What kind of hat style did the Green Hornet wear and what color was it?

The Green Hornet TV series and related topics

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GMartin58
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Re: What kind of hat style did the Green Hornet wear and what color was it?

Post by GMartin58 »

Just an FYI...here's my full outfit at present. New hat with black hat band is on the way...and I need to replace my scarf. The current one is very thin silk that is so light it won't stay in place. I'm only 5' 7" so I picked up some lift shoes that give me another 3". They look good but I feel for gals that wear high heels!!! Lol... I'm also wearing some silk thermal undergarment since I tend to get cold and my pants wanted to cling!! Oh the troubles of the modern crime-fighter!
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Ben Bentley
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Re: What kind of hat style did the Green Hornet wear and what color was it?

Post by Ben Bentley »

GMartin58 wrote: Tue Mar 07, 2023 5:04 pm Just an FYI...here's my full outfit at present. New hat with black hat band is on the way...and I need to replace my scarf. The current one is very thin silk that is so light it won't stay in place. I'm only 5' 7" so I picked up some lift shoes that give me another 3". They look good but I feel for gals that wear high heels!!! Lol... I'm also wearing some silk thermal undergarment since I tend to get cold and my pants wanted to cling!! Oh the troubles of the modern crime-fighter!
Honestly, the colors i'm seeing in your suit (in multiple lighting scenarios) actually "read" really well on camera. A dark band on your hat and a quarter inch trimming of your brim by someone with millinery experience, and it would be perfectly proportioned to your head and shoulders. You wear it well!
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DrewMasie
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Re: What kind of hat style did the Green Hornet wear and what color was it?

Post by DrewMasie »

Here's a suggestion for the scarf issue: You could use safety pins and pin it to the inside of the coat so just the amount you want showing is visible.
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Larry A.
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Re: What kind of hat style did the Green Hornet wear and what color was it?

Post by Larry A. »

GMartin58,
You look excellent as is! The larger brim gives the suit a "40's" vibe to it.
As far as the problem with the scarf, I feel You, as I had to add a hook and eye on the back of my ascot on my classic Battlestar Galactica Commander Cain outfit to keep it from riding up in the back.

As a costumer of some years' experience, I agree with DrewMasie...use safety pins & pin it to the inside of the coat. As I've found over the years, sometimes the simplest IS the best!

Cheers!!!!!!!
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BatToys
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Re: What kind of hat style did the Green Hornet wear and what color was it?

Post by BatToys »

The high end hat company said they think the color they have that matches the Green Hornet hat is granite and the price is $1495. A gray with a hint of green. Here is the color granite.

They said the heavier felt weight is for warmth but that even lightweight felt should not be worn in the summer because of humidity and sweat.
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Ben Bentley
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Re: What kind of hat style did the Green Hornet wear and what color was it?

Post by Ben Bentley »

BatToys wrote: Wed Mar 08, 2023 3:16 pm The high end hat company said they think the color they have that matches the Green Hornet hat is granite and the price is $1495. A gray with a hint of green. Here is the color granite.

They said the heavier felt weight is for warmth but that even lightweight felt should not be worn in the summer because of humidity and sweat.
If you ask someone to match a photo of a gray hat, they're going to show you a gray hat.

The majority of the photos in this thread are mostly warm and/or washed out copies of copies in bad lighting, with the exception of the screen cap from a "Piece of The Action".

This frame below is a screen grab from a bootleg, but igoring the resolution, this shot is daylight balanced, three-point interior TV lighting which registers in the 5500 to 6000 kelvin range. We can tell based on the white point of the shirt and balanced skin tone hues that this is in the ballpark of the colors being represented.
Crime_Wave.jpg
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BatToys
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Re: What kind of hat style did the Green Hornet wear and what color was it?

Post by BatToys »

Ben Bentley wrote: Wed Mar 08, 2023 3:52 pm
The majority of the photos in this thread are mostly warm and/or washed out copies of copies in bad lighting, with the exception of the screen cap from a "Piece of The Action".

This frame below is a screen grab from a bootleg, but igoring the resolution, this shot is daylight balanced, three-point interior TV lighting which registers in the 5500 to 6000 kelvin range. We can tell based on the white point of the shirt and balanced skin tone hues that this is in the ballpark of the colors being represented.

Crime_Wave.jpg
That does feel like more accurate colors. I'll show it to the hat company and see what they say.
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BatToys
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Re: What kind of hat style did the Green Hornet wear and what color was it?

Post by BatToys »

I put the picture through a warm filter which seemed to make the flesh color more lifelike so maybe they hat colors are more accurate?

Someone must own the screen used Green Hornet hat and that's probably the only way we'll know for sure hat color accuracy.
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GMartin58
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Re: What kind of hat style did the Green Hornet wear and what color was it?

Post by GMartin58 »

Thanks for the advice on the scarf. I'm the consummate perfectionist when it comes to cosplay. I've never been 100% happy with my mask. It's too shiny and no matter how much tweaking I do, it never seems to fit right. Does anyone have a Monsters In Motion mask by Kevin Gaunt? I'd love your thoughts.
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Scott Sebring
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Re: What kind of hat style did the Green Hornet wear and what color was it?

Post by Scott Sebring »

Here we go...

I never owned the Monsters In Motion one by Kevin but have seen more than one in my travels and tried one on in front of Kevin himself. Great guy!! It's been a long time but I don't think it's been reworked over the years. I personally think it's not as good as the CY one I've had over the years. The MIM has sadder-looking eyes and the cheeks fan out too much making it seem oblong to me across the face.
Kevin and I at SDCC 2012. Loved his outfit. Especially his coat and Sting!
Kevin and I at SDCC 2012. Loved his outfit. Especially his coat and Sting!
He had me try on his gear there on the floor!
He had me try on his gear there on the floor!
So, this is how a Monster in Motion GH Mask sits on my face. The eyes have sad, drooping corners unlike the originals.
So, this is how a Monster in Motion GH Mask sits on my face. The eyes have sad, drooping corners unlike the originals.


I initially got my stock Clint Young mask in 2006 and painted it with Krylon Hunter Green straight out of the can. I made my own decal for it back then but finally changed it to a metallic gold one in 2012 just before I got to meet Van Williams for the first and only time. What a fantastic guy!

Long story to make a point here, but a fun story that I don't think I've ever shared on the board. Van was making one of his rare appearances in later years at The Hollywood Collector Show in Burbank, in February of 2012. At the show, his wife Vicki came across me in the lobby of the show and saw me in costume while I was standing with my friend Ruben Procopio who was a very good friend of Van's and hers. Ruben introduced me to her. I then told her my wife Vickie spelled her name with an "ie". She laughed and said that I looked just like her husband did when he was younger. She then giggled (yes, giggled) and said it would be fun if she came in arm and arm with me to Van's table and tell him that she traded him in for a younger version. What a perfect way to meet Van by having his wife introduce me as the guy she's leaving him for. Too funny.
With Van's wife Vicki.
With Van's wife Vicki.
Strolling off with Vicki to play a joke on Van
Strolling off with Vicki to play a joke on Van


So we went in with arms around each other to his table. The joke went down with a big laugh and Van (who had a line) had me come around the table to meet him. Photographers started flashing away. We mugged for the cameras, he held me up with my gas gun and then I handed him my CY mask to try on. Of course, it looked amazing on him. People went nuts.
GH Masks 04.jpg
GH Masks 05.jpg


Meanwhile, another fan who was in the line (my memory fails me to remember his name right now) had an original, screen-used GH mask that he was waiting to get signed. The interior wear and tear showed it to be the exact mask that was used in "A Piece of the Action" and it still looked amazing although one of the ear pieces was broken off. The guy jumped the line and asked for Van to see the mask. Van took mine off and popped the original one on. Still fitted him like a glove. One of the things I noticed while standing there (and some photos will show) was how close my CY one with my paint job and metallic decal looked to the original in color, glossiness, proportion, and decal. The key thing about the original mask's hornet symbol is that it was hand-painted (not a sticker) and had a touch of florescent green on the highlights of the hornet's head, body, and wings that made it pop. Clever. Van posed with that mask as well. What a great thing to witness in person just a few feet and inches away. A day and moment that I will never forget!


Van wearing my CY custom painted mask with custom decal.
Van wearing my CY custom painted mask with custom decal.
The original mask that was used in "A Piece of the Action"
The original mask that was used in "A Piece of the Action"
The mask in "A Piece of the Action". Note the white worn away part on the ear piece that matches the one at the autograph show.
The mask in "A Piece of the Action". Note the white worn away part on the ear piece that matches the one at the autograph show.
Van now wearing the original screen used mask. Note the bright fluorescent green highlights on the painted hornet
Van now wearing the original screen used mask. Note the bright fluorescent green highlights on the painted hornet
Another look at the screen used mask
Another look at the screen used mask
And another.
And another.

Okay, the point of the story. Before that moment, I had done years and years of research on the costume pieces for color, shape, construction, and so on. I made upgrades and changes along the way. One of the areas that I am REALLY good at is color. It's literally part of my profession today for color-correcting images and photography. Back in the 80s, I use to do color matching for mixing custom paints for a paint company before we had computers for such things. I know color. As far as Batman costumes and props go, I know quite a bit about that stuff too from research and eventually getting access to the real stuff over the years. For at least fifteen years now, I've been consulted on many occasions by auction houses for checking pieces and assess if they're the real deal or not. I've kaboshed a few in that time where they either pulled the piece or heavily reworded the auction claims. As a result, I've had the privilege to see many items beyond Batman and have learned more and more about what can happen to items after a show ends, what happens to wardrobe after a production wraps, and how the Hollywood industry works on many levels (of course not all). I work in and with the film/TV industry peripherally, professionally, and socially with many of the people who live and lived it. So, my opinions and observations on these kinds of matters that come up on this board are by no means an end all but they have merit. I'll be the first to say I'm wrong but I'm willing to show the work to what led to my conclusion and advice. I'm not just an armchair quarterback saying, "I think it would probably work like this so therefore that MUST be the way it is" with the conviction and argument as near-proven fact in my delivery. "I read it in a Tweet" or, "I asked another non-expert in this specific subject and they have this to say..." This sort of banter has worn me through the years so I don't post as often or "get into the nitty gritty" as I use to although I probably should. I don't know it all but I've got some cred.

As a cosplayer, color has been one of my strengths when a one-to-one match isn't available from an original piece. My colors usually read really well in different lighting and such. For my own GH costume, my coat is its weakest point as it was a last minute off the rack find that my wife modified to get it closer without investing in a tailored suit. But the color looked close enough to work for my purposes unless I felt the need to invest more down the line for mach 2. So, I KNOW what doesn't look right in my own costume but I do know what would make it right. All in all, I got to stand next to Van Williams himself and the overall thing read very well. Especially the hat and mask. So, I'm not just throwing flippant theories and opinions without actually knowing what I'm talking about. I'm not just guessing how something should work or look and then proclaiming it as certainty.

So my advice for those still reading:

Mask: Get a CY Production one. Paint it with basic Krylon Hunter Green Enamel if CY's stock color isn't to your liking (probably won't be.) https://cyproductions.com/ghmask.htm

Hat: As I stated before. Try contacting https://www.baronhats.com/ They make great hats and are very reasonable for a place that makes custom hats.

Gloves: Gaspar Gloves not only makes the best Batman gloves but makes gloves for most Hollywood productions these days that need custom gloves or just well-tailored gloves. Like all great custom places that make things like gloves, hats and such, you're not going to shop for these kinds of pieces as you would on Amazon, search, click on it, and buy. You need to contact them, communicate, and send plenty of reference images. Many won't even know anything about the Green Hornet but know how items are made and the materials involved. She isn't going to know off the cuff which gloves would work as GH ones. If you are lacking in providing info and usable photos, just have her ask me to help supply some images to help out. I've been her webmaster for the past 16 years.

Green Hornet Coat: CY is the only one I'm familiar with still offering at a reasonable rate for a custom-tailored coat in that style. https://cyproductions.com/gcoat.htm I haven't looked into this item for a very long time so there may be other possibilities out there that I'm not aware of these days. If you know a really good seamstress/tailor and have access to and time to seek out the fabric, reference photos and everything you can think of to get them to replicate it, more power to you. Many have succeeded.

Most of all: Have fun!
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BatToys
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Re: What kind of hat style did the Green Hornet wear and what color was it?

Post by BatToys »

That was really neat to see Van wear the screen used mask. And the way it's painted. Thanks for sharing Scott.

Does Baron hats specifically make a Green Hornet hat? So if I mentioned it they would know what I'm talking about?
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BatToys
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Re: What kind of hat style did the Green Hornet wear and what color was it?

Post by BatToys »

Scott, May I share your photos with Art's Batman group?
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Scott Sebring
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Re: What kind of hat style did the Green Hornet wear and what color was it?

Post by Scott Sebring »

BatToys wrote: Thu Mar 09, 2023 2:36 am That was really neat to see Van wear the screen used mask. And the way it's painted. Thanks for sharing Scott.

Does Baron hats specifically make a Green Hornet hat? So if I mentioned it they would know what I'm talking about?
***ADMIN NOTE*****Honestly, you should read our posts before asking something we've already addressed in a thread that you are participating in. Not only is it more efficient in your quest but it's good manners and cuts down on thread clutter of redundant answers others have to sift through.******

It's not a stock item by name with them like "Green Hornet Fedora". But if you sent them one of the photos of me with my hat, that may tip them off on the color of the felt they used , size of the headband ribbon and width of the brim. I originally just saw a green fedora at their shop while I was picking up my Lone Ranger hat in 2006. Back then it was under $100. I had them change out the ribbon and years later took it in and had them trim down the brim. (Deja vu anybody else?) The main reason I suggest showing them my hat as opposed to a show one is because they actually made mine within the past 17 years so hopefully the felt shouldn't be a huge mystery.

Try this one:
ssgh_02.jpg
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Scott Sebring
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Re: What kind of hat style did the Green Hornet wear and what color was it?

Post by Scott Sebring »

BatToys wrote: Thu Mar 09, 2023 2:42 am Scott, May I share your photos with Art's Batman group?
What Batman group by Art?
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Scott Sebring
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Re: What kind of hat style did the Green Hornet wear and what color was it?

Post by Scott Sebring »

GMartin58 wrote: Tue Mar 07, 2023 5:04 pm Just an FYI...here's my full outfit at present. New hat with black hat band is on the way...and I need to replace my scarf. The current one is very thin silk that is so light it won't stay in place. I'm only 5' 7" so I picked up some lift shoes that give me another 3". They look good but I feel for gals that wear high heels!!! Lol... I'm also wearing some silk thermal undergarment since I tend to get cold and my pants wanted to cling!! Oh the troubles of the modern crime-fighter!
GH FanExpo 2023.jpg
Greg,
I've been checking out your cosplay online and here and your suit is so darn good. Your coat and colors really sing overall. I think if you hit your mask with some Krylon Hunter Green, it will knock down that shine to a livable gloss and make that green go a tick deeper. I see that you're planning on replacing the scarf. That's cool but here's some observations and suggestions on the scarf. Based on the one I've seen in your other pictures, you have too much of it. it wants to bunch up and overflow. You just want a thin line of white to trim the inside line of your green coat's collar. It needs to sit fairly flat to your body and against your neck. So you may need to have some cut away for your newer one if it's bulks up. THE SCARF MOVES DOESN'T IT!?? The darn thing wants to shift and tuck to every other side in front of the tie. I use to fiddle with it more than my utility and that's saying a lot. I eventually got some safety pins and tie tacks. I would get my scarf into the desired frame shape around the tie and between the coat fairly flat and then take two safety pins and go from behind the tie and through to the scarf to go down the line of the tie. This was to try and get it to stay with the tie with only the very top layer of the scarf not being pinned through. Then I took a tie tack (sometimes two if I could find the other one) and tacked the hidden parts of the tie to the shirt. A pain to get right at first but took care of nearly 90% of my ever having to fuss with it off of my hands. Last but not least, posing. You said you're 5'7" and getting some lifts. Okay, cool. But one thing that you do that makes you smaller and also can read a bit off is that when you pose, you tend to really hunker down and bend those knees like you're ready to play football. Split the difference in those action poses and ease on how low you go. Trust me, it will give you a better line to your suit as well. Van would crouch but not quite as far as you have in quite a few of your images. Don't get me wrong, you look great! But, you may find future images more to your satisfaction on how it's all getting presented. Please, please, PLEASE, feel free to hit me up privately about any of this stuff or just to gab about GH.
Let's roll! :)
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