Questions

[Mycroft]

1. Was it popular to put cigars in one's suit brest pocket as Joseph Cotton did or even better Gomez Addams?

2. What was on the end of a chain, when wore with a zoot suit? A watch?

 

[Matt Deckard]

It's easier nowadays when you have the cool alluminum tubes to keep the cigar from getting crushed.
In a historical sense I guess it was done by the guys who knew how not to smash their stogies. Don't cross your arms.

 

[scotrace]

OR

Watch. Maybe cigar cutter. I saw a stunning fob the other day but it was a bit pricey.

 

[Mycroft]

Fobs, if they are nice, are preety pricey.

 

[Canadave]

Watch. Maybe cigar cutter...

I'd forgotten that! Cool. I remember seeing the cigar cutter on a fob in movies...does anyone have a pic of someone using one?

David

 

[Mycroft]

Anything on the end, not only on the fob?

 

[Flitcraft]

Re: Zoot Suit Chain

A lot of men carried their keys on chains that attached to the belt and ended in the front right pocket of the trousers.
For references, see Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep, when he opens his office door for Lauren Bacall.
Also, James Cromwell carries his keys that way in L.A. Confidential.
In Autobiography of Malcolm X, Denzel Washington, as well as several other hipsters, carries a long keychain, but, as with all the other aspects of the "Zoot" look, the chains are elaborately long and gaudy- more to attract attention than to serve a utilitarian purpose.

 

[Michaelson]

Definitely a key ring. I still have my Dad's from those days, and they were usually solid brass with a round clip type ring on the end. The other end had a hook that connected to the belt. Regards. Michaelson

 

[Mycroft]

Thanks a lot. What does your Dad's look like?

 

[Michaelson]

Other than rough? (grins) It has large serpentine links with a round ring at the key end that has a center metal snap. Wish I could post photos, I'd show you. Regards. Michaelson

 

[Mycroft]

Sounds cool, a real relic, I have liked them, along with zoot suits since finish reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X and Brother Ray.