Archive Collections: Capping it Off
By: Andrew Bermudez
(Mustache Maniacs Film Co. Headquarters; August 14, 2014)
Are you all excited that we only have one week left until the release of our latest animated film, Johnny Thunder and the Wisdom of the Ancients? We are, and to celebrate, we are showcasing something unusual but vital to this upcoming film in this edition of Archive Collections: hats!
While our company mascot, Mustache Max, wears nothing more atop his head than his hair, hats have played a vital role in our films, mainly as a way to make each character's silhouette more defined and recognizable. In fact, the main character in our next film, Johnny Thunder, is defined by his father's bush hat (we learn that it's his father's early on in the film). But, even before Johnny Thunder and the Secret of Marco Polo was released six years ago, hats were still a major part of Mustache Maniacs Film Co. films! Let's take a look at what Mustache Maniacs Film Co. characters have worn atop their heads!
First up is Basil's bellhop hat from the Cornerstone Thespian Society's production of Mystery at Shady Acres. Custom-made just for this production, this hat was designed to match the rest of the costume; it was intended as a blend of a bellhop uniform and middle eastern dress to signify Basil's ethnic origin. While this hat was mostly cloth, there actually is paper sewn in between the layers of fabric. This was done so that the hat would keep its shape, which has worked its purpose well. In fact, over seven years later, it's still intact.
Up next is the M.P.'s helmet, also from a Cornerstone Thespian Society production. This time, it's from Kilroy Was Here!, a play about a New York U.S.O. Club during the early years of World War 2 and a web of intrigue involving Nazi spies. This particular helmet is actually a re-painted Danish civil defense helmet that was bought at the Burbank-based surplus store, the Supply Sergeant, to we would like to thank them. Oddly enough, director Judy Barringer had this M.P.'s uniform modeled after the Vietnam War variant, highly inaccurate for a production based in 1942.
Speaking of Kilroy Was Here!, here is a still from the play, showing off Mrs. King's (center) head wear. According to the play, Mrs. King is the event coordinator and manager for the U.S.O. Club who invites Life Magazine to the club for one of their stories. For this character, actress Allison Pari gave the part a hyper and energetic flair, and the hat that she wears as part of her costume exemplifies these traits.
Sometimes, dressing up a serious character in a hat can make them comical, as was done to Papa Dodo for The Second Mustache Maniacs Film Co. Fan Choice Awards. Here, because he performs Mustache Maniacs Film Co.'s first rap song, he wears a baseball hat backwards, paying homage to stereotypical rapper garb. Actually, Papa Dodo didn't have the hat on in the raw footage; the song recycles footage from New Friends ~ An Environmental Fable, with the hat keyframed into place to match his movements.
If you've seen An Afternoon at the Zoo, we're sure that you remember the mean and cruel Rude Family. Well, believe it or not, one thing that they all have in common is that they all wear hats! In fact, this is one of the attributes that defines each character; the Rude Mom wears a cheap lady's fur hat, the Rude Dad wears a trucker's hat, and the Rude Boy wears a small propeller hat. The hats are designed to be just as crude as the family in order to make them even uglier.
To wrap this up, here is a image of the cast of Jolly Roger and the Pirate Queen, just to show the wide array of hats featured in that production. The wide variety of characters in this whimsical pirate comedy wore anything from bandannas and tricorn hats to a beret, a lady's summer hat decorated with flowers, and even a parrot-shaped fun hat custom-made for the character of Parrot! So click on the picture for a better view of this play's cast and hats off to an important, yet unsung, part of Mustache Maniacs Film Co.'s history! Join us next time for more Archive Collections!
Previously:
Wait! You're finally gonna talk abut Johnny's dad? *SQUEEEEEE!*
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