# Famous Hats of Film and Literature (Spoilers Possible) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 29, 2007, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085 "2007-04-29T20:43:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mouse\_Maven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@Mouse\_Maven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mouse_Maven)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/1 "2007-04-29T20:43:50Z")
When I saw [Raiders of the Lost Ark](http://imdb.com/title/tt0082971/) for the first time, I loved the Fedora Indiana Jones was wearing – it defined the character and the era he lived in. In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Jack Sparrow’s hat had adventures of its own. My thoughts on Jack’s Hat: Metaphysical: Could this article of clothing be linked to his soul? Realistic: Are there enough lice in it that the hat smells of Jack’s blood? Are there any other examples of hats playing a large role in a story? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/2 "2007-04-29T21:15:47Z")
I thought Oddjob’s bowler in **Goldfinger** was pretty pivotal to the story. Gabby Hayes’ goofy hat marked him as a crusty cowboy sidekick who’s given up on the idea of ever getting laid again. The Dead End Kids’ signature derbies and porkpie hats seemed to be signature accessories. Rose’s hat in **Titanic** was one of the most glamorous character intros in film history. Marlene Dietrich’s top hat conveyed a very specific sexual ambiguity that defined her career. On **Homicide: Life on the Streets** , Pembleton, Meldrick and Munch knew how to wear hats. Meldrick’s bullet-riddled snap-brim was pivotal to one storyline. Munch’s made him look a bit like an undertaker. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/3 "2007-04-29T21:44:28Z")
The most famous hat I can think of is Sherlock Holmes’s hat – in fact, I always think of that style of hat as a “Sherlock Holmes Hat,” I had to look up that it’s called a deerstalker cap. I’m pretty sure this is from the movies, and not the books (although maybe the stage version?) Madeline has a very recognizable hat (yellow with the ribbons hanging down the back) and the Man in the Yellow Hat is so distinguishable that it’s the guy’s _name_. (I don’t know if he has any other name, Curious George always creeped me out as a kid.) ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/4 "2007-04-29T21:52:37Z")
In yer standard cowboy serial, white hats denote good guys and black hats denote bad. The hat color convention stayed the same for years so that old stock footage of chases and stunts could be re-used again and again. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/5 "2007-04-29T22:05:17Z")
A famous hat of literature? Heck, I’ll give you [five hundred](http://www.amazon.com/Hats-Bartholomew-Cubbins-Classic-Seuss/dp/039484484X/ref=sr_1_1/002-6553077-3561630?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1177884204&sr=1-1) of them! That, and the Golden Helmet of Mambrino. There can be no hat like it. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/6 "2007-04-29T22:09:26Z")
Does Frosty’s hat count? ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/7 "2007-04-29T22:11:15Z")
Oh and Johnny Fedora and Betty Bluebonnet. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/8 "2007-04-29T22:31:55Z")
Eliza Doolittle’s hat at Ascot in _My Fair Lady_? ---
**Author:** ![Lucky\_13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucky_13/32/13209_2.png) [@Lucky\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_13)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/9 "2007-04-29T22:36:51Z")
I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter books. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/10 "2007-04-29T22:46:49Z")
The Mad Hatter’s hat: [The Mad Hatter at the Court of Hearts — Illustration by John Tenniel for Alice in Wonderland](http://www.victorianweb.org/art/illustration/tenniel/alice/11.2.html) ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/11 "2007-04-29T23:01:15Z")
[QUOTE=Fern Forest] Oh and Johnny Fedora and Betty Bluebonnet. [/QUOTE] Nitpick. Shouldn’t that be Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet? (Betty Grable?) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/12 "2007-04-29T23:04:35Z")
_Thou golden helmet of Mambrino with so illustrious a past… Too long hast thou been lost to glory! But rediscovered now at last!_ Well technically it was a helmet and not a hat, and a shaving basin instead of a helmet, “but at least he’ll find it useful if he ever needs a shave”. I’ve no idea if it was created by Arthur Conan Doyle or by the movies, but Sherlock Homes’s [Deerstalker](http://tweedstore.com/club_images/largeitems/sr_glecr_BB15.jpg) is an immediate identifying hat, while Ignatius J. Reilly’s flap eared [hunting cap](http://www.pitt.edu/~kloman/duncesuk.jpg) is also very linked to the character. And since I noticed after submitting Delphica’s inclusion of the deerstalker (somehow overlooked it) I’ll add Hoodoo’s flying [top-hat](http://www.70slivekidvid.com/lids/whodfly1.jpg) from \*[Lidsville](http://www.needcoffee.com/html/headsup/images/lidsville.jpg) \* (which he also lived in IIRC). ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/13 "2007-04-29T23:04:57Z")
Am I actually first in with The Cat in the Hat? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/14 "2007-04-29T23:25:37Z")
**[The Italian Straw Hat](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018523/)** Fred Astaire’s "Puttin’ on a [top hat… .](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027125/) Chico’s pointed cap and Harpo’s top hat. Mike “Wool Hat” Nesmith of the Monkees (that was how he was billed). In music, there’s the classic Charles Mingus jazz tune, “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/15 "2007-04-29T23:27:49Z")
[In the first draft, the monkeys shit in the caps before they threw them back at the salesman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caps_for_sale) ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/16 "2007-04-30T00:02:43Z")
Anything Humphrey Borgart was in. Now there was a guy who could wear a hat. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/17 "2007-04-30T00:06:24Z")
[QUOTE=Cicero] Nitpick. Shouldn’t that be Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet? (Betty Grable?) [/QUOTE] [The Andrews Sisters](http://www.disneyshorts.org/years/1946/johnniefedoraandalicebluebonnet.html) ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/18 "2007-04-30T00:08:37Z")
[QUOTE=Cicero] Nitpick. Shouldn’t that be Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet? (Betty Grable?) [/QUOTE] Oops, I was going for a B-B name. Monkey D. Luffy from the anime One Piece wears a straw hat that is very important to him. ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/19 "2007-04-30T01:02:23Z")
The hats worn by Alec and his Droogs in “A Clockwork Orange” certainly added to the odd menance of their get ups… (A derby (Alec) and 3 top hats by the others if I remember correctly)… It was even featured in the poster… FML ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085/20 "2007-04-30T01:05:56Z")
[QUOTE=Krokodil] Rose’s hat in **Titanic** was one of the most glamorous character intros in film history. [/QUOTE] Oh yes-I WANT that hat. So very very badly. And let’s not forget Audrey Hepburn’s lampshade hat in _Breakfast at Tiffanys_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hats-of-film-and-literature-spoilers-possible/402085.md?page=2)