Vitals

Duane Jones as Ben, resourceful zombie-hunter

Rural Western Pennsylvania, Spring 1968

Film: Night of the Living Dead
Release Date: October 4, 1968
Director: George A. Romero

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Especially here in western Pennsylvania, George A. Romero’s masterclass in economical filmmaking Night of the Living Dead has risen to mythic status among cinephiles. Though born in New York City, Romero graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1960 and remained local to Pittsburgh where he filmed short productions including a segment for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood before his directorial debut that became a landmark in independent film, horror cinema, and movies at large.

Night of the Living Dead premiered at the Fulton Theater in Pittsburgh on October 1, 1968, three days before its wider release that drew controversy due to its violence and bleakness—simultaneously exemplifying what was increasingly permissible in American cinema in the wake of the crumbling Production Code that had restricted filmmakers for more than thirty years.

Despite this harsh reception from critics and audiences not prepared for its content, Night of the Living Dead developed a growing cult following to become one of the most profitable movies ever made. It recouped at least $30 million against its $125,000, which Romero had kept modest through guerrilla filmmaking techniques and casting local actors and friends like legendary Pittsburgh TV presenter “Chilly Billy” Cardille as himself, allowing Romero to reserve most of the modest budget for special effects.

While many rightly include this iconic horror flick among their spooky season watch-lists in October, Night of the Living Dead also qualifies as the rare “Daylight Saving movie”. The action is quickly established to be set on the Sunday in spring when clocks spring forward an hour—much to the chagrin of the cynical Johnny (Russell Streiner), who lost an hour of sleep on the morning he accompanies his sister Barbra (Judith O’Dea) to their father’s grave site, said to be “200 miles into the country” though actually filmed in Evans City… just 30 miles outside of Pittsburgh.

After one of the titular living dead attacks the siblings and knocks Johnny unconscious, Barbra manages to escape in his ’67 Pontiac LeMans and find refuge in an isolated farmhouse, where she comes face-to-face with Ben (Duane Jones)—a serious, resourceful man of action who quickly takes command of the situation… and their survival.

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What’d He Wear?

Ben doesn’t dress like the typical zombie movie hero, instead more sartorially aligned with Andy Williams or Romero’s one-time collaborator Fred Rogers in his neutral-toned cardigan, striped button-down shirt, and loafers. Likely crafted with some acrylic in its fiber blend, this light-colored cardigan sweater has a plain six-button front with the lowest two buttons positioned closely on the waistband.

While laboring to barricade the farmhouse’s doors and windows, Ben peels off the cardigan and spends the rest of Night of the Living Dead in his shirt-sleeves. Thanks to color photography from the production, we know this shirt is a pale-yellow cotton with a faint double-striped pattern.

The shirt follows enduring Ivy style standards with its button-down collar, front placket, breast pocket, box-pleated back, and button cuffs. Under the open neck, we see the top of Ben’s white cotton crew-neck short-sleeved undershirt.

Ben tucks the shirt into light stone-gray flat-front trousers, cut with a medium rise and a tapered leg down to plain-hemmed bottoms. They have gently slanted side pockets and jetted back pockets, with a button through the back-left pocket. His belt adds a dash of Ivy-informed informality: a swath of dark nylon, banded with three narrow stripes and fastened through a double D-ring buckle in the front.

Ben matches the easy, presentable comfort of his cardigan sweater and open-neck button-down collar with simple apron-toe loafers, crafted with smooth brown leather uppers. He smartly pairs them with dark dress socks.

On his left ring finger, Ben wears what appears to be a class ring. This may be actor Duane Jones’ own class ring from the University of Pittsburgh (which I also attended!) He wears an all gold-finished watch on a gold expanding band, with a slim, minimalist gold dial detailed with non-numeric baton-style hour indices.

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The Truck

Ben had commandeered an abandoned 1951 Chevrolet Advance-Design pickup truck to make his initial escape to the farmhouse, recruiting fellow survivor Tom (Keith Wayne) to help him get it started again. Launched in 1947, the light- and medium-duty Advance-Design pickup was Chevy’s first major redesigned vehicle after World War II.

The original engine was a 216 cubic-inch “Stovebolt” straight-six, which powered all Advance-Design models through the 1954 model year, which replaced it with two larger straight-six engines and the option for GM’s four-speed Hydramatic automatic transmission. The ’51 Advance-Design featured in Night of the Living Dead would have had the original 216 straight-six, mated to a three-speed manual transmission with a column-mounted shifter (“three on a tree”).

From their introduction in 1947 until production ended in 1955, Chevy dominated American pickup truck sales with its Advance-Design and GMC’s counterpart, the New Design. After 1955, this model was replaced by Chevrolet and GMC as the Task-Force and Blue Chip series, respectively.

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The Gun

After using a crowbar to neutralize the first few zombies he encounters, Ben rummages through the farmhouse until he finds a Winchester Model 1894 that would become his primary ghoul-fighting weapon. Designed by John M. Browning and introduced in—you guessed it!—1894, this venerated lever-action rifle makes sense as the type of weapon one could expect to find in a rural farmhouse.

It was originally chambered for the .32-40 and .38-55 black powder cartridges, though it became the first rifle to chamber a smokeless powder round when a .30-30 Winchester Center Fire variant was added in 1895. More than a dozen calibers would be available over the Model 1894’s 100+ year production, including handgun rounds like .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and .45 Colt and even the .410 bore shotgun shell. Over the course of its production that lasted longer than a century, the Model ’94 broke records as the first commercial sporting rifle to sell more than seven million units.

Production manager George Kosana, who also portrayed Sheriff McClelland, brought a number of firearms to the Night of the Living Dead production, including this Model 1894 rifle. The screen-used Winchester sold for $7,000 in a 2007 Profiles in History auction.

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How to Get the Look

More traditional than tactical, Ben’s zombie-fighting outfit echoes Ivy tradition with its presentably worn-in versatility: a soft cardigan discarded when comfort is no longer needed, a hardy button-down collar shirt, trousers held up with a nylon belt, slip-on loafers, and touches of character through his class ring and gold dress watch.

• Pale-yellow double-striped cotton shirt with button-down collar, front placket, breast pocket, and button cuffs
• Light-colored acrylic-blend six-button cardigan sweater
• Stone-gray flat-front trousers with belt loops, slightly slanted side pockets, jetted back pockets (with button-through back-left pocket), and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Dark triple-striped nylon belt with double D-ring buckle
• Brown smooth leather apron-toe loafers
• Dark dress socks
• White cotton crew-neck short-sleeved undershirt
• Class ring
• Gold dress watch with round gold dial (with baton-style hour indices) on gold-finished expanding bracelet

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Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.

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The Quote

If you’re stupid enough to go die in that trap, that’s your business. I am not stupid enough to follow you.