Tagged: Star Model B
Warren Oates’s Dark Brown Suit as Dillinger
Warren Oates as master bank robber John Dillinger in 1973’s Dillinger.
Vitals
Warren Oates as John Dillinger, Depression-era bank robber and “super gang” leader
Mason City, Iowa to Manitowish, Wisconsin – Spring 1934
Film: Dillinger
Release Date: July 20, 1973
Director: John Milius
Costume Designer: James M. George
Background
By March 1934, John Dillinger had well-established himself as a national criminal hero. He made a mockery of both hated bankers and inept police and, best of all, he kept getting away with it. Sure, he wasn’t the only beloved “Public Enemy” in the national scene, but “Baby Face” Nelson was too violent, Bonnie and Clyde were too incompetent, and no one had heard from “Pretty Boy” Floyd in almost a year. Continue reading
Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction
Samuel L. Jackson as Jules in Pulp Fiction (1994).
Vitals
Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield, newly enlightened mob hitman
Los Angeles, Summer 1992
Film: Pulp Fiction
Release Date: October 14, 1994
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Costume Designer: Betsy Heimann
Background
Written especially for him, the part of Jules Winnfield catapulted Samuel L. Jackson to enormous (and well-deserved) fame despite Pulp Fiction being his thirtieth film in twenty years of acting. Thanks to both Jackson’s performance and Tarantino’s script, Jules became an immediate sensation with an arsenal of brilliant lines and memorable scenes. Continue reading
Steve McQueen’s Bank-Robbing Black Suit in The Getaway
Steve McQueen as Carter “Doc” McCoy in The Getaway (1972).
Vitals
Steve McQueen as Carter “Doc” McCoy, Texas bank robber and parolee
Texas, Spring 1972
Film: The Getaway
Release Date: December 13, 1972
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Men’s Costumer: Kent James
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Adapted from pulp master Jim Thompson’s source novel of the same name, The Getaway stars Steve McQueen as Carter “Doc” McCoy, a paroled bank robber who teams up with his wife Carol (Ali MacGraw) and a few cronies to take down a Texas bank and line the pockets of a crooked political boss. The film is an excellent piece of ’70s action drama, full of twists, double-crosses, and Sam Peckinpah’s trademark violence. Continue reading
Three Days of the Condor
Robert Redford in Three Days of the Condor (1975)
Vitals
Robert Redford as Joe Turner, alias “Condor”, CIA researcher
New York City, December 1975
Film: Three Days of the Condor
Release Date: September 24, 1975
Director: Sydney Pollack
Costume Designer: Joseph G. Aulisi
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
In a July 2012 article of GQ, Sydney Pollack’s masterpiece paranoia government thriller Three Days of the Condor was named one of “The 25 Most Stylish Films of All Time.” Pollack apparently was shocked by questions about the wardrobe worn by Robert Redford, saying “He wore one outfit through the whole picture!”
True as that may be, Redford’s versatile costume throughout fits the character of Joe Turner, a desk-bound ex-military bookworm who finds himself in dangerous circumstances despite a relatively non-dangerous job with the CIA. Codenamed “Condor” by his CIA supervisors, Turner is “literally out to lunch” when a professional hit squad wipes out all of his co-workers, sending Turner on the run with no one to trust but a complete stranger, a troubled photographer that he takes hostage named Kathy Hale (Faye Dunaway), and presses into service to help him. Continue reading