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The fedora is the one item most recognized as Indiana Jones hats. Throughout the four movies, the fedora went through some changes. In each Indiana Jones movie, the fedora was shaped noticeably different. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Indiana Jones hats was the tallest with a straight sided crown and tight pinch at the front. In Temple of Doom, Indy's hat was shorter with a more tapered crown. In Last Crusade, the pinch was not as tight and neat as in Raiders. In the newly released movie... well, you will just have to see.
A Little History of the
Original Indiana Jones Hats
"One rather uneventful afternoon two gentlemen came in (to the hat store) and introduced themselves as Mr. Harrison Ford and Mr. Steven Spielberg.
Little did we envision at this point that the following conversation involving hats was going to produce one of the most instantly recognizable iconic Indiana Jones hats of the decade. Mr. Spielberg announced that he was on the brink of making an adventure film with Mr. Ford as the central figure and said that a hat was required as pivotal to the character and the plot.
The Salesperson courteously asked if there was a particular period involved, they didn't want anything too specific, so he suggested employing the oldest shape still being manufactured and carried in open stock. A tall crowned wide brim fur felt called "The Poet", as it had been made continuously since the 1890's and was ageless. As the character was to use it in different terrains a shade of brown called Sable was chosen. To make the Indiana Jones hats very distinctive, we shaped the brim into an ovoid to give protection to the eyes and neck, reducing the sides also helped with camera angles. The brim was pulled down to give an explorer/safari look, the original ribbon being changed from 50mm to 39mm to make the tall crown appear even taller.
This we set about (while) the future Indiana Jones patiently waited for the Indiana Jones hats return from the workroom. When the hat reappeared it had been total transformed and they appeared pleased. We carefully noted what we had been done and made a template as the original hat was to have a test run.
It evidently worked as the following week we received an order for 45 hats of assorted sizes, for Mr. Ford and the stunt extras."
The above story is as related from someone with the Herbert Johnson hat store.
This brings us to today with a new movie about to be released and some new hat models along with the traditional Indiana Jones hats that was first worn on screen by Mr. Harrison Ford in 1981. edoras used in Raiders of the Lost Ark were all reportedly supplied by Herbert Johnson based on a Brazilian line of hats. The brim was wide, with a tall untapered crown, very little rounding at the top, and a tight high pinch and center dent.
With the release of Temple of Doom in 1984, Stetson reportedly secured product placement in both the actual movie as well as in the marketing.
Last Crusade saw the return of a fairly distinctive hat profile. While not as dramatic as the Raiders hat, this Indiana Jones hats sported a tall untapered crown, but a less tightly pronounced pinch. In addition, the brim appeared to be slightly narrower with more of a prominent upward curl, and more of a snap-brim.
Stetson had allowed their license on the hat expire for Indiana Jones hats; and Dorfman-Pacific now holds the license agreement with Lucas Films Indiana Jones(TM) for the official Indiana Jones hat. Dorfman-Pacific is a large supplier of men's, women's and children's headwear.
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