Tagged: Sport Coat & Slacks
Rock Hudson’s Corduroy Jacket on McMillan & Wife (“Murder by the Barrel”)
Rock Hudson on McMillan and Wife (Episode 1.01: “Murder by the Barrel”)
Vitals
Rock Hudson as Stuart “Mac” McMillan, San Francisco police commissioner and former defense attorney
San Francisco, Fall 1971
Series: McMillan & Wife
Episode: “Murder by the Barrel” (Episode 1.01)
Air Date: September 29, 1971
Director: John Astin
Creator: Leonard B. Stern
Costumes: Burton Miller
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Screen icon Rock Hudson was born 100 years ago today on November 17, 1925. After launching his career as a romantic leading man through the 1950s and ’60s, Hudson redefined the second phase of his career with a dramatic role in John Frankenheimer’s excellent experimental drama Seconds (1966) and the espionage thriller Ice Station Zebra (1968)—the latter a favorite of both Hudson himself and eccentric superfan Howard Hughes. Unsatisfied with the screen roles he was being offered, even after creating his own production companies, Hudson turned to television with the mystery series McMillan & Wife.
Hudson starred as San Francisco police commissioner Stuart “Mac” McMillan with Susan Saint James as his titular wife, Sally. The series may be the closest spiritual successor to The Thin Man films, as Mac and Sally’s witty banter and affectionate, equal-footed partnership recall the dynamic charm of William Powell and Myrna Loy’s Nick and Nora Charles. What sets McMillan & Wife apart from contemporaries, however, is that Mac isn’t a typical TV detective but a high-ranking commissioner, whose background as a criminal defense attorney gives him a greater familiarity with the city’s crooks and their cohorts.
Like the other NBC Mystery Movie pilots that debuted during the 1971-1972 season (specifically Columbo and McCloud), McMillan & Wife became a hit and the first canonical episode, “Murder by the Barrel”, aired less than two weeks later after its feature-length debut. Continue reading
Casino: Robert De Niro’s Lookbook as Ace Rothstein
Robert De Niro as Sam “Ace” Rothstein in Casino (1995)
Vitals
Robert De Niro as Sam “Ace” Rothstein, Vegas casino executive and mob associate
Las Vegas, 1973 to 1983
Film: Casino
Release Date: November 22, 1995
Director: Martin Scorsese
Costume Design: Rita Ryack & John A. Dunn
Tailors: Carlos Velasco, Tommy Velasco, and Vincent Zullo
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Martin Scorsese’s Las Vegas-centric crime epic Casino premiered in New York City thirty years ago tonight on November 14, 1995, eight days before its wider release.
Chronicling the rise and fall of the midwest mob’s influence in Sin City during the 1970s and ’80s, Casino stars Robert De Niro as Sam “Ace” Rothstein, a fictionalization of real-life bookie Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal (1929-2008). De Niro was re-teamed with Joe Pesci as yet another volatile gangster—this time the hotheaded Chicago hitman Nicky Santoro, based on Lefty’s actual pal Tony “the Ant” Spilotro, and Sharon Stone received an Academy Award nomination as Ace’s hustler wife Ginger.
Part of Casino‘s legacy is due to the lavish costume design by Rita Ryack and John A. Dunn, who researched and worked with the real Lefty’s tailors and shirt-makers to recreate the gambler’s eye-catching style for the screen. Continue reading
Killer’s Kiss: Jamie Smith’s Nailhead Jacket and Knitwear
Jamie Smith as Davey Gordon in Killer’s Kiss (1955)
Vitals
Jamie Smith as Davey Gordon, washed-up welterweight boxer
New York City, Fall 1954
Film: Killer’s Kiss
Release Date: October 1, 1955
Director: Stanley Kubrick
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Stanley Kubrick’s independently produced sophomore film Killer’s Kiss was released 70 years ago this fall—premiering in New York City on September 21, 1955, followed by a wider release on October 1st.
Pittsburgh-born Jamie Smith stars as burned-out ex-boxer Davey Gordon, whose growing romantic involvement with his neighbor—the alluring blonde taxi dancer Gloria Price (Chris Chase, credited as Irene Kane)—sets him dangerously at odds with her shady employer, Vincent Rapallo (Frank Silvera). Inventively shot and economically packaged (if somewhat underwritten) on a $75,000 budget, this tight thriller clocks in just under 70 minutes, benefiting from on-location shooting across New York from Penn Station and Times Square to the Brooklyn waterfront and “Hell’s Hundred Acres” in SoHo.
As Davey and Gloria plot their escape from the neon-lit nights of 1950s New York, the storyline and atmosphere read like a blend of Detour (1945) and Sweet Smell of Success (1957), making this little-known landmark noir an ideal starting point for Noirvember! Continue reading
Goodfellas: De Niro’s Windowpane Sport Jacket as Jimmy Conway
Robert De Niro as Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas (1990)
Vitals
Robert De Niro as Jimmy Conway, feared mob associate
Queens, New York, Spring 1980
Film: Goodfellas
Release Date: September 19, 1990
Director: Martin Scorsese
Costume Designer: Richard Bruno
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Today marks 35 years since the release of Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese’s kinetic crime epic chronicling three decades of Mafia life through the eyes of real-life Lucchese family associate-turned-informant Henry Hill (Ray Liotta). Though Henry was the ostensible protagonist, top billing went to Robert De Niro as one of Henry’s mentors-in-crime, Jimmy Conway. Continue reading
Shaft in Africa: Richard Roundtree’s Blazer and Turtleneck
Richard Roundtree as John Shaft in Shaft in Africa (1973)
Vitals
Richard Roundtree as John Shaft, tough private detective
New York City to Ethiopia via Paris, Winter 1972
Film: Shaft in Africa
Release Date: June 20, 1973
Director: John Guillermin
Wardrobe Credit: Frank Balchus
Background
Released just shy of two years after the first Shaft movie, Shaft in Africa was the third of the original Shaft trilogy that launched the late Richard Roundtree—born 83 years ago today on July 9, 1942—to stardom.
Shaft in Africa begins with Shaft in… uh, New York, where he’s kidnapped by representatives of Emir Ramila (Cy Grant), an East African tribal leader who wishes the famed private detective to infiltrate an European smuggling ring that’s exploiting African immigrants for cheap labor. When threatening him at gunpoint, offering him $25,000, and appealing to his emotions don’t seem to work, the emir and Colonel Gonder (Marne Maitland) finally appeal to Shaft’s circumcised Achilles heel by introducing him to the emir’s attractive daughter, Aleme (Vonetta McGee), who is assigned to teach this “uptown dude” the Manta dialect and tribal traditions.
Though the first act was indeed set and filmed in New York, the rest of Shaft in Africa was filmed on location in Ethiopia—reportedly only the third major production to be shot in the country. From its globe-trotting locations to the gadgetry issued to Shaft, Shaft in Africa clearly aligns John Shaft with James Bond… even though Shaft himself responds to the technology by telling Gonder:
Now, I’m not James Bond, simply Sam Spade.
Robert Ryan in The Wild Bunch
Robert Ryan as Deke Thornton in The Wild Bunch (1969)
Vitals
Robert Ryan as Deke Thornton, conflicted bounty hunter and ex-bandit
Texas to Mexico, Spring 1913
Film: The Wild Bunch
Release Date: June 18, 1969
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Costume Designer: James R. Silke
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Released today in 1969, The Wild Bunch reimagined the American frontier on screen. The New Hollywood movement ushered in a new level of brutality with films like Bonnie and Clyde (1967), which—along with his frustration over the Vietnam War and the lack of realism in earlier depictions of the Old West—inspired director Sam Peckinpah to return behind the lens.
Based on a screenplay co-written by Peckinpah, Walon Green, and Roy N. Sickner, The Wild Bunch follows an aging gang led by the grizzled Pike Bishop (William Holden), pursued into Mexico by a posse of ragtag bounty hunters led by Pike’s former partner, Deke Thornton (Robert Ryan), against the backdrop of the nation’s decade-long revolution. Continue reading
The Truman Show: Jim Carrey’s Brown Plaid Jacket and Yellow Sweater
Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank in The Truman Show (1999)
Vitals
Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, affable insurance salesman and unsuspecting reality TV star
“Seahaven Island”, Spring 1997
Film: The Truman Show
Release Date: June 5, 1998
Director: Peter Weir
Costume Designer: Marilyn Matthews
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Four days after its Los Angeles premiere, The Truman Show was released widely on this day in 1998. A critical and commercial success, the film earned three Academy Award nominations and marked a major turning point for Jim Carrey, who until then had been known almost exclusively for comedy. Though Carrey carried over elements of his elastic comic persona, his performance as Truman Burbank signaled a shift toward more serious roles, paving the way for later dramatic turns in Man on the Moon (1999) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004).
We meet 29-year-old Truman Burbank on Wednesday, May 14, 1997—the 10,909th day of his life… and the 10,909th day of a massively successful TV show secretly documenting every moment of it, 24/7. Continue reading
Don Draper’s Gray Jacket and Striped Tie for a “Zou Bisou” Birthday Surprise
Jon Hamm and Jessica Paré on Mad Men, Episode 5.01: “A Little Kiss, Part 1”. Photo by Ron Jaffe/AMC.
Vitals
Jon Hamm as Don Draper, 40-year-old remarried ad man
New York City, June 1966
Series: Mad Men
Episode: “A Little Kiss, Part 1” (Episode 5.01)
Air Date: March 25, 2012
Director: Jennifer Getzinger
Creator: Matthew Weiner
Costume Designer: Janie Bryant
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Mad Men‘s fifth season double-episode premiere “A Little Kiss” begins on Memorial Day 1966 and follows through the next weekend, when Don Draper’s new wife Megan (Jessica Paré) curiously decides to throw her husband a surprise 40th birthday party… despite knowing literally anything about him. Continue reading
French Connection II: Gene Hackman’s Windowpane Jacket and Aloha Shirt
Gene Hackman as “Popeye” Doyle in French Connection II (1975)
Vitals
Gene Hackman as Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle, gruff NYPD narcotics detective
Marseille, France, Spring 1975
Film: French Connection II
Release Date: May 21, 1975
Director: John Frankenheimer
Costume Designer: Pierre Nourry
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
A lot of people may not even know they made a sequel to The French Connection. And why’s that? Because they didn’t really need to make it. But Gene Hackman’s portrayal of the profane detective “Popeye” Doyle was lightning in a bottle, and the late actor went two for two in bringing Popeye to the screen.
The French Connection‘s director William Friedkin was more reluctant than its star to get involved, citing French Connection II and follow-ups to The Exorcist as “shit… simply made to cash in on the title.” Hackman may have agreed with Hurricane Billy but was admirably never shy about admitting when a movie was simply a “money job,” as he tersely described The Poseidon Adventure to Ben Stiller when the two co-starred in The Royal Tenenbaums.
And so Hackman reprised his Academy Award-winning role for French Connection II, released fifty years ago today on May 21, 1975. The sequel—which indeed does not include the definite article “The” in the title—picks up the action shortly after its predecessor, with NYPD narc Doyle still on the trail of the elusive and urbane drug kingpin Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey), who absconded to his native Marseille after the events of The French Connection. Continue reading
Rosemary’s Baby: John Cassavetes’ Light Blue Summer Sport Jacket
John Cassavetes and Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby (1968). Photo by Paul Slade.
Vitals
John Cassavetes as Guy Woodhouse, ambitious actor
New York City, Summer 1965
Film: Rosemary’s Baby
Release Date: June 12, 1968
Director: Roman Polanski
Costume Designer: Anthea Sylbert
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Happy Mother’s Day! In honor of one of cinema’s most infamous pregnancies, today’s post looks at the enduring style of Rosemary’s Baby—Roman Polanski’s 1968 adaptation of Ira Levin’s best-selling horror novel, which had been published less than six months before filming began.
Though the film’s fashion legacy largely belongs to Mia Farrow’s iconic pixie cut and stylish wardrobe as the titular Rosemary Woodhouse, her on-screen husband Guy—a struggling actor played by John Cassavetes—also exhibits a sharp and understated sense of style. Continue reading
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