Justus
Barnes is the cowboy shooting at the camera at the end of
the 1903 ground-breaking movie; TheGreat Train
Robbery. Images from the movie also can be seen at the
intro to Tombstone with Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer.
Broncho Billy Anderson may have emerged as the first movie
star because of this film, but it's this image that people
most often remember.
NOVEMBER
1ST 2009
IS THE CUT OFF FOR CHRISTMAS ORDERS OF CUSTOM COWBOY HATS!
PLEASE
PLAN AHEAD!
IF YOU MISS THE CUTOFF DATE WE SUGGEST YOU PLACE THE ORDER,
THEN PRINT OFF ONE OF OUR GOOD PICTURES OF THE PRODUCT AND
PUT IT IN A CARD OR A BOX FOR YOUR COWBOY.
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 excellent
western, Appaloosa, starring Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen,
and Renée Zellweger, in the fall of 2008 - 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
decades many of the best western drama's have been filmed
in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Powerful western
drama's like 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.Our Hat Experts
:: See
a new hat design from The Last Best West :: Testimonials
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. 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. Click
for everything you need to know
NOVEMBER
1ST 2009 IS
THE CUT OFF FOR CHRISTMAS HAT ORDERS! PLEASE PLAN AHEAD!
Our STANDARD delivery time is 6- 8 weeks delivery for our
quality hand made cowboy hats.
The Last Best Cowboy Hat. One of a kind Fur-Felt Art.E-mail
questions to:
100X- 100% Beaver Fur-felt Price: $515.00 | Shipping: $35.00
Total: $550.00 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.
The
production company had 7 hats made for Mister Duvall's
character in Broken Trail, all in 20X fur-felt,
and in natural color. In 5x the closest to Natural
is Sahara.
Prefer
Duvall's Custom Western Hat from the mini series Lonesome
Dove? click here.
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 1/2" satin ribbon and bow.
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.
Hat
Retainer
FITS SIZES 6 3/4 - 7 3/8.
If
you only wear your hat seldom; or have a number of
hats you wear, you will find our hat retainer a valuable
addition to maintaining the perfect shape of your
custom cowboy hat. And for those hats that are too
tight, this gadget will stretch them out for comfort.
Order
any hat in PURE BEAVER {100X} fur-felt and we'll include
a hat retainer at no extra cost. New hat purchases
only.
Order
with your hat
And keep the fit as perfect as when you first put
your custom Last Best Cowboy Hat on! Pay just 19.50
and save 5 bucks from our standard pricing. You can
easily add the hat retainer to your custom cowboy
hat order during the checkout process.
HAT
STRETCHER FITS SIZES 6 3/4 - 7 3/8. PRICE: $24.50
:: Shipping: $9.00 | TOTAL: $33.50 USD Order
Now | Checkout
FRONTIER
FUR FELT
The Dodge City is shown in 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. Not as long as Bill
Cody's hat to the right, but longer than today's
standard hat bodies.
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.
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.
The
Dodge City
ADDED AUGUST 2009 Color:Black :: Crown:Slight front pinch; adjusted pecan
top
Brim: 1/2" Pencil roll with
gentle hand roll. Hatband: Satin Ribbon with 1898
bow, with matching Bound
edge.
After
filming The Adventures of Robin Hood,
Warner Brothers top action star; Errol
Flynn was rushed into his first western
role, in the 1939 western; Dodge
City. The movie is quite entertaining,
with Flynn playing Wade Hatton
with more than a dash of Robin Hood
- if you catch my drift. Flynn favoured
this hat shape in many of the westerns
he later appeared in.
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:
Everett
Hitch Viggo
Mortensen's hat from Appaloosa Crown:
Telescope
Brim: Pencil rolled; Hand worked Bound
Hatband: 1 1/2" 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 1/2" Satin with bow.
Color shown: Black in Pure Beaver.
We
found the 2008 movie by Ed Harris; Appaloosa,
to be very entertaining. The story is
quite different from most westerns and
the acting is excellent.
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.
Pale
Preacher Crown:
Texas Straight
Brim: Hand worked Bound
Hatband: 2" Satin with bow.
Colors shown: Black and Pecan.
A
variation of the timeless Boss of the
Plains design which was the first "Western
Sombrero" made for the general public
in 1865. Immortalized by Eastwood's, Preacher
character in Pale Rider. And say, isn't
that Cate Blanchett sporting a Pale Preacher
in the western movie, The Missing?
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!
5X
Price: $305.00 | Shipping: $35.00
Total: $340.00 US :: Order
Now | Checkout
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 medium soiling
Johnny Carson called this the best western ever
made, and most would agree it's certainly in
the top ten. Canadian, Chief Dan George has
a memorable supporting role, and Eastwood has
often said this is his favourite western.
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.
5X
Price: $290.00 | Shipping: $35.00
Total: $325.00 US :: Order
Now | Checkout
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
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.
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
7" (inch) high crown and a 6" 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.
Custom
Wind String.
Heavy
Latigo lace includes this polished, hand-made
antler slider. Never lose your hat again
with this handsome stampede string.
Add
this custom wind string to any of our
custom hats for 25 dollars during the
check out process.
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.
5X
Price: $290.00 | Shipping:
$35.00
Total: $325.00 USD | Order
Now | Checkout
Indiana Jones
Classic Adventure hat
Crown: fedora pinch |
Brim: hand rolled - Open
Hatband: 1" Satin ribbon w/bow OR
leather. Color as shown: Pecan in 20X
Fur-felt
A
classic fedora crown with a rakish curve to
the brim brought this old hat back into public
favor with the enormously popular Indiana
Jones movies. With a tighter pinch, bound
edge and a kettle curl you get the look shown
by Gerald McRaney as George Hearst in Deadwood.
Our
Adventure Hat has a wider brim then Indies'
standard 2 3/4" wide fedora style - for
better sun protection. If you want it narrower,
or wider, with a pencil roll; bound edge or
not, just ask.
An
oversized version, with a tighter pinch, and
larger brim with bound edge was worn by Hugh
Jackman in Van Helsing. And NO
we don't do this hat in leather. And consider
this: A leather hat is next to useless in continued
heavy weather, and would be even hotter than
a fur-felt hat. Choose a 1" leather or
satin ribbon and bow for the hatband during
the checkout process.
100X:
100% Beaver Price: $515.00 | Shipping: $35.00
Total: $550.00 |
Order Now | Checkout
The
Tristan
Crown:
Slight pinch in front, Pecan top.
Brim: Hand Curl Open
Hatband: 1/2" Leather w/side tie
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.
5X
Price: $290.00 | Shipping: $35.00
Total: $325.00 US :: Order
Now | Checkout
Our
hats off to Joshua Anthony
for ordering the first one.
The
Alfred
Crown:
Modified Cattleman.
Brim: Hand worked Open
Hatband: 11/2" 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.
5X
Price: $250.00 | Shipping: $35.00 | Total: $285.00
US
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.
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.
If you want the best - order 100X . . .
Custom
Leather Products Bat
Masterson was one of the most feared
and respected "Shootist's"
of the Old West. He employed a cross-draw
pull, and his skill with a hand gun
was such that everyone kept theirs holstered
with Masterson around. Own a classic
custom holster inspired by Bat's simple
- yet elegant rig.
Shown in black cow hide, with heavy,
plain black belt. In the holster is
a 45 Cal. 1873 Colt Peacemaker,
with 4" barrel - nickel plated.
We will custom make to accommodate the
make, model, and calibre of your firearm.
Side arm is very secure when pushed
down in the holster and comes with a
hammer tie-down. Click
for our Custom Leather Page
Tombstone
Cowboy Hats
Click pics for larger image - then expand.
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 as shown: 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.
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.
Shown 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.
Val
Kilmer gave a brilliant performance as Doc Holliday,
". . .That's the rumour. . . ."
in Tombstone {1993}
Curly
Bill
Crown:
Telescope
Brim: Hand worked Open
Hatband: Braided Horse hair, with Wind
String wrapped around.
Color as shown: Sand in 20X Fur-felt
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 Broscious in the excellent
western movie, "Tombstone"
All
Wood!
Custom Cowboy Hat Box
Custom
all wood design keeps your hat nicely
elevated off the brim for storage and
display. Yes we know it's expensive.
Yes we know you can buy plastic hat
cases for 50 bucks - but is that the
look you want for your Traditional Cowboy
Hat?
Available
in 3 stain colors: Mahogany {shown}
Weathered, and Black. Comes complete
with rope handle, leather lid stops,
heavy metal hinges and a latch that
can be locked. The boxes are beautiful,
unique, and a real attention getter.
$255.00
+ $65.00 shipping. Total = $320.00 ::
Order
Now ::
Checkout
NOTE: CUSTOM HAT BOX SHIPS SEPERATELY
FROM YOUR HAT ORDER
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 antiquing
(add $95.00). Light would be what you see at
the left on the Dusty Augustus; medium would
be heavy sweat stains, like on the
Rossitter; and antiquing looks like our
Captain
York Cavalry Hat.
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.
Wanted
Dead or Alive ran from 1958-1961. If you've never
seen this TV Western, it is well worth the viewing.
The
Josh
Wanted Dead or Alive Hat
Crown: Telescope :: Brim: Hand worked Open
Hatband: Custom 3 braid 1/2" buckskin leather.
Color as shown: Chocolate with 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.
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.
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
Crown: Modified Cattleman
Brim: Hand worked Open
Hatband: Custom 2 braid 1/4" leather.
Color as shown: Sand in pure beaver.
A gritty, revenge type western, with Karl Malden
playing a nasty outlaw leader who's gang kills
McQueen's parents.
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.
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
Horn. Hired by the leading citizens of a county
to eradicate rustling, Horn goes about his business
too efficiently, making his employers nervous
for their own safety. When a local teenager
is found shot dead, Horn 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.
The
crown creasing of this hat is similar to the
Augustus, but it's the hand rolled brim shaping
that gives this movie hat its unique character
and look.
Tom
Horn {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
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