Posted on 06/27/2015 6:43:12 PM PDT by JoeProBono
Patrick Macnee, who has died age 93, was indelibly associated with the bowler hat he wore in The Avengers. Why is this headgear so evocative, asks Mario Cacciottolo.
As gentleman secret agent John Steed in The Avengers and the New Avengers, Patrick Macnee was synonymous with his character's trademark Savile Row suits, umbrella and, of course, his bowler hat.
The hat wasn't just for show. It was, along with his sword-concealing umbrella, Steed's main weapon of choice and was regularly lobbed at villains. Lined with chainmail, at various times it also served as a flashlight, a place to conceal a gun and even as a radio transmitter.
It became - along with the catsuits of Steed's female assistants - the key visual motif of the show. In France, The Avengers was known as Chapeau melon et bottes de cuir - Bowler hat and leather boots.
Macnee created Steed's distinctive look himself, apparently inspired by his father's flamboyant fashion. He may have chosen the bowler hat as a symbol of quintessential Britishness, but its origins are more workmanlike.
It was made by the world's oldest milliner, Lock & Co, in 1850 as a form of protective headwear. Its original name was actually a Coke - named after the soldier and politician William Coke, who ordered the hat to protect the heads of gamekeepers who worked on his Norfolk farm.
According to Lock & Co, the prototype was made by Thomas and William Bowler, hat makers in Southwark, and brought to St James's Street to be tested by Coke himself.
He did so by jumping on it and, because it withstood his weight, he bought it. The Coke became commonly known as a Bowler, after its makers. In America it became known as a Derby, after the horse race....
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Am I the only guy who wondered why they didn’t just take a pin and pop the damn thing?
I lover “The Prisoner” but I thought the last episode was a bit strange.
I loved “The Prisoner” but I thought the last episode was a bit strange.
I even owned a blue Lotus Elan in the 70’s...:^)
Bought it for $200 with a blown up engine. A nice car but looking back I think I was lucky I didn't kill myself in it.
I occasionally wear my derby. Lots of fun watching the double-takes!
You’d be surprised how many folks come up to me and tell me they love my hat and ask where they can get one. Kind of strange actually...
Loved The Avengers!
Thanks for the reminder. I noticed them on Netflix a while ago and meant to watch them but forgot. I’m always looking for a good series.
I wanted the sword cane.
You wanted a hat? I wanted Diana Rigg!
You got me there!
“It takes alot to make you forget Honor Blackman, but she did. It doesn’t get much hotter thn Diana Rigg circa 1965.”
I believe that Diana Rigg was my idea of a perfect woman when I was a kid. I feel 1000 years old when I see Diana Rigg on Game of Thrones now...
I wanted to be like Steed, smart AND strong AND cool AND handsome. That did not entirely work out.
Macnee was genuinely frightening in the original Battlestar Galactica.
You would not believe how he grew up. He has an autobiography.
Loved the Prisoner’s car as much as the series.
He knew every nut, bolt, and cog and he built it with his own two hands.
You remembered and beat me to the post.
Name the episode......
Count Iblis was a character I’d like to have seen more of. He was different from the Cylons and far more evil.
Sorry but Dick Weber was the best.....
Number Two tries to “break” Number Six, but fails. Number Six is then offered the job of “Number One” but strongly declines. Number Two then returns home.
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