More Fedora TV--Hercule Poirot

RedPop4 · Apr 17, 2006

That's just a couple. The episode I caught on Biography.com yesterday, was chock full of fedora wearers, all of the Inspectors, Chief Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson) who had only a brown. Poirot meanwhile changed hats a number of times in the two hours. Couldn't find a photo of the Chief Inspector, but Hastings, you see in one of the photos.

Oh wait, that's the Chief Inspector seated at left, next to Poirot who's sporting his Optimo.

mysterygal · Apr 17, 2006

Hercule Poirot is my #1 favorite character...just love his style

jamespowers · Apr 17, 2006

Yep, I saw it on last night. I watched the Sherlock Holmes show before or after it though. I just can't get into Poirot. Jeremy Brett always throws me when he wears that Homburg. It is contemporary to the time but a little on the edge considering it came into its own in the 1890s. It was far more popular after that though. The deerstalker would be more apropos. [huh]

Regards,

J

Baron Kurtz · Apr 17, 2006

I could never get into the Brett portrayal of Holmes. None of the maudlin humour essential to the character ...

I love the Poirot wardrobe.

bk

Shaul-Ike Cohen · Apr 17, 2006

Nothing personal, but this deerstalker really goes on my nerves. Only second to a calabash pipe, which, by the way, is never mentioned in Doyle's stories, and was probably introduced in a theatre play.

Some people think all it takes to be brilliant is wearing a deerstalker, a matching inverness cape, a ridiculously big calabash pipe, an equally oversized magnifying glass and a pronouncedly arrogant facial expression.

jamespowers · Apr 17, 2006

Baron Kurtz said:
I could never get into the Brett portrayal of Holmes. None of the maudlin humour essential to the character ...

See now, that is why I consider him one of the best. He is eccentric to the max and concentrates absolutely on the details without regard for the people around him. That is how I picture Doyle's Holmes. He is single-minded. Watson is also portrayed to be less of an oaf as he was in the Basil Rathbone genre. How could a doctor be an idiot at that time? Watson and I would say most of us, just couldn't grasps Holmes techniques in such fluid motion right before his eyes.
Whatever the case, Brett can no longer play Holmes again as he passed away not long ago. I will miss his take on Holmes.

Regards,

J

Shaul-Ike Cohen · Apr 17, 2006

Everett was excellent, too.

jamespowers · Apr 17, 2006

Shaul-Ike Cohen said:
Nothing personal, but this deerstalker really goes on my nerves. Only second to a calabash pipe, which, by the way, is never mentioned in Doyle's stories, and was probably introduced in a theatre play.

Some people think all it takes to be brilliant is wearing a deerstalker, a matching inverness cape, a ridiculously big calabash pipe, an equally oversized magnifying glass and a pronouncedly arrogant facial expression.

The pipe is sort of an enigma that is for sure. Brett never uses a Calabash either. He uses the long stem pipe with a small bowl that was also common then.
The deerstalker is, however, mentioned in the original texts.
The cape I like. In fact, I have one with my deerstalker cap but they are not of the same pattern. The ever present magnifying glass and the facial expression are probably over the top.

Regards,

J

P.S. Rather than hijack this thread further, I started a separate Sherlock Holmes hats thread.

http://www.thefedoralounge.net/showthread.php?t=8177

Shaul-Ike Cohen · Apr 17, 2006

Oh, I have nothing against the things themselves. In fact, I have an inverness cape, and wear it, though without a deerstalker cap. Among my pipes, there's no calabash, but there's one in this form:

I also have some clay pipes, which meanwhile are nearly as black and oily as those described in "the canon", but still, all this is independent of iconized Holmes clich?©s.

I share your like for Brett and the Granada series, which were successful in avoiding those style traps, as you describe.

geo · Apr 18, 2006

Poirot is a bit pompous in his dress, but that goes with the character. Capt. Hastings is correctly dressed for all ocasions, and his hats, suits, coats and two-tone shoes are great.

The costumes for Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes are taken directly from the original newspaper illustrations by Sydney Paget, from the time the stories were first printed.

matei · Apr 18, 2006

We'll watch the Poirot series whenever we catch it (which is quite often). I did see quite a few fedoras last time which were dead-ringers for the Herbert Johnson ones I had up until recently. Not the Indiana Jones, tall-crowned fedoras - these are wide brimmed ones with substantially lower crowns.

I really like David Suchet as Poirot. I happened to see Albert Finney in the role in "Murder On the Orient Express" the other day and found him supremely annoying.

Peter Ustinov was good as well...

Shaul-Ike Cohen · Apr 18, 2006

We used to say "Evil Under the Hats" for the film "Evil Under the Sun", but if I remember a-right, that referred to the unwonted ladies' hats.

The book is from 1941, I think, and probably set in this period.

jamespowers · Apr 18, 2006

geo said:
The costumes for Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes are taken directly from the original newspaper illustrations by Sydney Paget, from the time the stories were first printed.

Now that makes sense because it looks very authentic and what my mind's eye sees when I read the books. That other rot was so wrong that they had a phone ringing in Scotland Yard supposedly in 1902. Phones were not installed in the New Scotland Yard until 1903 and didn't even look the same. lol There were several other gaffes but I suppose movies make mistakes all the time.
It is just that I can believe Brett is Holmes and that Hardwicke is Watson. Homburg or Bowler it doesn't matter.

Yes, I remember Peter Ustinov used to play Poirot. To much better avail if I remember correctly.
Another that I like to watch for hats is Nero Wolfe.

Regards to all,

J

RedPop4 · Apr 18, 2006

jamespowers said:
Now that makes sense because it looks very authentic and what my mind's eye sees when I read the books. That other rot was so wrong that they had a phone ringing in Scotland Yard supposedly in 1902. Phones were not installed in the New Scotland Yard until 1903 and didn't even look the same. lol There were several other gaffes but I suppose movies make mistakes all the time.
It is just that I can believe Brett is Holmes and that Hardwicke is Watson. Homburg or Bowler it doesn't matter.
Yes, I remember Peter Ustinov used to play Poirot. To much better avail if I remember correctly.
Another that I like to watch for hats is Nero Wolfe.

Regards to all,

J

And the gaffes lead to "Mythbusters":fedora: :fedora: :eusa_clap

jamespowers · Apr 18, 2006

RedPop4 said:
And the gaffes lead to "Mythbusters":fedora: :fedora: :eusa_clap

What is up with his hat? Where is the ribbon? Did it get caught on fire in one of the experiments? :eusa_doh:

Regards,

J

Michael Mallory · Apr 21, 2006

Deerstalkers (or, as they were more commonly known at the time, "fore-and-afts") are country wear, not city wear. A Londoner would no more wear one than he would don an Inverness cape. The famous Paget illustration showing Holmes on the train with his deerstalker and Inverness was depicting a trip TO the country -- but it stuck. The homburg was really popularized by Edward VII, who came along somewhat late within the Holmes cannon. So the most probable headwear for him in the Victorian era is the top hat.

As for Rupert Everett's performance of Holmes, I thought it was brilliant portrayal...of Philo Vance. Unless Jeremy Irons or Richard E. Grant can be persuaded to take the part, I think there should be a moratorium on Holmes films.

RedPop4 · Apr 21, 2006

jamespowers said:
What is up with his hat? Where is the ribbon? Did it get caught on fire in one of the experiments? :eusa_doh:

Regards,

J

I started a thread on Adam Savage as well, it should still be on the first page. Someone posted an e-mail he returned to a member of the Indy forum, many of you belong to. It's an Akbura, but I don't recall the model name, and he doesn't have a band on it, by choice, I believe.

Shaul-Ike Cohen · Apr 21, 2006

Michael Mallory said:
Deerstalkers (or, as they were more commonly known at the time, "fore-and-afts") are country wear, not city wear. A Londoner would no more wear one than he would don an Inverness cape.

An inverness cape in the narrow sense, yes. A cape with a pelerine/tippet, commonly called 'inverness cape' nowadays, you'd find in London as well, of course.

Michael Mallory said:
As for Rupert Everett's performance of Holmes, I thought it was brilliant portrayal...of Philo Vance.

I see what you mean concerning Philo Vance, but still I think the original Holmes stories are much underrated as part of D?©cadence and Fin-de-si?®cle literature. All the ennui, the drugs, the emotional coldness, exotic animals, precious stones, arrogance and stress of self.

Anyway, should you see some youngster earn his PhD with this idea - remember you saw it here first

.

Twitch · Apr 21, 2006

I caught an old episode of Night Court on TV and realized I'd forgotten the judge, Harry Stone wore fedoras all the time. He wore 3 different nice ones in a 1/2 hour.:fedora:

RedPop4 · Apr 21, 2006

Yes he did, thanks for remembering that.

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