Club Obi Wan

Technically, not an Indy at all. I do think the fedora Gary Cooper is wearing here captures the individuality of the man and the Indy spirit at the same time. These stills are all from The Fountainhead.








He's even dressed like Indy, sort of. For years I've thought that if Raiders had been made in the 40's that Gary Cooper would have been ideal.

-009

So for years we have been trying hard to look like Gary Cooper.

Super Trooper.

But seriously, he's a great actor and I love his films.

Yep.

He would have made a terrific Indy!

Who ELSE from the Golden Age of Hollywood could have been cast in various other roles in the Indy films?

I don't want to get too off-topic, so I'm going to start a thread about a Golden Age re-cast at Lao Che's Table.

Dangerman, there are a number of similar recast threads already floating about. You might want to do a little searching and figure out which of those existing threads to add your thoughts to.

You can't tell me that these Cooper images didn't help to inspire our favorite archeologist's look. Timeless.

Dangerman009 wrote:Technically, not an Indy at all. I do think the fedora Gary Cooper is wearing here captures the individuality of the man and the Indy spirit at the same time. (...) He's even dressed like Indy, sort of. For years I've thought that if Raiders had been made in the 40's that Gary Cooper would have been ideal.
-009

Surely it's Indy, who is dressed like Gary Cooper, and not the other way round.

Wel, the Fountainhead is from 1949, and as wel know Indy has been dressing like this since at least 1935.

So I guess that's where the movie designers got their inspiration from...

Great pics, Dangerman, and I do love that quintessential fedora of that era. Bogart had it going on, too.

Barcelona Jones wrote:Surely it's Indy, who is dressed like Gary Cooper, and not the other way round.

When You're right, you're right. Has anyone seen For Whom the Bell Tolls? In that movie Cooper wears a shearling-lined leather jacket and has a revolver too.

What amazes me is how different each hat is from one person to another. I realize that wasn't the era of the pre-shaped hat, and each owner had to bash it himself. Unless, or course, it was shaped for him at the hat shop.

I've tried a couple times to duplicate the look of Cooper's fedora, and haven't been very successful. I've done Indy hat styling too much that it just comes out looking like Indy's.

I have "eye-balled" this fedora many times. I love the character in the felt. Beat up. Ruffed up. I like the top bash style. Hand styled hats have a way more appeal to me than pressed stamped hats you see now. Even Bogey's hat has it. Not uniformed. This little nuance is what has also attracted me to this era of hat.
That Cooper hat is fantastic. I like the width of ribbon on it. The brim appears to be a constant width as compared to Indy's dimensional cut. An eveyday man's hat.

LLS

I would have loved to have been around in the 30's and 40's. Being a small child in the early 50's, I can actually remember just a taste of the era, but through the eyes of a child of course. The hats, the way people seemed kinder and more down to earth. The "morals" of the era was so much different than today. I was indeed born, way too late. Fedora

Tundrarider wrote:These pictures say it best.

Michael

What movie is that from?
It like Indy with western style holster. I have always wondered how Indy would look if he was "cowboyed" just a tiny wee bit....

I was looking for stills from this movie earlier today. If Indy was modeled after characters like this, would that make Indy not "screen accurate"?

The movie is For Whom the Bell Tolls.

The hat Cooper is wearing in The Fountainhead looks very similar to a Penneys Marathon I have, it has the same bow. Except overall it doesn't look quite as cool in profile.

Local Land Surveyor wrote:I have "eye-balled" this fedora many times. I love the character in the felt. Beat up. Ruffed up. I like the top bash style. Hand styled hats have a way more appeal to me than pressed stamped hats you see now. Even Bogey's hat has it. Not uniformed. This little nuance is what has also attracted me to this era of hat.
That Cooper hat is fantastic. I like the width of ribbon on it. The brim appears to be a constant width as compared to Indy's dimensional cut. An eveyday man's hat.

LLS

LLS, here's a great new niche in the market, for an enterprising hatmaker.

Fedora wrote:I would have loved to have been around in the 30's and 40's. Being a small child in the early 50's, I can actually remember just a taste of the era, but through the eyes of a child of course. The hats, the way people seemed kinder and more down to earth. The "morals" of the era was so much different than today. I was indeed born, way too late. Fedora

I must admit that although I was born in 1976 i have always wondered if i would have been better suited to that age for which i feel a great affinity. Am i just seeing things thru rosie-coloured glasses as i have no idea what life must have been like back then. However I expect there would have been fewer COW members

Tundrarider wrote:...Dentistry.

And with that, we're back to future.

Blackthorn wrote:

Local Land Surveyor wrote:I have "eye-balled" this fedora many times. I love the character in the felt. Beat up. Ruffed up. I like the top bash style. Hand styled hats have a way more appeal to me than pressed stamped hats you see now. Even Bogey's hat has it. Not uniformed. This little nuance is what has also attracted me to this era of hat.
That Cooper hat is fantastic. I like the width of ribbon on it. The brim appears to be a constant width as compared to Indy's dimensional cut. An eveyday man's hat.

LLS

LLS, here's a great new niche in the market, for an enterprising hatmaker.

The shape wouldn't be hard to replicate but the ribbon would be hard. I don't see that as being a 1 1/2.

BendingOak wrote:

Blackthorn wrote:

Local Land Surveyor wrote:I have "eye-balled" this fedora many times. I love the character in the felt. Beat up. Ruffed up. I like the top bash style. Hand styled hats have a way more appeal to me than pressed stamped hats you see now. Even Bogey's hat has it. Not uniformed. This little nuance is what has also attracted me to this era of hat.
That Cooper hat is fantastic. I like the width of ribbon on it. The brim appears to be a constant width as compared to Indy's dimensional cut. An eveyday man's hat.

LLS

LLS, here's a great new niche in the market, for an enterprising hatmaker.

The shape wouldn't be hard to replicate but the ribbon would be hard. I don't see that as being a 1 1/2.

It wouldn't have to be a perfect copy as far as the ribbon (IMHO), just something that captures the spirit of the era.

I guess everyone is different and some would not be happy with anything less than the exactly correct ribbon. I'm only speaking for myself.

I understand what you are saying but it's hard to come by vintage ribbon. It's even harder to get vintage ribbon 1 3/4 or 2 inches. Modern ribbon just doesn't come in those sizes.

BendingOak wrote:I understand what you are saying but it's hard to come by vintage ribbon. It's even harder to get vintage ribbon 1 3/4 or 2 inches. Modern ribbon just doesn't come in those sizes.

I understand. Given those constraints, just getting the crown and brim to look like that would still be cool. Whatever ribbon is available would have to be good enough.

It would seem there would be a market niche for someone to begin making ribbon of the right sizes, too. But I know nothing of manufacturing processes. Maybe the market isn't big enough for any company to tool up to do it.

I've noticed that a lot of old hats came with 2'' ribbon. I have an old 50's Dobbs with a 2'' ribbon. My best friend has a mid 30's Knox that also has 2'' ribbon (the ribbon on his hat is kind of like the Raiders ribbon, with the perceieved change in color depending on lighting on his varies from brown to dark grey). Personally, I love this ribbon width. I think it perfectly offsets the crown and the brim. Its a shame it isn't made anymore as I'd put that on my next hat in a jiffy.

Dave

What I really like about Cooper's hat is how completely unique and ordinary it is at the same time. Also it's non symmetrical-ness. It just works. I've given up on wearing hats as a general rule. Especially the Raiders hat. I just don't like the way it looks on me in the mirror. Cooper's hat sure is sweet though.

As for ribbon, try this place:
http://www.theribbonspot.com/index.php? ... 629eea7127
They're lousy with 2 1/4" ribbon. I realize it's not vintage ribbon, but who cares. Are the vintage police going to arrest someone?

A 1/4" difference is huge when talkin hats. It just won't work if you are going for the Cooper hat.

Dave

Tundrarider wrote:

Maybe I'm just looking at this wrong, but the front pinch seems to be over his left eye instead of his nose. Does anyone else see it this way?

Dangerman009 wrote:What I really like about Cooper's hat is how completely unique and ordinary it is at the same time. Also it's non symmetrical-ness. It just works. I've given up on wearing hats as a general rule. Especially the Raiders hat. I just don't like the way it looks on me in the mirror. Cooper's hat sure is sweet though.

As for ribbon, try this place:
http://www.theribbonspot.com/index.php? ... 629eea7127
They're lousy with 2 1/4" ribbon. I realize it's not vintage ribbon, but who cares. Are the vintage police going to arrest someone?

David is correct. that a 1/4 is a lot. Heck a 1/8 inch is a lot. Any modern ribbon you find. They all buy from the same on company. The guy I get my modern ribbon from. 2 1/4 is just to big. I have the stuff and it's to big for anything.

The reason I brought up vintage ribbon it's the only chance you ill get at a 2 inch ribbon.

It would be more costly to have a run of 2'' ribbon. You would need to buy 10,000 yards of it for them to make it. Way to much for me. I would never make that many hats. Even if you get a few hat makers together you couldn't pull that deal off.

So, your kinds stuck waiting too find vintage 2 inch ribbon or what ever size we can tell this is. Or settle for 1 1/2 inch ribbon. Which is no big deal.

Am i just seeing things thru rosie-coloured glasses as i have no idea what life must have been like back then.

I know we see that era through rose colored glasses. But, at the same time, I would still want to live in that era. And I have a hundred reasons for doing so, but off topic already so....

On the ribbon deal, modern ribbon just isn't very good. The 705 pattern that hatters can get, is not hatband grade ribbon to begin with, but many hatters have to use it. I am speaking of USA made ribbon here. Now, Schiff who makes all of the ribbon sold for hats today, used to sell a 7005 pattern, and not that long ago, which is hatband grade ribbon.

I have bought alot of vintage ribbon from ebay in the past, but these days, you don't see it anymore. I lucked up on some vintage 1 1/2 inch black ribbon a few years ago, only could get one roll, and used it all up on gray fedoras. When compared to the new black ribbon we can get, this old pattern was totally different, very finely woven with a great edge treatment that you see on the 7005 pattern.

For the ribbon makers to offer the different patterns, blends, and widths again would take a huge resurgence in hat wearers. Today there just is not enough demand for the variety that was around in the old days. In fact, many hatters are not buying ribbon anyways, as they stocked up on the old stuff, when all the hat shops shut their doors. I keep an eye out for some of this stuff appearing, and always buy as much as I can afford at the time. But, most times, it is very, very pricey. Like 10 bucks a yard, or 500 bucks for a 50 yard roll of the stuff.

There is a company that sells over runs, that is, special colors and widths, that is always really good modern ribbon. If I ever get back to making all kinds of hats, I am gonna stock up on this stock, but it's pricey as well. But it is the best you can buy today. I think they even have 2 inch ribbon from time to time, and even 3 inch. Just depends if they have it or not at the time you call.

For me personally, 1 5/8 width is the largest that I like. Some of those vintage hats actually came with more ribbon than hat! I never liked that look myself. But that is just my own tastes. Fedora

I didn't realize a quarter inch would make such a big of a difference. How about taking the 2 1/4" ribbon and folding under 1/8" on both sides?

Then it wouldn't look like hat ribbon, grosgrain ribbon. It would look like unfinished or Petersham ribbon. That would look horrible, in my opinion.

Dave