Tagged: Colt Diamondback
John Wayne’s Plaid Sportcoat in Brannigan
John Wayne as Lt. Jim Brannigan in Brannigan (1975)
Vitals
John Wayne as Jim Brannigan, tough Chicago PD lieutenant
London, Fall 1974
Film: Brannigan
Release Date: March 26, 1975
Director: Douglas Hickox
Wardrobe Credit: Emma Porteous
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
If McQ was John Wayne’s Dirty Harry, then its spiritual successor Brannigan was his Coogan’s Bluff, a “fish out of water” cop film that finds the Duke’s taciturn American lawman in London to secure the extradition of arch-criminal Ben Larkin (John Vernon) under the watchful – and often judgmental – eye of the quintessentially English Scotland Yard Commissioner Swann (Richard Attenborough). Continue reading
Bullitt’s Suit and ’68 Mustang Fastback
Welcome to Car Week! The inaugural post will be a bit of an anomaly, as the outfit and the car featured are never seen in the same scenes together. Forgive this brief misstep and expect to see it rectified throughout the week. However, how could any blog like this start without featuring the legendary ’68 Mustang from Bullitt?
Steve McQueen as Bullitt (1968).
Vitals
Steve McQueen as Lt. Frank Bullitt, maverick SFPD inspector
San Francisco, Spring 1968
Film: Bullitt
Release Date: October 17, 1968
Director: Peter Yates
Costume Designer: Theadora Van Runkle
Tailor: Douglas Hayward
Background
There is little dispute among both film and automobile fans that 1968’s Bullitt features the best car chase scene in movie history. Steve McQueen faces off in a fastback Mustang GT against two hitmen in a black Charger. By now, diehard fans of the film know that the Charger legendarily overtook and outpowered the Mustang during the actual filming, although it was still edited to have McQueen’s driving emerge victorious as the Charger ended up, sadly, in a ball of flame. Continue reading
Bullitt at the Hospital
Steve McQueen as Bullitt (1968).
Vitals
Steve McQueen as Lt. Frank Bullitt, renegade San Francisco inspector
San Francisco, Spring 1968
Film: Bullitt
Release Date: October 17, 1968
Director: Peter Yates
Costume Designer: Theadora Van Runkle
Background
McQueen’s character in Bullitt is often remembered for two things: his handling of the green fastback Mustang during the car chase and the iconic shooting jacket and rollneck jumper he wore. Just prior to that sequence, we see Bullitt pulling an all-nighter at the hospital after the fatal shooting of the witness his men were protecting.
Very realistically, McQueen/Bullitt shows up at the scene in a casual shirt and slacks with a high-fastening and thick cardigan over it. Continue reading
Bullitt
Steve McQueen as Bullitt (1968).
Dressing for fall – especially in a city like Pittsburgh – can be difficult when the morning is 40°F, the temperature climbs to 75°F at noon, and a humid rain falls just in time for the drive home. And yet, Steve McQueen found a way to be prepared for all weather while looking cool and comfortable at the same time.
Vitals
Steve McQueen as Lt. Frank Bullitt, San Francisco inspector (they don’t call them detectives in the SFPD)
San Francisco, Spring 1968
Film: Bullitt
Release Date: October 17, 1968
Director: Peter Yates
Costume Designer: Theadora Van Runkle
Background
The definitive Steve McQueen style blog has a great statement:
One thing sane people do, as we all know, is spend a good portion of their spare time on eBay searching for a brown tweed jacket a bit like the one in Bullitt.
Although a relatively simple look, McQueen’s tweed jacket, blue rollneck, and desert boots grew to icon status for several reasons. Continue reading
