
Shane

Strider wrote:Well isn't that an interesting bit of trivia! Ford wore Alden's before he hit the big time. What a trip.

Yeah, I thought that was common knowledge. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that how they got in the movie? Ford insisted on wearing them as that's what he wore already.

Yeah, Deborah Nadoolman still insists that he wore Red Wing boots.

Yeah, I'm sure that's what she speced out, but it's obviously not what was used.

Deborah wanted the Red Wing boots. They were talking about an actual deal, but Ford said he wouldn't wear the cheap junk and insisted on the Aldens, that was just before principle photography.


Now, in the eighties, Lee Keppler (a legend in indygeardom) had a meeting with a Lucasfilm representative about these boots. He was handed a pair of Red Wings on the spot, but Lee, with the perfectionist eye that he had, immediately recognized that these were inferior and continued to insist on the true information, finally the person broke down and admitted that they were purchased from a Massachusetts shoe company: Alden Shoes.

Shortly afterward Lee discovered that this particular shoe, or ankle boot, was model #405!

Lee Keppler found out the truth about the boot and became the first dealer in the world to sell them as "The Indiana Jones boot." Up until then no one but Alden, Ford and Lucasfilm knew the truth -- and this was before the internet

Indiana Texas-girl:

If I ever bump into him at that HEB again, I'll ask him his name and if he's a COW member. I was just so amazed that someone recognized my jacket, I didn't think about formalities, like introducing myself (duh).

Jim wrote:Indiana Texas-girl:

If I ever bump into him at that HEB again, I'll ask him his name and if he's a COW member. I was just so amazed that someone recognized my jacket, I didn't think about formalities, like introducing myself (duh).

That's happened to me before, too... don't worry about it. The only thing was I gave out my screen name but forgot to ask for the other guy's. He recognized my Akubra and said he had one at home but couldn't wear it to work (Disneyland). Turns out his s/n is Bones, but he's rarely on.

It's awesome to bump into random gearheads, though, isn't it? It's such a shock that somebody else knows what's going on.

In Christ,
Shane

My general rule of thumb is that if its just one item of Indygear you spot a random person wearing it could just be chance but if you spot two or more they are probably a gearhead.

Ken

So true. Its funny how people recognize Indy gear, too, possibly without even realizing it. A co-worker of mine the other day saw me in my jacket and my Cabela's safari shirt, but I had on a pair of khaki cargo pants and a black baseball cap (hardly screen-accurate). He still shouted in front of everyone "You look just like Indiana Jones in that jacket!"

With half a smile on my face I replied "Funny you should say that."

P.S. Indiana-Ken: What part of Scotland are you from? I have some relatives that live there.

OK, Tone. You've got the east side, I'll take downtown Phoenix and the central corridor. Anyone out there want to take charge of the west side of Greater Phoenix? We'll take this town over for COW -- it will become COW Capital of the World!

I'm on the East side too; Mesa/Scottsdale/Chandler. Looks like we need to have a recruitment drive for the West side.

Jim wrote:
P.S. Indiana-Ken: What part of Scotland are you from? I have some relatives that live there.

I live in Dundee, Tayside. Its about an hour from Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Ken

I have a distant cousin named Beth who lives in Dundee. Another relative lived in Broughty Ferry, but he recently passed away. I also have cousins in Arbroath, and Aberdeen.

Wow thats all pretty close by

Ken

Morgan Alden wrote:Hi Everyone! I'm the new guy in town. I just wanted to say that at work they call me Indy because I wear my Aldens every day. Thankfully I don't have to wait for a casual Friday. They also poke a little fun at me for my "purse", my Mark VII, which is always with me. It has been recognized a time or two. Always fun.

I think we were moving so fast we overshot you - Welcome to COW, Morgan!

P.S. Nobody has ever recognized my boots, but I don't have Aldens. I agree, there is nothing about Aldens that screams Indiana Jones, they'd HAVE to have seen it here or by chance at Aldens (in person or online).

J

Morgan! Yeah, sometimes we get going at a breakneck speed and forget to say welcome, so... welcome!

bink

Thanks guys! Great to be part of the group. I was so glad to find a place like this. I've always been a gearhead at heart, but only after finding Indy Gear did I know where to actually find the real deal.

I started with the Aldens, which I wear every day. I'm on my feet constantly and it's nice to have boots so comfortable. Next was the David Morgan 455. I've collected whips for 25 years, but this beats all. I've used it so much since I got it in September ( it arrived the day before my birthday!) that I actually replaced the fall last night. Then I contacted Noel Howard and had him send a Mark VII and strap across the pond. Unfortunately that depleted my yearly gear budget, but I think I'm off to a great start. Next... the hat.

By the way, the guys at work are getting quite an education in Indy gear, and I may have even created a new Gearhead. One of my co-workers bought a Wested!

hahaha...I've never heard of someone starting with the boots before. Now I get your moniker.

From the ground up!

Morgan Alden, Welcome to Club Obi Wan!

Sorry, I have just seen your posts, or I would have welcomed you sooner.

Enjoy it here. This place is a blast!

Thank you Canyon. I already love it here! And I learn soooo much every time I come back. I was looking at pics of the QM summit today... awesome.

Bye for now