Casablanca Hat Color

[Mulceber]

The title is pretty self-explanatory. I've always thought the hat Bogie was wearing in Casablanca was gray, but while watching the movie with friends last night, they commented that they thought it was brown. I may be eventually getting a hat based on Bogie's hat, so I gotta know: what color is it? -Mulceber

 

[photobyalan]

Brown.

Based on this.

and this.

Although the overcoats differ in each of these posters, I would have to guess that the artist for each saw Bogart wearing the hat (and not just a B&W still from the film). Further, the hat just doesn't look gray judging by the way colors are rendered on B&W film.

 

[epic610]

Bogie would never have worn...

a grey hat with a tan trench coat!

 

[feltfan]

Brown.

this.

Although the overcoats differ in each of these posters, I would have to guess that the artist for each saw Bogart wearing the hat (and not just a B&W still from the film). Further, the hat just doesn't look gray judging by the way colors are rendered on B&W film.

I'm not disagreeing- I would have guessed brown, too
(and probably Cavanagh), but that second poster appears to
be no earlier than the 70s and "retro", not vintage, so I doubt
the artist ever saw Bogart on set. As the site states, it's for
the reissue of the film. I was interested to note that most posters
that come up from a Google search for "casablanca poster" show
Bogart hatless.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

There must be color publicity stills from the set that would prove it beyond a doubt. Personally, I am positive it was brown, but that is not enough; I need to be able to prove it to you.

Sadly, I don't have the resources to present a definitive case.

Bogart reprises this look for "The Barefoot Contessa," which is in color and shows a brown hat and overcoat. That's a strong link, but hardly definitive.

When Turner -gasp- colorized Casablanca, he made the hat brown from information gathered on the set. This is more convincing, but since it coincides with one of the greatest acts of film desecration, it is a tough case to make.

Bogart's costume from the film is at the Warner Brothers Museum. Some one must have seen them. Perhaps, someone from LA could go and see them. While they're at it, they could check on the brand!

 

[Mulceber]

Thanks Hemingway, I just googled the warner bros. museum, and they do indeed have the Casablanca hat. Unfortunately, they don't post any photo's online, and the only way to get into the museum is by engaging in a tour of the entire studio. I think based on all the posters that have been done, and the way the hat appears in the film, that its safe to say that Bogie wore a brown hat. The only question now is what shade of brown... -Mulceber

 

[Matthew Dalton]

I heard the Casablanca script lists what colours each costume will be.

 

[Kaleponi Craig]

Looks brown to me...

 

[Mulceber]

I heard the Casablanca script lists what colours each costume will be.

I checked online, and found the script, but unfortunately it doesn't mention what color any of the clothing is. -Mulceber

 

[Naphtali]

Unlike houseflies and mosquitoes, something essentially evil may do you some good.

Go back a couple of decades. Ted Turner, and at least one other company, were "colorizing" classic B&W movies among which, I believe, was "Casablanca."

The principle of "colorizing," as I understand it, is to identify at least one color within the print on a gnat's rear end. From the values of tone and shading of that one color, a graphic editor can identify ACCURATELY remaining colors.

While the act of colorizing is desecration of product, COLORS within colorized motion pictures from first-line companies are accurate.

Find a print and view it while holding your nose.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

I checked online, and found the script, but unfortunately it doesn't mention what color any of the clothing is. -Mulceber

Well, remember the original "Raiders of the Lost Ark" script called for a gray fedora!

We just need to send someone into the Warner Brothers Museum, or else someone should write them a very polite letter and ask them the specifications: color, BRAND, model, and Size!

 

[thefedorastore]

... the greatest acts of film desecration, ...

I was understanding that they didn't desecrate any film, just copy it to the computer and colorized it, thus leaving the film in it's original state for those that cared about it.

I am quite happy to watch these movies in color. However, I am not a purest, and I am prepared for the barrage.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

I was understanding that they didn't desecrate any film, just copy it to the computer and colorized it, thus leaving the film in it's original state for those that cared about it.

I am quite happy to watch these movies in color. However, I am not a purest, and I am prepared for the barrage.

No barrage; just a healthy debate, My Good Man.

Taking a work of art, any work of art, out of the control of its creator is an act of desecration.

Colorizing is not as innocuos as it sounds. When the people at Turner's color labs made the decision to color "Violet's" dress violet in "It's A Wonderful Life" they were making directorial decisions above what was intended by Mr. Capra. This is desecration.

Also, keep in mind, "Casablanca" could have been filmed in color. Color film was widely available at the time, but Warner Brothers or Mr. Curtiz made the decision to film it in Black and White. Once again, to usurp this decision is desecration.

Let's use an analogy. In ancient Rome marble statues were often painted to appear more life-like. Why not make the decision to paint Michaelangelo's "David?" It certainly would make it more accessible.

Personally, I believe we must respect the original intent of an artist, writer, painter, or architect. I wouldn't want someone rewriting something I have written.

 

[Sefton]

I agree that it's terrible to colorize old (or new; how about Manhattan ) movies. At least they didn't make the colorized versions they "official" release...now that would have been unforgivable!

I'm surprised that no members have been to the mountain (Bogie's hat/museum) especially the southern Californians...

 

[Doh!]

Unlike houseflies and mosquitoes, something essentially evil may do you some good.

Go back a couple of decades. Ted Turner, and at least one other company, were "colorizing" classic B&W movies among which, I believe, was "Casablanca."

The principle of "colorizing," as I understand it, is to identify at least one color within the print on a gnat's rear end. From the values of tone and shading of that one color, a graphic editor can identify ACCURATELY remaining colors.

While the act of colorizing is desecration of product, COLORS within colorized motion pictures from first-line companies are accurate.

Find a print and view it while holding your nose.

That's not always the case. When they colorized Frank Sinatra in the film "Suddenly" they gave him... BROWN eyes. D'oh!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047542/trivia

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

Manhattan was filmed in b/w on purpose, Casablanca was rather a low-budget picture, and up to the sixties, colour vs. b/w was a question of money.

HJ, are you one of those who would nevah evah listen to Bach on the piano, as opposed to a harpsichord? And never a modern harpsichord, for that matter? (Who knows if Bach would have done away with his string-pluckers, had he ever heard a modern piano.)

Do you read books in translation?

Have you enjoyed a Shakespeare play in today's rather different pronunciation, be it American or British?

Do you like antique statues unpainted?

 

[Hemingway Jones]

HJ, are you one of those who would nevah evah listen to Bach on the piano, as opposed to a harpsichord? And never a modern harpsichord, for that matter? (Who knows if Bach would have done away with his string-pluckers, had he ever heard a modern piano.)

Do you read books in translation?

Have you enjoyed a Shakespeare play in today's rather different pronunciation, be it American or British?

Do you like antique statues unpainted?

Well, if you ask, yes, I would rather read books in their original languages, if possible, and any other work of art in its intended form. I would not be so bold to pressume what a genius like Bach would want done with his works. I'll leave that to folks with more expansive imaginations.

But you see, what I like or think doesn't matter. The fact is many of the Golden Era filmakers were alive when Turner and his crew went to work on their films and commented better than I ever could. I quote Orson Welles on Turners efforts to colorize "Citizen Kane," "Keep your G0dd@mn Crayolas away from my film!"

 

[photobyalan]

This post has veered way off topic, but this is a great debate, so I'm going to helpfully start a new thread in The Moving Picture.

 

[Mulceber]

yeah, lets try to remember this is about whether what color Bogie's hat was, not whether WB was justified in colorizing the movie. -Mulceber

 

[Faux Brummell]

This is an extremely old thread but I thought it needed a definitive answer! I reached out to Warner Bros. and they sent me this.