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 ...
‘I’m always looking for a good series.’
Foyle’s War
The Bletchley Circle
Sherlock (with Benedict Cumberbatch)
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries
Just a few I’ve enjoyed.
Hillary as the balloon-like Rover. That’s creepy!
btw, if you like good British TV, there is a good documentary series that places a couple of archeologists and an historian into various time periods in England and they live and work on the historical site. They can be found on youtube. There are several.
This one, Tales From the Green Valley, depicts 1620 and spans a year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSpqpwJ__Ek
Dick Weber was born on December 23, 1929 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA as Richard Anthony Weber. He was an actor, known for Pro Bowlers' Tour (1962), A League of Ordinary Gentlemen (2004) and Dick Weber: Bowling's Ambassador Lives On... (2007). He was married to Juanita Delk. He died on February 13, 2005 in Florissant, Missouri, USA.
It takes a Village...
I’ll check that out. Thanks!
See picture in post 38
It was too many semesters ago. I think the only reason I remembered the quote was that even before The Prisoner aired I was a Colin Chapman/Lotus fan.
Many Happy Returns.
as a long-time Prisoner fan, thank you for that line.
Do the name Ruby Begonia mean anything to ya?
Holy Mack’el!
Wasn’t Andy engaged to her at one point?
He knew every nut, bolt, and cog and he built it with his own two hands.
There was a good reason to build a kit car in the 60’s in the UK, and Lotus supplied to that market.
From wiki -
The British tax system of the time (Purchase Tax) meant the car could be supplied as a kit (known as “completely knocked down” or CKD) without attracting the tax surcharge that would apply if sold in assembled form. Tax rules specified assembly instructions could not be included, but as the rules said nothing about the inclusion of disassembly instructions, they were included instead and all the enthusiast had to do was to follow them in reverse.
It ended in 1973 with Common Market rules. The tax was significant in the 60’s varying from 25% to 55% depending on the year.
IIRC Lotus gave a free (or reduced cost) dealer service at 50 miles or so. If you could get your newly assemble kit car to drive to the dealers they would check it out for you...:^)
The 1964 Lotus Elan I owned came with the thickest workshop manual. It was nicely divided into sections and described how the disassemble and then carefully put it all back - this was the "not allowed" instruction manual. It even included all of the part numbers of the non-Lotus (Ford and Triumph Spitfire) parts that made up the car. Wiki doesn't mention it, but professional assembly help was not allowed.
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