Hats In Movie "Laura"

[NonEntity]

I know there's a thread on hats in movies, but I couldn't readily find it.

"Laura" was filmed in 1944 and stars Gene Tierney and a very young and tall Vincent Price.

It's a very good murder mystery movie, but the most amazing thing to me were the hats. Every man in the film who wore a hat wore the same hat with the same bash!

They were about 2 1/2- or 2 3/4-inch-brim fedoras with wide bands and deep--extremely deep--diamond creases with pinched front. No telling what the pre-bash crown height would be, maybe seven or more inches. Because the film is black and white, I couldn't tell the color, but they all appeared to be the same relatively light shade of fawn or gray.

And it's almost as if the film-maker was intentionally showing these hats, as the positions the actors would be in would display them from every possible angle in a wide variety of weather conditions. So the viewer got great looks at the bash as well as how the felt stood up to rain and wind and being handled.

Do any of the vintage hat experts here know exactly what hat that was? I'd love to have one just like it, in 7 1/8, in mint condition, of course!

 

[RBH]

Is this the hat in question ??


<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/5446/laurazp9.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a>

If so... its a fantastic fedora. Just look at the long side dent.

 

[Mr. 'H']

As I recall, Clifton Webb's character wore a homburg.

That hat above is amazing!

 

[randooch]

Can't find the thread I swore I saw once for movie hats in general, but am compelled to mention the new Bond film. Scenes in Bolivia were lousy with vintage lids, some comical, some awesome. I wanted a Pause button! Anyone know if that's an actuality in Bolivia, maybe like 50's cars in Cuba?

 

[Tomasso]

"Laura" was filmed in 1944 and stars Gene Tierney and a very young and tall Vincent Price.

Actually, the Male Lead was Dana Andrews and it was really his vehicle as Gene Tierney MAY have been onscreen for a total of just ten minutes.

 

[RBH]

Check out the crease!!!
Also look at that edge....

 

[Tomasso]

What crease?!?! What edge?!?! .....What hat?!?!

Man, she's gorgeous.

 

[NonEntity]

Right On

Yep, that's the fedora, and Tomasso, your last pic displays a great view of the bash.

What appeals to me about it is that not only is it a crease you hardly ever see these days, but also you can almost see the finger impressions in the form of the imperfect wrinkles. That makes each hat truly unique and so human.

And as I said before, look how deep it is! Probably held two full cups of water in there in the rain scenes.

RBH, your photo really really shows the side view well, showing the moderate rake from the front of the crown to the back and, yes, I love how the side dents extend all the way from the front to nearly 2/3 the way back. The hatband is 1 3/4, maybe 2 inches wide, wouldn't you say, and the dark color contrasting against the light felt adds emphasis.

What kind of edge is that? Raw, underwelt, overwelt, bound, Cavanagh? It looks different in different photos; maybe there were different but similar hats or perhaps some pics just make it look different.

Some help needed from the vintage experts: How does this hat/bash fit into the zeitgeist of 1944--the "in" thing, forecasting an up-and-coming fashion, or, literally, an "old hat" style that had been around for many years and was kind of stale by then? Again, who do you think made this hat and what was this model called? If you don't know for sure, please, speculate!

Mr. 'H', the actor Clifton Webb, was he the older, wealthy character who "discovered" Laura? I forgot, but you're right, he wore a Homburg, a perfect complement for his role.

Yes, Tomasso, I should have mentioned Dana Andrews; after all, he is the male lead sporting this hat in almost every scene he appears in. I suppose I was so smitten with Gene Tierney that everything but the fedora faded.

Vincent Price must have been quite young--way before he got into the horror groove--and was so tall that he made everyone else in the film look short, and dare I say, he came across as somewhat effeminate.

I just saw the film for the first time on the local PBS station that features an old movie at 10 every Friday night, but if it's on DVD, I must rent "Laura" to check out the hats more closely, and, of course, the lovely Gene Tierney.

 

[Dinerman]

high crown- cavanagh edge- deep, hand done crease. Probably a pretty soft felt. Not too thick.

 

[Brad Bowers]

What kind of edge is that? Raw, underwelt, overwelt, bound, Cavanagh?

Either a Cavanagh or an overwelt. My money's on a Cavanagh Edge.

Some help needed from the vintage experts: How does this hat/bash fit into the zeitgeist of 1944--the "in" thing, forecasting an up-and-coming fashion, or, literally, an "old hat" style that had been around for many years and was kind of stale by then?

Actually, everything about this hat is fairly typical of a mid-Forties hat. Without knowing any specific dimensions, it's probably a 2 1/2" or 2 5/8" brim, and a 5 3/4" crown. You're right the ribbon is somewhere between 1 3/4" or 2". This could be a Stetson, Dobbs, Knox, Cavanagh, etc... No telling what make and model it is.

The "Crumpled Crease" look was around for years before that, but the rake from front to back was more of a Forties look.

Brad

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

Man, she's gorgeous.

Tomasso, you didn't steal your name :eusa_clap

 

[JoeSki]

Just chiming in to say that I think Laura was a fine mystery, and one that has encouraged me to write my own story that I've spent yars rewriting endlessly. Personally I think the film makers abandoned the opportunity to take the story in a much more interesting direction about 3/4 of the way through, but then if it hadn't I wouldn't be writing my own little thing which has blossomed into something different and wonderful.

Anyways, I'd recommend it:eusa_clap .

 

[pplepic]

I believe the ending is the way author Vera Caspery wrote it, and it wouldn't have been nice of the filmmakers to change it (although they're not above doing what they want with a property once they get the rights).
But that's the neat thing about having a little imagination: you can immediately begin to visualize other possibilities and roads to follow. Look forward to seeing your efforts.

 

[Bird Lives]

Ok...So what do you cats think?.....Which Akubra open crown is the best choice to build a Dana Andrews Laura Hat ?

 

[Benzadmiral]

. . . Vincent Price must have been quite young--way before he got into the horror groove-- . . . .

Yes, Price was young, but he was an old hand at horror, or at least mystery/suspense, by then. He'd starred on Broadway as the evil husband in the play "Angel Street" in 1941.

(Most of us know that as "Gaslight," with Charles Boyer in the same role.)

 

[Matt Deckard]

Yup, Cav edge as Dinerman pointed out. If you want to try the look using an Akubra, it shouldn't be too hard, but you won't be able to fake a cav edge too easily. Even if you get a good hatter to do a plain overwelt, it just won't really sit like a cavanaugh edge.

 

[jbucklin]

Ok...So what do you cats think?.....Which Akubra open crown is the best choice to build a Dana Andrews Laura Hat ?

First of all, welcome to the Lounge, and secondly, I'm happy to see that there is another Charlie Parker fan on this forum.

To answer your question, I don't think Akubra makes a hat with felt that is soft and pliable enough to crease it like Dana Andrews's hat. If you're looking at a modern-day production hat, check out the Borsalino Film:

http://www.bencrafthats.com/product.php?pid=454&subcname=Borsalino

I have both a grey and a brown one. Raw edge brim though. Very, very soft. You can shape it without steam and it will hold the crease. The salesman at Bencraft said that the Film is by far the best modern Borso being made today. I believe him!

 

[hatophile]

Other than the Feds, the Akubras would probably have too low and tapered crown for that crease as well.

 

[jbucklin]

Other than the Feds, the Akubras would probably have too low and tapered crown for that crease as well.

The Film has a nice, tall crown with no taper. Beautiful!

 

[jbucklin]

Here ya go: