During a recent Propstore auction, yet another piece of Hollywood history has sold. An iconic brown felt fedora, donned in the second installment of the iconic Indiana Jones series, has found a new home. It sold for an impressive $630,000. This particular hat holds historical significance and is a symbol of adventure and audacity, mirroring the character Indiana Jones’ spirit of exploration and bravery. While this wasn’t one of Harrison Ford‘s hats, it was in fact a primary stunt hat, with amazing provenance.
The specific hat sold was featured prominently in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” which released in 1984. The film was a blockbuster, contributing to the hat’s notoriety and demand among fans and collectors. The expected selling price for this piece of movie history was initially estimated to be between $250,000 and $500,000. So it obviously surpassed all expectations.
The fedora came directly from the personal collection of Dean Ferrandini, the man who served as Ford’s stunt double throughout the filming of the movie. His work was key to bringing the adventurous and action-packed scenes to life, adding another layer of history to this film artifact. Ferrandini passed away in 2023.
Created by Herbert Johnson Hat Company, who also did the hats for Raiders of the Lost Ark, this fedora was a slight update on the original film’s version. According to Propstore, Costume designer Anthony Powell and assistant costume designer Joanna Johnston worked closely with Herbert Johnson on the update that incorporated a more tapered crown than the prior film.
During the filming, due to the unique shape of the hat, it’s been reported that keeping it securely in place during the intense and dynamic action scenes was somewhat of a challenge. The solution was to insert multiple pieces of foam into the interior of the hat, ensuring it didn’t fly off at inopportune moments and ruin the shot. This minor modification illustrates the practical considerations that go into creating iconic movie moments.
