Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Movie hats

Mighty44

One Too Many
Messages
1,998
That's one of my favorite film noirs. I believe it was also Burt Lancaster's film debut.
He’s so good—that Nazi train movie is still one of my favorites. We also just rewatched Call Northside 777 with Jimmy Stewart. I’m a sucker for all those film noirs from the 40s and 50s that shot on location—so cool to see what the world looked like then.

1687436271726.jpeg
 

T Jones

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,788
Location
Central Ohio
He’s so good—that Nazi train movie is still one of my favorites. We also just rewatched Call Northside 777 with Jimmy Stewart. I’m a sucker for all those film noirs from the 40s and 50s that shot on location—so cool to see what the world looked like then.

View attachment 527336
I remember that one. Good movie! I watch film noirs all the time. YouTube has a ton of them to watch. Two of my favorite film noir movies would be 'Murder My Sweet' with Dick Powell and 'Out of the Past' with Robert Mitchum. Both Powell and Mitchum are two of my favorite film noir actors. You can't beat the hats from that era! Wide ribbons, thin ribbons, even Westerns!
 

Attachments

  • 0bb246ee-6aac-4048-ac38-42e24d98a307_1.2aa857c44de8971c5782548054e2ceec.jpeg
    0bb246ee-6aac-4048-ac38-42e24d98a307_1.2aa857c44de8971c5782548054e2ceec.jpeg
    364 KB · Views: 105
  • MV5BNjcyMDJjNjItOWYwNi00ODY1LWEwN2QtMzYxZmU3YTc3MzdkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjU5MjcxOTg@._V1_.jpg
    MV5BNjcyMDJjNjItOWYwNi00ODY1LWEwN2QtMzYxZmU3YTc3MzdkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjU5MjcxOTg@._V1_.jpg
    114 KB · Views: 107
Last edited:

Mighty44

One Too Many
Messages
1,998
I remember that one. Good movie! I watch film noirs all the time. YouTube has a ton of them to watch. Two of my favorite film noir movies would be 'Murder My Sweet' with Dick Powell and 'Out of the Past' with Robert Mitchum. Both Powell and Mitchum are two of my favorite film noir actors. You can't beat the hats from that era! Wide ribbons, thin ribbons, even Westerns!
Yeah, you can’t beat Robert Mitchum in Out of the Past—one of my all time faves, as well.
 

T Jones

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,788
Location
Central Ohio
Dana Andrews was another classic film noir actor who had style and could wear a hat well:
"Where the Sidewalk Ends", 1950.
"Laura", 1944
"Fallen Angel", 1945
Pictures not in particular order
 

Attachments

  • laura_1944_500.jpg
    laura_1944_500.jpg
    124.3 KB · Views: 92
  • where-the-sidewalk-ends-1950-dana-andrews-shadows-tough-cop-beat-down.jpg
    where-the-sidewalk-ends-1950-dana-andrews-shadows-tough-cop-beat-down.jpg
    51.8 KB · Views: 95
  • fallenangel_600.jpg
    fallenangel_600.jpg
    54.3 KB · Views: 99
Messages
12,005
Location
Southern California
I don’t think the average man, in the 1940s, wore his hat like a movie star.

Certainly no more than most of us do now. The difference is that movie stars need to show their faces on-screen, so their hats were/are usually tilted on their heads away from the camera so their faces showed better and we audience members could/can recognize them. In real life, this isn't much of a necessity...actually, I think most of us would rather hide our faces. :eek:



;)
 
Messages
19,001
Location
Central California
I don’t think the average man, in the 1940s, wore his hat like a movie star.


Period non-posed photos show a huge variety in how men wore their hats. There were all sorts of hats, of course, but even when comparing similar proportioned hats of similar style there was a lot of personal preferences. Hats were an acceptable place to show individualism and style. While somewhat functional, hats were mostly a fashion accessory by the 1940s.
 

Who?

Practically Family
Messages
686
Location
South Windsor, CT
Period non-posed photos show a huge variety in how men wore their hats. There were all sorts of hats, of course, but even when comparing similar proportioned hats of similar style there was a lot of personal preferences. Hats were an acceptable place to show individualism and style. While somewhat functional, hats were mostly a fashion accessory by the 1940s.
I think this may be a case of “recollections may vary”

My dad, grandfathers and uncles all seemed to me to wear a hat the same as they wore shoes. A hat was simply one of the things a gentleman wore when he left his home.

Movie stars and folks posing for photographs were, of course, different.
 
Last edited:

The Lost Cowboy

One Too Many
Messages
1,696
Location
Southeast Asia
Period non-posed photos show a huge variety in how men wore their hats. There were all sorts of hats, of course, but even when comparing similar proportioned hats of similar style there was a lot of personal preferences. Hats were an acceptable place to show individualism and style. While somewhat functional, hats were mostly a fashion accessory by the 1940s.
Some of the best places to see this are 1950s and 60s television dramas. Perry Mason is a good example. The male extras who are seen walking around in hats demonstrate a remarkable variation of crown creases. It's also striking how asymmetrical many of the bashes are, as if they either went out of their way to make them so or simply didn't care enough to even try.
 
Last edited:
Messages
19,001
Location
Central California
I think this may be a case of “recollections may vary”

My dad, grandfathers and uncles all seemed to me to wear a hat the same as they wore shoes. A hat was simply one of the things a gentleman wore when he left his home.

Movie stars and folks posing for photographs were, of course, different.


For sure. I was just making two points:

1. There was a huge variety of styles of hats and an equally large range in how they were worn.

2. By the 1940s hats for most men were primarily fashion accessories. They might have been worn by conscious choice or from social expectations, but they were not very practical for most men. The same goes for neckties: they once had a function but now they are just fashion accessories that some don’t feel properly attired without.

The lack of practicality is what doomed the hat, and in particular the dress hat. The wider brimmed hats for people who spend a lot of time outdoors still serve a practical purpose and are therefore more common.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
109,094
Messages
3,074,028
Members
54,091
Latest member
toptvsspala
Top