Deborah Nadoolman Landis book: Dressed

Little Indy

New member
Alright, not sure if this is the right place for this but here goes. Deborah Nadoolman Landis is coming to a Barnes and Noble very close to me. I will have the chance to go and pick up her book and have her sign it. I am not guaranteeing anything here but I may have a few minutes to ask her a couple of questions. I am opening up the floor to suggestions for questions. Remember she was the costume designer for Raiders of the Lost Ark. Esentially her vision created what we all know and love as Indiana Jones. Go here for more information about her and her new book:
http://www.dressedthebook.com/Main.html Her book signing is December 4th so try and get any questions in by Monday December 3rd. I'll post what happens afterwards.
 

eazybox

Member
First of all, I'd thank her for giving us one of the most iconic costumes in movie history.

Then, I'd ask her what she meant when she said the hat used in Raiders was Herbert Johnson's "Australian model." Some fans interpret this to mean that the hat was actually made by Akubra and just sold by Herbert Johnson; others think she simply meant it was a hat with a broad brim, which is characteristic of Australian headwear.

I'd also ask her if the "turn" on the Raiders fedora (the feature that made the brim warp in a peculiar way on Harrison's head) was deliberate and her idea.

Lastly, there is a story that she chose Redwings as Harrison's boots, and that he preferred to use his own Alden's, which he had kept from his days as a carpenter. Is there any truth to this story?

You probably wouldn't want to impose too much on her time, though, and there will also be others waiting their turn. So-- in my opinion, there are probably more people who would like an answer to the first question than the other two combined.

Jack
 

Violet

Moderator Emeritus
Hate to say this, but The Raider. Net already has done an interview with her like a year back or so. Check the interviews page.
 

Little Indy

New member
Sure enough. I just checked the Interviews section and read it. Much better than I could have done. Thanks Vi. So disregard my original post no longer taking questions.
 

eazybox

Member
Little Indy said:
Sure enough. I just checked the Interviews section and read it. Much better than I could have done. Thanks Vi. So disregard my original post no longer taking questions.

The questions I suggested were not really covered in that interview, though-- for example, was the Raiders hat really Herbert Johnson's own "Poet" model, or a hat that was made by an Australian hat maker? I personally believe it was a Poet, but there is much controversy about it, and it would be nice if Deborah could put the issue to rest once and for all with a definitive answer.

Then again, when Spielberg himself confirmed that the seaplane hat in Raiders was grey and not brown, one fan who believes it is brown said something like, "Well, what does Spielberg know?..."

Jack
 

Little Indy

New member
I read Mrs. Landis' interview and I did notice her comment on the Australian fedora. What is exactly all the controversy as I am not really versed in the differences between fedoras. And as for the seaplane fedora does someone really beleive it is brown? We are talking about Indy leaving from San Fran right? Not the plane from South America.

On a seperate subject, would anyone be interested in me picking up a signed copy of her book for them? If so PM me.
 

eazybox

Member
Little Indy said:
I read Mrs. Landis' interview and I did notice her comment on the Australian fedora. What is exactly all the controversy as I am not really versed in the differences between fedoras. And as for the seaplane fedora does someone really beleive it is brown? We are talking about Indy leaving from San Fran right? Not the plane from South America.

On a seperate subject, would anyone be interested in me picking up a signed copy of her book for them? If so PM me.

In the DVD special features disc, as well as in the interview on theraider.net, Deborah said the hat chosen for Raiders was Herbert Johnson's "Australian model." Some students of the hat already thought the Raiders fedora looked so different from the hats in the following 2 movies, that it may actually have been a hat that was not made by HJ, but just sold by them.

Some of these people had also already theorized that the Raiders hat was really made by an Australian company called Akubra, and Deborah's statement seemed to lend weight to their theories.

Yes, a few fans have always insisted that the hat in the scene where Indy departs for Nepal is brown, and still do even after Spielberg recently confirmed to a Club Obi Wan staff member that it was grey-- his "travelling hat," as opposed to his work hat.

Jack
 

Little Indy

New member
Wow it's been a whirlwind adventure this week. Disney Indy figures came out so I ran over there to get a few. Deborah Nadoolman Landis was in town for a promotion of her new book and I ran over there to attend her presentation. Let me say that she is a very genuine, sincere person and I really enjoyed meeting her and listening to her presentation. The group was small so the feeling was a little more personal. She spoke briefly of the history of costume design, how costume design works to create part of the story as well as tell the story. The director has the ultimate say in the final look but as she joked some of the directors have no taste so they rely heavily on the costume designer.

Finally the subject of Indy came up(apparently and with good reason she is quite popular among Indy fans, for having designed the original image.) She mentioned that she will be doing an interview for an Indyfan Film Documentary.

So as far as the hat confusion goes. I don't think I can help. I asked her to clear the confusion about what she meant by an "australian model" fedora. She then explained about the typical image of an Australian hat with the one side tacked up and the chinstrap underneath. She said Herbert Johnson brought her this model that "he had in stock" (her words) She liked it and made a few minor adjustments. She cut some of the brim to allow for filming Harrison's face easier as well as shorten the crown. Then the conversation was directed to another topic and the window was gone. So, sorry I really didn't help with the confusion. :eek:
 

eazybox

Member
I think you may have just deepened the confusion! The possible chin strap has been debated for awhile, as some screen grabs of the Raiders hat seem to show the impression of grommets beneath the ribbon where a chin strap might have been removed. But as far as I know, no one's ever mentioned one side of the brim being tacked up before. This certainly does not describe HJ's "Poet" model. Oh well, I for one enjoy a good mystery!

Congratulations on your trip and on meeting Deborah. And thanks for the info. :hat:

Jack
 

Violet

Moderator Emeritus
The hat she has just described is the Australian Slouch hat. The hat which is traditional for the Royal Australian Army and best known as the hat worn by Australian soldiers in WW1, and is a symbol of the Gallipoli Battle, remembered on a national holiday, ANZAC Day. It seems that the hat she saw wasn't necessarily made by Herbert Johnson. The 'Poet' might have come sometime after, as I remember hearing that the hat they used in Raiders was no longer avaliable at the time of ToD and Nadoolman wasn't the costume designer for ToD. Many have commented on the differences especially at the Indy Gear forums. The Slouch hat btw, does have chin straps.
 

eazybox

Member
Violet Indy said:
The hat she has just described is the Australian Slouch hat. The hat which is traditional for the Royal Australian Army and best known as the hat worn by Australian soldiers in WW1, and is a symbol of the Gallipoli Battle, remembered on a national holiday, ANZAC Day. It seems that the hat she saw wasn't necessarily made by Herbert Johnson. The 'Poet' might have come sometime after, as I remember hearing that the hat they used in Raiders was no longer avaliable at the time of ToD and Nadoolman wasn't the costume designer for ToD. Many have commented on the differences especially at the Indy Gear forums. The Slouch hat btw, does have chin straps.

Akubra makes a hat called the "Bushman" with a chin strap that some believe may be the original Raiders hat, unmodified; up until now, most people thought HJ was just using an old block for the Raiders fedora that somehow got lost and could not be replaced, and that was the reason the TOD & LC hats looked so different.

I've seen the Australian Slouch Hat, but did not know much about its history. The shape of the crown is very Raideresque. This new information should be very intriguing to gear enthusiasts, to say the least.

Jack
 

eazybox

Member
Just to follow up on this, according to Patterson, who is rewriting the costume item histories at Indygear, he has seen documented receipts that prove all hats supplied to the Raiders production were HJ Poets.

Case closed? Probably not-- there is still a bit of mystery about why Deborah uses the word "Australian" so often in connection with the hat; and she also said she used an Australian hat from David Morgan (who made the whips); and there's another story (yet to be confirmed or refuted) that the Australian company Akubra ended up with one of the original Raiders blocks. But the receipts identifying HJ as the supplier should persuade many people who still had doubts...

You can read more about this at Club Obi Wan in the Lao Che's Table section under the title "I Need Questions." Also in the Fedora section under the heading "Deborah Nadoolman: Raiders Hat Had Chin Straps?"

Jack
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Speaking of chin straps, Mrs. John Landis also did costumes for Animal House...
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