Justus
Barnes is the cowboy shooting at the camera in the 1903
ground-breaking movie; TheGreat Train Robbery.
Excerpts can also be seen at the intro to Tombstone
with Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer. Broncho Billy Anderson
emerged as the first movie star because of this film, but
it's this image that people most remember.
Since
the Dawn of Cinema
the Western has been the greatest ongoing saga in film
history. The first true motion picture was a western (naturally!)
made by Thomas Edison's Company in 1903, called The
Great Train Robbery. With the debut of the brilliant
remake of the classic John Wayne western: True Grit,
starring Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, and Matt Damon
- the Western Movie has marked more than a century of
substantiating the iconic status of the Cowboy and the
Western Story.
Custom
Movie Hats from The Last Best West
For
more than 60 years many
of the best western drama's have been filmed in and around
Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Like AMCs outstanding new western
series, Hell on Wheels, most of which was
filmed within an hours drive of where we are in The
Last Best West. Other powerful western drama's
like River of No Return; Unforgiven, Legends
of the Fall, Open Range, Crossfire Trail,
Monte Walsh, Lonesome Dove (the series), Broken
Trail, Speilberg's mini-series, Into the West,
and the Brad Pitt western; The Assassination of Jesse
James by the Coward Robert Ford, are just a few of
the dozens of western's that have been filmed here.
Authentic
Designs from The Last Best West
We take our western heritage seriously and work hard at
preserving the qualities that made it great. Our custom
hats are made the old west way - one at a time, and believe
if you want that perfect western movie hat - you should
be able to get the same looking hat that the character
wore. You've worn the rest - now own the best!
We
start with the best fur-felt hat body available - made
in the USA - and with the skill of our master hatter fashion
as fine a custom western hat as you can find.
Crown
and Brim Measurements
We make custom cowboy hats
so the crown and brim measurements are pretty much redundant.
The hats you see online are our standard hats, if you
want a specific crown and brim height we will confirm
that after your order is received. We can make up to a
six (6") inch crown and a five (5") brim. Any
hat with a brim width of more than 4 inches we must start
with an oversized hat body, which adds a little to the
cost. Most of our cowboy hats have a crown height between
5 and 6 inches and a brim width of 3 1/2 to 4 inches.
Hat styles with a wider brim include The
Wasey, Quigley,
Everett
Hitch, Blondie,
Little
J, The
Dunson, Last
of the Dogmen, Wild
Bill, all our B-Movie
hats, and many of our Custom
Rodeo Hats.
For
a complete listing of all our hats - click
this link for our online catalogue. The
Last Best Cowboy Hat. One of a kind Fur-Felt Art. Our
standard delivery is still 6-8 weeks for our Custom Hand
Made Cowboy Hats.
ALL
HAT ORDERS SHIP WITH A WOODEN HAT STRETCHER. A $25
DOLLAR VALUE. NEW HAT PURCHASES ONLY.
Wooden
Hat Stretcher/Retainer
FITS SIZES 6 7/8 - 8 We
recommend all customers who OWN a good hat,
get a hat stretcher. It Is a small cost for a tool
that will help keep ALL your hats fitting properly.
As well, if you only wear your hat seldom; or have
a number of hats you wear, you will find our wooden
hat stretcher a valuable addition to maintaining the
perfect shape of your custom cowboy hat.
Questions
and quote requests should be e-mailed to
ORDERS CALL TOLL FREE: 1-866-207-1909. ::
Overseas
buyers please read this :: All
Our Contact Info ORDER
DESK HOURS: M-T: 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM MOUNTAIN TIME. IF YOU
GET VOICE MAIL LEAVE A MESSAGE!
Click pics for larger
image - then expand.
Broken
Trail Cowboy Hat
Crown:
Modified Cavalry Crease
Brim: pencil rolled - Open
Hatband: 1/2" braided leather Color shown: Dyed Natural
100X- 100% Beaver Fur-felt Price: $615.00 | Shipping: $35.00
Total: $650.00 USD Order
Now | Checkout
At
right is the June 2006 cover of Cowboys and Indians.
Robert Duvall's sporting his latest Custom Movie Hat
from the miniseries; Broken Trail, filmed in
and around The Last Best West.
Prefer
Duvall's Custom Western Hat from the mini series Lonesome
Dove? click here.
The
production company had 7 hats made for Mister Duvall's
character in Broken Trail, in 20X fur-felt,
and in a natural color. In 5X the closest to natural
is sahara.
Please
Note: Our logo is only on the images NOT the hats.
Click pics for larger
image - then expand.
Tom
Harte
Crown:
Modified Cavalry Crease
Brim: heavy roll on right - Bound Color shown: Pecan
100X - Pure Beaver Fur Felt.
Hatband: 1" inch satin ribbon and bow.
100X- 100% Beaver Fur-felt Price: $615.00 | Shipping: $35.00
Total: $650.00 USD Order
Now | Checkout
Thomas
Haden-Church crafts as fine a cowboy hero as you'll
find and standouts as Tom Harte in HBO's,
Broken Trail. {2006}
Broken
Trail from HBO starts off as a pretty simple story.
An uncle {Robert Duvall} wants to fix things between
his dead sister and her estranged son {Thomas Haden-Church}.
Prentice Ritter takes his nephew and 500 fine
horses north to sell to a horse broker for a big profit,
of which Tom Harte stands to get a good share
of. Very little goes smooth, and after the men liberate
some newly arrived young Chinese women, from a life
in a brothel, their situation takes a turn for the dangerous.
It's compelling story telling, in the hands of a master
director; Walter Hill. Filmed in The Last Best West
the scenery is spectacular and the acting stellar, and
the story never tires from the telling. Good men standing
up and doing the right thing.
Wild
Bill Jeff
Bridges hat from Wild Bill (1995) Crown:
Open Brim: Kettle Curl; Saucy roll on left
- Bound Color shown:
Bone in 50% Beaver Fur Felt. Hatband: 1" satin ribbon and bow.
100X- 100% Beaver Fur-felt Price: $670.00 | Shipping: $35.00
Total: $705.00 USD Order
Now | Checkout
Jeff
Bridges may bare the best physical resemblance
to the
historical James Butler Hickok, and
stands tall as Hickok in Walter Hill's Wild
Bill (1995)
Wild
Bill from Director Walter Hill has a story
that has little to do with historical fact, and
the movie has a sad underlying tone throughout.
Perhaps it was necessary to get across Hickok's
alleged morose nature in the last years of his
life; however you get the impression that Hill
wanted to craft a western version of Shakespeare's
Hamlet. We can't see twisting history for
a movie, and we doubt it will make people remember
your story. They will, but for likely all the
wrong reasons. Super hats tho. . . Click
here for Keith Carradine's Hickok hat from HBO's;
Deadwood.
FRONTIER
FUR FELT
The Dodge
City shown at right is made
with long hair Beaver fur-felt. Some call
it SHAGGY some call it GRIZZLY, we prefer
the name FRONTIER fur-felt to describe it,
as this is unsanded, and would have been
what the very first beaver fur-felt would
have been like.
You've
likely seen this look before in a western
movie. You can generally spot a long haired
fur-felt in most of the westerns filmed
in the 1930s and 40s. Errol Flynn wore it
in several of his western movie's. Click
for more about our Dodge City Hat.
Has
all the same characteristics as our fine,
standard hat bodies - just a longer finish
to the fur of the hat.
You
can request Frontier Fur Felt for any of
our hats, when your hat details are confirmed
with Sonja, within a day of your purchase
being made.
No extra charge.
NEW!
Wooden Hat Stand
For
years we have been looking for a good, top quality
wooden hat stand. We
finally got tired of trying inferior products
and designed one ourselves! Hat
stand is made from new, unfinished wood, glued
and screwed, and comes fully assembled. Ready
to be stained or painted to suit your taste.
And
when used with our hat retainer, perfectly holds
your hat size and displays your pride and joy.
Available in two sizes Tall ($45 - 17"
high) and Medium ($35 - 12" high) Click
pic at left for larger image.
SPECIAL
OFFERGet 2 STANDS a
Tall and Medium AND SAVE $15. Two
hat stands
for 70.00 ADD $35.00 SHIPPING $TOTAL 105.00 ::ORDER
NOW :: Check-Out
Questions
and quote requests should be e-mailed to
ORDERS CALL TOLL FREE: 1-866-207-1909.:: Overseas
buyers please read this :: All
Our Contact Info ORDER DESK HOURS: M-T: 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM MOUNTAIN
TIME. IF YOU GET VOICE MAIL LEAVE A MESSAGE!
Custom
Made For. . . .
All
our custom western hat's are personalized
with your name, initials, or moniker stamped
in gold foil on the sweat band, inside the
crown. No additional charge.
Exceptional
Service from The Last Best West
You'll get expert personal service designing
your Traditional Old West, or Classic Western Movie
Hat. If
you don't see what you want - send us a picture - and
we'll make our version of that hat.
Questions? E-mail us at:
Click
pics for larger
image - then expand.
Everett
Hitch Viggo
Mortensen's hat from Appaloosa Crown: Telescope
Brim: Pencil rolled; Hand worked Bound
Hatband: 1" Satin with bow. Color
shown: Dyed Natural in 100X. {Movie
hat is Pecan.}
This
big hat could have been copied from our Hickok.
To get the dimensions right for the Everett
we start with an oversized hat body, and work
the hat from there. If you wish a windstring,
you can add it during the check out process.
Virgil
Cole Ed
Harris' hat from Appaloosa
Crown: Homburg
dent
Brim: Hand worked Bound
Hatband: 1" inch Satin with bow. Color
shown: Black in Pure Beaver.
This
hat is a an adjusted version of a basic Boss
of the Plains style cowboy hat. Add a homburg
dent to the crown and give a nice dip to the
front of the brim and there she be. Pretty close
to a Fort Bragg version of the US Cavalry Hat
from the 1870s.
Randall
Bragg
Jeremy Irons hat from Appaloosa Crown:
Telescope.
Brim: Pencil rolled and hand shaped Bound
Hatband: Custom 1/2" leather with 10 small
star conchos. Includes custom windstring. Color:
Black in pure beaver fur-felt
Braggs'
hathas a telescope crown, pencil rolled
brim, then hand-shaped, and rolled higher on
the left. Appaloosa is such a good story, with
all the actors doing a fine job of moving the
story along. We have used 10 cut out star concho's
strung out along a piece of 1/2" inch of
leather. Our classic windstring
comes with this hat.
The
LaBoeuf
Crown:
Slight side pinch, top dent.
Brim: Hand Rolled Open
Hatband: Custom 1" dark leather with
2 buckles. Color:
Sahara in pure beaver fur-felt
The Coen Brothers remake of True Grit
is a fine retelling of a favourite western from
1969 that featured John Wayne's Oscar winning
performance. This True Grit has
more sand than the original and features fine
performances from the entire cast of Jeff Bridges,
Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Hailee Steinfeld, and
Canadian Barry Pepper. Movie hat is undyed natural.
What
you need to know to order with confidence
On our fact page you'll learn
about fur felt, see available colors, and see
step by step instructions for measuring your
head, ordering your custom hat, shipping, and
our refund policy. We also have a section on
general hat care, and Cowboy Hat Etiquette.
(not to be missed!) Click
here for all our Cowboy Hat Facts.
The Best of the Best - order 100x . . .
A
Note about Color Color
variances caused by individual computer monitors
are beyond our control.
Light colors will reflect heat the best - while
dark colors will retain the heat the most -
with black being the worst for staying hot (black
absorbs sunlight). However black is the
most formal color so bowlers and top hats were
generally black or dark gray. For the first
15-20 years cowboy hats were marketed - your
choice of color was black and about 3 shades
of brown. Please keep in mind we try to take
our pictures with natural light - so differences
between the same color reflects the difference
in light when the picture was taken: Indoors,
Outdoors, Sunny Day or Cloudy. Click
here for our hat catalogue.
Our
Brooks or Jesse James hat is stylish enough
to wear with a good suit of clothes, and also looks
sharp dressed down with a range cowboy's outfit. Just
add horse!
Purgatory
John
David Souther's Jesse James hat
Crown:
Texas Flat :: Hatband:
1" Satin with bow.
Brim: 1/2" Pencil Roll with gentle
hand roll. Bound
Edge Color:
Silver
Mist in pure
beaver. Movie hat is charcoal.
Purgatory
is a little gem of a movie, quite entertaining,
with an original and interesting story.
For a made for TV Movie, it has a number
of top flight actors like Sam Shepard,
Randy Quaid and Eric Roberts. The movie
moves along at a good pace, has some interesting
twists and the costuming is great.
The
Good, The Bad
The Blondie Sharpshooter Hat Crown:
Telescope
Brim: Hand worked with a 1/2" pencil roll
Open
Hatband: 3 twists of latigo lace. Color:
Sahara with optional light Trail Dust
Eastwood
wears a straw version of this hat, early in
the iconic western; The Good, The Bad, and
the Ugly. We don't do straw so here it is
in fine pure beaver fur felt. We start with
an oversized hatbody, to make
this big brimmed hat - and it ain't ugly!
Blondie
and Tucco are partners working a con,
and Eastwood wears this hat as he squints
down his long arm before shooting the hangman's
rope holding Eli Wallach.
Our
hats off to Rob Mather in New Zealand! for
ordering the 1st one!
ALL
HAT ORDERS SHIP WITH A WOODEN HAT STRETCHER.
A $25 DOLLAR VALUE. NEW HAT PURCHASES ONLY.
Wooden
Hat Stretcher/Retainer
FITS SIZES 6 7/8 - 8 We
recommend all customers who OWN a good hat,
get a hat stretcher. It Is a small cost for
a tool that will help keep ALL your hats fitting
properly. As well, if you only wear your hat
seldom; or have a number of hats you wear, you
will find our wooden hat stretcher a valuable
addition to maintaining the perfect shape of
your custom cowboy hat.
Old
West Fact
After the American Civil War there
wasn't much hard currency on the western frontier.
As a result most saloons would trade a small glass
of whiskey for a gun cartridge - as they were valued
the same; 12 cents. Soon cowboys started calling
these small glasses of whiskey a "shot".
So the next time you're in a bar and the waitress
asks you if you'd like a shooter - try trading a
cartridge for it!
What
a movie. Even if you've watched The Outlaw Josey
Wales 50 times, the conversation between Josey
and Ten Bears, near movies end, still moves
you. Canadian, Chief Dan George, has a memorable supporting
role, and Eastwood has often said this is his favourite
western.
Josey
Wales
Crown:
Slight front pinch, Pecan top.
Brim: 1/2" Kettle Curl Bound
Hatband: 1" satin ribbon/with Cavalry Cord Color
as shown: Bone with heavy soiling
Our
version of the Josey Wales has a bound
brim edge and a satin ribbon and bow for the
hat band, with the cav cord slid over it. You
can choose white, yellow, black, or red for
your cavalry cord. Inset picture shows the hat
with no soiling - make your selection during
the checkout process.
FOLKS!
CAVALRY CORDS AND HAT BANDS ARE NOT SOLD SEPARATELY
- ONLY WITH OUR HATS.
COWBOYS
AND INDIANS MAGAZINE
Our thanks to Cowboys
and Indians Magazine for giving
us a shout out in your Christmas Issue. We're
flattered our Josey
Wales hat was featured in the Holiday
Gifts for the Western Fan, section
of the December 2009 issue. Yer show exquisite
taste!
Our
hat has a kettle curled brim, we'll be happy to make
it flat like Clint's movie hat. We confirm all hat
details within 1 business day of the order being placed.
Hang
'Em High
Crown:
Slight front pinch, Pecan top.
Brim: 1" Kettle Curl Open
Hatband: 1/2" satin ribbon tied off cavalry
style. Color
as shown: Sahara in 50% Beaver
This was Clint's first big budget movie after
doing his Spaghetti Westerns. Mistaken for a
horse thief, he's hung, only to be cut down
by a US Marshall, before he could choke
to death. After he's absolved of his guilt by
Judge Parker he takes a Marshall badge and goes
after the men who did it.
OUR
MOST COMMON HAT QUESTION
Q: I'm looking for a ____ Hat. I checked your
product
catalogue and didn't see it. Can you make
it?
A: Yes. As I'm sure you can appreciate it's
just not possible to show all the different
variations of crowns and brims. If it's made
from fur-felt and you can supply us a good
picture - yes we can make it. Generally we
already carry the same style of hat, we just
shape it based on the photo or if it's a movie
hat we shape it from watching the movie and
seeing the hat from all possible angles to
get the look just so. We can do up to a
6" (inch) high crown and a 5" wide
brim. Click
for our other most common questions.
1898
Bow
This
was a common bow style of the 19th
century. If you prefer this bow style
for any of our hats, just request
it when your hat details are confirmed
via e-mail.
LADIES
BOW
Back in the 19th century and the first
4 decades of the 20th century, when
hats were a very common part of every
day dress, women's hats had the bow
on the right hand side. If you want
the bow on the right - request it
when your hat details are confirmed
via e-mail.
FOLKS!
CAVALRY CORDS AND HAT BANDS
ARE NOT SOLD SEPARATELY - ONLY WITH
OUR HATS.
Why
should men have all the fun?
Over
the years, many of the wives and
girlfriends that have ordered
hats for their cowboys, have asked
when we were going to do some
strictly ladies hats. - so here
we go, and remember ladies; back
in the day all women's hats had
the bow on the right.
Exceptional
Service from The Last Best West
Ladies, we will
give you expert personal service
designing your Traditional Old
West, or Classic Western Movie
Hat. If
you don't see what you want -
send us a picture - and we'll
make our version of that hat.
Custom
Wind string.
Heavy
Latigo lace includes this oak, custom
stained slider. You can choose either
a medium or large slider, custom stained
in Deadwood Brown or Old Oak. As well
you can select brown or black leather
lace. Add this custom wind string to any
of our custom hats for 25 dollars during
the check out process. Click on the picture
at left for a larger image.
Never
lose your hat again with this handsome
stampede string. Easily select your choices
during the checkout process. BUY
SEPERATELY by clicking the below link.
Where'd
those great Cowboy Hats from the Western Movies
come from?
Many were versions of traditional cowboy hats
from the 1800s - but most were from the imaginations
of the early movie stars like Tom Mix. The old
"B" Westerns from the 1930s and 40s
were rife with grandiose Cowboy Hats. Many
of today's most popular mass produced cowboy
hat designs were first seen in the Movies.
A
still from a silent western from the 1920s.
Notice the "Sugarloaf" Western Sombrero
on the left. This shape was the transition
from a straight sombrero to the Cowboy Hat.
The actor in the middle is wearing a version
of our "Champie"
Nothings
new under the Sun! Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp
in My Darling Clementine {1946} The
shape of his Cowboy Hat is almost the same
as hats in later Western Movies: The Man
Who Shot Liberty Valance, and Open
Range.
A
young Ben Johnson with a great Character
Hat in the classic western, She Wore
A Yellow Ribbon {1949}
Alan Ladd as "Shane" {1953} wearing
a gunfighter style cowboy hat similar to our
version - the Hidalgo.
The
Tristan
Crown:
Slight pinch in front, Pecan top.
Brim: Hand Curl Open
Hatband: 1/4" Leather braid. Color
as shown: Sahara; same as movie hat.
Legends of the Fall is an excellent western
story filmed in and around the Kananaskis area
of The Last Best West. His role as Tristan
made Brad Pitt a star, and sent him on
a collision course for Angelina Jolie. A great
looking hat for any and all occasions.
It
is easy to select your hat options during the checkout
process.
The
Decker
Crown:
Modified 3 pinch cavalry.
Brim: Hand worked Open
Hatband: 1/2" Satin with 1898 bow. Color:
Chocolate in pure beaver Frontier fur-felt.
Perhaps the most distinctive of all the hats
in Legends of the Fall, we start with
an oversized hat body to make the Decker
shown at left.
Decker
in Legends of the Fall is the ranch hand;
married to Pet, and father of Isabel
Two, who Tristan Ludlow marries.
There's a powerful scene near movies end of
Decker waiting patiently for the Cop
who carelessly fired his machine gun, who's
ricochet killed his daughter.
Paul Desmond is Decker; in
Legends of the Fall. {1994}
Our
hats off to Joshua Anthony
for ordering the first one.
The
Alfred
Crown:
Modified Cattleman.
Brim: Hand worked Open
Hatband: 1" inch Satin with bow Color
as shown: Chocolate brown
Aidan Quinn ably portrayed the oldest son, Alfred,
in Legends of the Fall - another excellent
western movie filmed in and around Calgary.
The fore father of the Open Road crown shape,
this hat looks good anywhere you might like
to wear it. Movie hat has a 1898 bow.
The
character, Alfred Ludlow, was the eldest of
the three brothers, and constantly seeking his
father's favor. Alfred grew to be a successful
business man, and later a politician, who married
the woman his other brother's couldn't.
Freshen
the look of your favorite old hat
with a new custom hat band from The
Last Best West. Introduced
in the spring of 2011 our hatbands
are all made by hand, and have that
authentic Cowboy flavor to help you
stand out from the herd. We still
won't sell the custom hat bands that
go with our great hats, but here's
a selection of 8 original hatband's
to help you make your own statement.
We've
adapted a slider so every hat band
ties off at the back and is held in
place by light pressure. It's surprising
fast and you can easily take our hatband
off and put it on a different hat.
This design innovation gives a dang
fine fit every time. :: Custom
Hatbands
Questions
and quote requests should be e-mailed to
ORDERS CALL TOLL FREE:
1-866-207-1909. :: Overseas
buyers please read this :: All
Our Contact Info ORDER
DESK HOURS: M-T: 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM MOUNTAIN
TIME. IF YOU GET VOICE MAIL LEAVE A MESSAGE!
Our
standard delivery is still 6-8 weeks for our
Custom Hand Made Cowboy Hats.
Custom
Cowboy Leather
Hand-made
custom gun
leather, that most every old
west cowboy and wrangler would have
needed to be a real Buckaroo.
All
our Cowboy leather has been researched
and designed; tried and tested by
Longfellow
in Old West Shows and at Cowboy
Action Shoots.Our holsters;
belts and chaps are based on pictures
from museums, archival photos and
mail order catalogues from the Old
West Era: The late 1800s and early
decades of the 20th century.
Johnny
Ringo
Crown:
off-kilter telescope :: Brim:
Open
Hand worked
Hatband: Black
1 inch satin with bow. c/w custom Wind
String wrapped over the ribbon:: Color:
Black
Hats
in the old west shipped with a satin ribbon
and bow for the hat band and cowboys would often
add their own hat band and just slide it over
the existing satin one. The costume designers
of Tombstone, went to great lengths making
sure the hats were period correct and unique.
Our
custom Ringo hat has the same off kilter crown
as the movie hat, and the same rakish upturn
to the right side of the brim. Instead of the
braided horse hair band that's sported in the
movie, we've chosen to wrap our custom wind
string, around the existing band.
ALL
HAT ORDERS SHIP WITH A WOODEN HAT STRETCHER.
A $25 DOLLAR VALUE. NEW HAT PURCHASES ONLY.
Wooden
Hat Stretcher/Retainer
FITS SIZES 6 7/8 - 8 We
recommend all customers who OWN a good hat,
get a hat stretcher. It Is a small cost for
a tool that will help keep ALL your hats fitting
properly. As well, if you only wear your hat
seldom; or have a number of hats you wear, you
will find our wooden hat stretcher a valuable
addition to maintaining the perfect shape of
your custom cowboy hat.
A
20X sand colored Doc Holliday custom hat made for
a theatre company in Nashville.
Doc
Holliday
Crown:
Fedora top and pinch
Brim: Bound
Hand worked, left side curled higher.
Hatband: Black 1 inch satin with bow. Color
in Black 5X Fur-felt with medium soiling.
Most
people would agree that there are many excellent
performances by the actors in Tombstone,
but undoubtedly the best of the best was Val
Kilmer as Doc Holliday.
Doc's
adversary amongst the Cow Boys, of course, was
Johnny Ringo. So naturally Doc's hat is the
opposite of Johnny's. The fedora working to
the crown suggests culture and education, and
the left turn up on the brim infers a dangerous
bent to his personality. In real life and in
the movie Doc straddled the line between good
and bad, but he always stood by the few men
he called friends.
Did
Doc kill Johnny Ringo as portrayed in the movie?
It's highly unlikely as history puts Doc in
a different town the day Ringo was found dead
in a grove of trees with a bullet in his forehead.
Curly
Bill
Crown:
Open
Brim: Heavy front upturn, hand worked Bound
Hatband: Custom leather with concho's - shown
with optional Wind String.
Color:
Sand in Pure Beaver.
Want an attitude? Put this baby on. You'll find
yer strut is a little tighter, your snarl a
little meaner. A great attention getter for
a show hat, regardless of the company you keep.
Powers Boothe set new standards for the "Laughing
Cowboy", in Tombstone, portraying
Curly Bill close to what history knows about
him. Most everybody liked Curly Bill, especially
the Soiled Doves who gave him his nickname for
his curly hair.
Powers
Boothe as Curly Bill Brosius in the excellent
western movie, "Tombstone"
Click pics for larger image
- then expand.
We
were honored to be asked to reproduce the
hat (modified
Curly Bill), chaps (modified
open range), and cartridge belt
(our
3 inch), shown at right being
worn by 1870s cowboy, Nat Love, for the Smithsonian
Museum of American History, in Washington.
Hello
Longfellow and Sonja!
Xavier
Carnegie here, just writing to thank you for
your amazing work on our gear pieces at the
Smithsonian Institution for our program “Love
on the Range,” featuring historic cowboy
Nat Love. Everything you folks made, from
the beautiful custom hat, to the leather chaps
and gunbelt, have been fantastic.
Attached is a reenactment photo of the famous
Nat Love photo I sent you months ago as the
blueprint for the gear, with myself as the
actor, which was taken by someone in our Media
Department, and digitally manipulated for
an 1800s effect. I submit it to you, with
all the gratitude I can muster for your expertise
and guidance in this process!
S.
Xavier Carnegie
Theatre Programs' Creative Director
Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Click pictures for larger image.
Turkey
Creek
Crown:
Open - 4 dent military
Brim: Hand shaped and
bent Bound
Hatband: Custom 1" satin ribbon and bow.
Color: Bone in Pure
Beaver Fur-felt Movie hat is undyed natural.
Comes with our custom Wind
String
Nothing
too complicated about this hat, worn by one
of the great character actors of the last 50
years, Buck Taylor. Back in the late 1960's
he had a clean faced, recurring role as Newly
on Gunsmoke with James
Arness.
Since
then Taylor has had featured roles in many memorable
westerns, including; Conagher, Roughriders,
Gettysburg, Comanche Moon, and Cowboys
and Aliens.
Texas
Jack Vermillion
Crown:
Open - Uncreased
Brim: Front Roll - flat
Bound
Hatband: Custom 1" satin ribbon and bow.
Color: Undyed Natural in Pure
Beaver Fur-felt Movie hat is bone.
Comes with our custom Wind
String
Another uncomplicated hat. A classic Boss
of the Plains, with a roll on the front,
bound edge and windstring. What sets this hat
apart is the attitude of the fella wearing it.
Peter
Sherayko is dynamite as Texas Jack, in Tombstone
This is one massive hat - easily one of the largest
we make. This puppy has a 6 inch crown with a 5 inch
brim.
Click
pics for larger image
Little
J
Stephen Baldwins' hat from Posse
{1993}
Crown:
Modified Cavalry pinch
Brim: Hand rolled heavy dip front and back Open
Hatband: 1 1/4" distressed leather Color:
Black with optional medium trail
dust.
Here's
an example of a client teaching us about a hat
style. Thanks to Bill Ingalsbe we found out
this hat style is based on the Civil War era
"Andrews hat" designed to fold in
half for easy packing. This odd hat style is
said to have originated in 1850s Texas. FYI:
Our hat is NOT meant to be folded!
Mario
Van Peeples' movie Posse {1993} has a
simple - yet muddled story line. After the Spanish-American
war a company of mostly black soldiers follow
their leader out west to avenge the murder of
his father. The movie moves at the frantic pace
of a rock video, sacrificing story and character
for a highly stylized look. Lots of cool hats
though. . . .
Our
hats off to Ant Done in Australia for ordering
the first one - good on ya mate!
Trail
Dust
Many
customers have been requesting that we dirty
up their new hats to make them look trail
worn. Pictured at right is a Dusty Augustus
- our Augustus
with about 2 years worth of trail dust - as
if a working cowboy had been wearing it.
We've
got three different degrees of trail dust.
Light (add $55.00) - medium (add $75.00),
and heavy (add $95.00). Light would be what
you see at the left on the Dusty Augustus;
medium would be like the dusting on the Rossiter; and heavy trail dust
looks like our Josey
Wales.
This
is a similar process that costume designers
apply to hats in the movies and t. v. Looks
authentic and yer friends will swear yer just
got off a trail drive, or a hitch in the Horse
Cavalry! You
can add trail dust during the check out process
- or request it when you call your order in.
Orders
call toll free: 1-866-207-1909.
Quigley
Up Yonder
Crown:
Modified Cavalry
Brim: Hand Rolled
Open
Hatband: Custom 1 1/2" Leather.
Color shown: Dyed Natural in 50%
Beaver Fur-felt
Includes a custom Wind
String
We
start with an oversized hat body to
make this big hat. High crown and big
brim it was popularized by Tom Selleck
(Movie hat is a bone color.) in the
good western movie, Quigley Down
Under. This beauty comes with custom
1 1/2" leather hat band and custom
wind string.
Steve
McQueen was due to play Matthew
Quigley in the early 1980s, but
with his untimely death, the project
sat idle for almost a decade. Then
Tom Selleck was given the role, Quigley
Down Under became box office gold
and Selleck rode out a Movie Star.
Click pictures for larger image.
Last
Stand at Saber River
{1997}
Tom Selleck's Paul Cable hat.
Crown:
Modified Sagebrush
Brim: Hand Rolled
Bound
Hatband: 1/4" cord with cavalry
tie. Color shown: Bone
in Pure
Beaver fur-felt
Shown with optional Windstring,
medium trail dust
Last Stand at Saber River is
set just after the Civil War and deals
with simple motivations. A man trying
to protect his family and keep what's
his. .
The
story moves along at a good pace with
a strong cast. Throw in some Old West
action, horses and the scenery of New
Mexico, and you have a winning combination.
Chet
Crown:
Modified 3 dent Sagebrush
Brim: Hand Rolled Open
Hatband: 1 1/2" satin Ribbon and Bow.
Color: UnDyed Natural in Pure
Beaver Fur-felt
This
movie hat is from a remake of a good western
from 1970 with Lee Marvin as Monte Walsh.
As good as that movie was this one with Tom
Selleck as Monte Walsh is better. Filmed
here in The Last Best West in 2003 this is the
hat style that Keith Caradine as Chet
wore in the movie. We start with an oversized
hat body to make this hat. Caradine's movie
hat is a black color.
Indian
Riffle Sheaths: Mountain men and trappers
were the first whites to wander the wild places
of the west, and they soon learned the value
of fine leather work from the Indians.
Four
different quality levels to choose from. Show
your style and carry your prized long-arm
in a classic Indian rifle scabbard.
We
promise to make no two custom pieces exactly
the same - and our originality and individuality
bring clients back time and again to our order
catalogue.
The
Rifleman
Chuck Connors' Lucas
McCain hat.
Crown:
Modified Cavalry
Brim: Hand Rolled
Open
Hatband: Custom 1 1/4" Leather
with conchos.
Color as shown: Whiskey in 5X
Beaver Fur-felt
Chuck Connors was deadly with his big
loop Winchester Model 1892 and filled
the screen as Lucas McCain in
the classic TV. western; The Rifleman.
{1958-1963}
Only 12 men have played pro Basketball
and Baseball. Chuck Connors was one
of them. His long acting career began
in 1952, and he never got a better role
than that of rancher, and single father,
Lucas McCain.
Silver
Mist is a true pale gray and a rich, authentic old
west color.
This
hat style was Scott's favourite and can be seen
in many of his best Westerns, like, Seven Men
from Now (1956) with Lee Marvin, and Comanche
Station. (1960)
Click pics for larger
image - then expand.
Randolph
Scott's western mystic is so powerful it was mocked
in the hilarious Mel Brooks parody; Blazing Saddles;
"You'd do it for Randolph Scott!" lamented
the Sheriff when the townsfolk refused to help him.
The
Tall T
Randolph Scott's favourite
cowboy hat. Crown:
Modified pecan top with cavalry pinch.
Brim: Hand rolled and shaped Open
Hatband: 1/2" twisted buckskin/w
custom windstring. Color: Silver Mist
in pure
beaver
Born
in Virginia and raised in North Carolina,
Randolph Scott was one of Hollywood's
top leading men in the 1940s and 50s.
The handsome, craggy faced actor was one
of the few movie stars who specialized
in a certain type of film. Starting in
1947 Randolph Scott made only westerns,
where he often played the tough as nails,
morally strong hero who stood up to the
thugs with a stoic, calmness. "Westerns
are a type of picture which everybody
can see and enjoy."
Randolph
Scott was an oddity for a movie star.
He avoided publicity, and at times seemed
to detest it. Smart investments made
Scott a multi-millionaire, so after
the Sam Peckinpah western classic, "Ride
the High Country" (1962) he
retired from films and public view at
the age of 64.
Questions
and quote requests should be e-mailed to
ORDERS CALL TOLL FREE: 1-866-207-1909. ::
Overseas
buyers please read this :: All
Our Contact Info ORDER DESK HOURS: M-T: 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM MOUNTAIN
TIME. IF YOU GET VOICE MAIL LEAVE A MESSAGE!
SORRY FOLKS!! HATBANDS
ARE NOT FOR SALE SEPARATELY -
ONLY WITH OUR HATS.
A
Paladin was an elite Medieval Knight. In Have
Gun Will Travel; Paladin - operating
from his base at the Carleton Hotel in San Francisco
- traveled the west solving mysteries and championing
right.
The
Paladin
Have Gun Will Travel
Gunfighters' Hat
Crown:
Modified Telescope
Brim: Kettle curl - hand rolled Open
Hatband: Custom 1 1/4" black OR
brown leather with 4 concho's. Color shown:
Black in 100% beaver fur-felt.
Have
Gun Will Travel was one of the most popular
shows of its era, and the hat Paladin
wore while he was out on his adventures,
changed a number of times during the series
6 years.
The
hat at left with the kettle curl is our
standard hat and the one we like the best.
You can also order the one seen below
that Paladin wore for several later seasons.
You
can select either style, easily, during
the checkout process. All hat details
are confirmed with Sonja within a day
of your order being placed.
An
ageing Randolph Scott was first offered
the role of a Knight of the Old West.
Richard Boone ended up with the part
of Paladin, in Have Gun Will
Travel; which became his signature
role.
Trampas
Crown:
Modified Canadian
Brim: Hand shaped Open
Hatband: 1 1/4" Custom leather with 6 concho's. Color
shown: Silver Mist in
5X Beaver Fur-felt.
The
classic tv series; The Virginian
debuted in 1962, and had a great run of 9 years
on the small screen. James Drury, Doug McClure,
and Lee J. Cobb, were the key actors, and the
series writers were very good.
Our
Trampas hat is based on the hat
worn by the likeable Doug McClure, in the named
role.
Wanted
Dead or Alive ran from 1958-1961. If you've never
seen this TV Western, it is well worth the viewing.
McQueen
played Josh Randall and his gimmick was a sawed
off winchester lever action rifle as a side arm. Randall
was a bounty hunter with a conscience and was cool,
when cool was. . .well. . .cool.
Click pics for larger
image - then expand.
The
Josh
Wanted Dead or Alive Hat
Crown: Telescope :: Brim: Hand worked Open
Hatband: Custom 3 braid 1/2" buckskin leather.
Color: Chocolate with optional medium soiling.
The 1950s have been called the Golden Age of
the Western, with good reason. Featured films
and TV were rife with western stories and plots.
Wanted Dead or Alive debuted during these
years, and established a young Steve McQueen
as an up and coming actor.
Steve
McQueen was a box office heavy weight in the
1960s and 70s and played a number of memorable
western characters. Josh Randall the
Bounty Hunter was one of them.
Nevada Smith is a gritty, revenge type western,
with Karl Malden playing a nasty outlaw leader who's
gang kills McQueen's parents.
Nevada
Smith
Crown: Modified Cattleman
Brim: Hand worked Open
Hatband: Custom 2 braid 1/4" leather.
Color as shown: Sand in pure beaver.
Brian
Keith plays the world-wise mentor who teaches
McQueen to handle a pistol, and sets him up
with the skills needed to go after Malden's
gang. Good story, good entertainment and some
sharp looking hats.
The
crown creasing of this hat is close to the Augustus,
but it's the hand shaped brim that gives this movie
hat its unique character and look.
Tom
Horn
Crown:
3pinch crease. Brim: Hand worked Open
Hatband: 3 braid rope.
Color shown: Silver Belly in 50% Beaver Fur-felt.
Realistic and gritty this dark, foreboding western
has McQueen playing the tragic figure of Tom
. Hired by the leading citizens of a county
to eradicate rustling, goes about his business
too efficiently, making his employers nervous
for their own safety. When a local teenager
is found shot dead, is charged with the murder
and left high and dry by his former friends.
Richard Farnsworth is excellent in support as
the two faced Cattle Baron; John Coble.
Tom
{1980} was pretty much Steve McQueen's'
last movie. It's somehow fitting that his fame
and fortune started with a western; Wanted
Dead or Alive, and finished with one.
Now
that you've seen our great hats we're sure you'll
want your own Custom Hat - so what are you going
to do with your old one? It'd be a pity to relegate
it to discard.
Jim Beaver as Ellsworth
in HBO's Deadwood.
Our
solution is to rotate it out and make a great
Character Hat. And here's how. Years
ago I read a story about how Tom Mix used to
crease and work all his custom hats himself
in the shower. So I decided to take his advice
and am more than pleased with the results. The
amount of time it takes is up to you. I had
the Ellsworth fashioned in less than 5 minutes
- then a further half hour fine tuning the look.
The steps I went through are pretty simple.
Click
for the rest of the story
/185_read_cowboy_227.jpg)
/180_city_country_344.jpg)
Goods and services provided by The Last Best West (AB,). Processed by 2CheckOut.com Inc. (Ohio, USA).