The Oscars are on Sunday and it occurred to me that there should be a special award for where a hat plays a supporting role in a movie. I am a keen watcher of classic movies. I watch TCM (Turner Classic Movies) all the time and I get hat envy watching the actresses wear such wonderful hats. They are so inspiring. I just watched Goodbye Mr Chips. Greer Garson who plays the wife in the movie wears great hats (it’s set around the turn of the century – a golden age). I particularly love the bird winged sloping style she wears while meeting Mr Chip’s colleagues in the common room of the prestigious school. Well no place for a woman you say? Not unless you are the fabulous Greer Garson with a wonderful hat! More about Greer Garson later.
There have also been movies where hat style has been predominant. Who can forget My Fair Lady, especially the Ascot scene? I will write about that in a future post. Hats were the backdrop in many movie scenes. Did you notice the La Valle Millinery Shop as the backdrop in Gene Kelly’s iconic song and dance number “Singing in the Rain“?
I thought that you might want to consider situations where a hat has played a role in the movie itself – a part in the plot as it were rather than a part of “costume” per se.
I have three nominees for all time oscars for a hat in a supporting role.
The Bishop’s Wife, Mrs. Miniver and Witness for the Prosecution are my nominees.
The Bishop’s Wife (1947)
This is the story of a Bishop (played by the handsome David Niven) who prays for help to build a Cathedral and gets more than he asks for. God moves in mysterious ways! An Angel (played by Cary Grant – wow) comes to his aid in very interesting ways. Don’t we need an Angel now – I’ll settle for a Cary Grant look alike. The Bishop’s Wife is played by Loretta Young. It won an Oscar for best sound recording in 1947 and had four other nominations. A charming story.
What about the hat? In the beginning the wife is admiring a hat in the shop window. It’s kind of symbolic that she is looking for the fun that has gone from her life. Cary Grant observes her looking in the shop and also in a later scene. As a Bishop’s wife she apparently does not feel that she has the permission for extravagance especially during a fund raising Campaign to build a new Cathedral.
The hat was a very fancy hat with a mountain of curly ribbons, tied with a bow under the chin in a manner similar to the Regency bonnet. This hat longing all happens in the first five minutes and it is an integral part of the story line. In the end Cary Grant persuades Loretta to buy the hat. You can view an extract on You Tube (minute 5 in the excerpt). I love the other customer trying on the “desired” hat and Cary’s remarks to her – hilarious. Loretta buys the lovely hat and she transforms into a happy go lucky person. She goes on the lam on an adventure skating with Cary. It’s a glorious scene and truly cheers everyone up! The hat was a symbol of lifting the Wife out of her doldrums. Don’t we need that now?
Mrs Miniver (1942)
In Mrs Miniver the hat in question comes into play in the very first few minutes of the movie.It is symbolic of a diversionary extravagance at a time of great trouble. It is set in the early part of World War II when the outcome of the war seemed far from certain and the possibility of Britain losing the war seemed to be in play. An uplift was surely needed. Greer Garson (Mrs. Miniver) boards a bus on the way home. She is already wearing a fabulous hat by the way. She feels an irresistible urge to return to a Millinery Store to buy a hat she had apparently seen during her shopping expedition. It was a lovely hat with feathers – lucky it had not been sold!
All this seemed very foolish and extravagant during the war. She was worried about her husband’s reaction. She need not have worried. The husband, played by the suave Walter Pigeon, had just bought a car! Really could either item be afforded at that time? It is a charming story. I love this movie.
Mrs. Miniver won six Oscars in 1943 including best picture and best actress (Greer Garson). There were six other nominations including one for Walter Pidgeon. If you have not seen this why not?
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Another little known hat scene that plays a pivotal role in the movie plot is in Witness for the Prosecution.
In the movie Emily French (played by the very under rated Norma Varden) meets Leonard Stephen Vole (played by Tyrone Power – a suave lady’s man) while she is trying on hats in a hat store. Vole is window shopping (I’m not sure why he was looking in the window of a woman’s hat store – surely not a gift for his wife as he seems to say) and sees French trying on hats. One hat in particular strikes her fancy. It is an outlandish hat with a huge bow on the side. Maybe it would be fashionable now? (You can see the seen at minute 6.20 approx in this You Tube Clip) In a later scene Vole meets French again in a movie theatre where the infamous hat is obstructing the view (minute 8.20 approx). Vole befriends French. It’s 1957 and we do not actually see anything – it’s all innuendo and in any event we are not sure if it is more than good friends. Was cougar popular then? It was in Victorian times when Disraeli had an older wife.
Vole is an out of luck inventor looking for a break – support to commercialize his improved egg beater? His wife is played by Marlene Dietrich, my all time role model. She had such presence and style and is great in this movie. Vole is later accused of murdering French.
Vole relates the hat scene in a flash back to his barrister, played by Charles Laughton. My favorite quote from the scene from Laughton:
“I am constantly surprised that women’s hats do not provoke more murders”
It’s a great movie and was nominated for six Oscars in 1958. Norma Varden carries the hat well. As I say she was seen a lot in a lot of movies and does not seem to get much credit.
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Please let me know your choice. My personal favorite is the Bishop’s wife since the hat symbolized the achievement of joy. Let’s bring back wearing of fancy hats as a symbol of bringing joy to the world and take us out of these terrible doldrums and depression we have got ourselves into. Will you join me?
UPDATE Feb 20 8pm EST
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I vote for Mrs. Miniver. I watched all three movies after reading your post. Mrs. Miniver has so many lovely hats along with a touching story.
Thanks Teresa. Yes Greer Garson was great. The movie was voted by some as the best movie ever made. Great thanks for commenting.