This is an original, Harrison Ford-worn Fedora from the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, released in 1989. The hat was worn in the opening sequences of the film on the boat, and was washed off before being rescued by a stuntman who took it home as a keepsake.
As the film came out almost 40 years ago, and due to the fact it was thoroughly soaked in the shipwreck scene, the hat is now showing signs of wear and water damage – though you wouldn’t expect a film-used Indiana Jones hat to be anything other than a little worn.
The on-screen dynamic between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery is one of the key reasons the film did so well at the box-office. Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) is the third film in the Indiana Jones series, directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by George Lucas. It follows archaeologist and adventurer Dr Henry “Indiana” Jones, famously played by Harrison Ford, as he sets off on a globe-trotting quest to find the legendary Holy Grail.
The story opens in 1938 with a young Indiana Jones (played in flashback by none other than River Phoenix) attempting to recover a stolen artifact, these early scenes help to establish two of Indiana’s most famous traits – his moral compass and his fear of snakes.
The main plot picks up when Indiana is approached by wealthy art collector Walter Donovan, who is funding a search for the Holy Grail. Donovan explains that Indiana’s father, lifelong Grail scholar Dr Henry Jones Sr (played by Sean Connery), has vanished during the expedition. Indy travels to Venice, teaming up with Dr Elsa Schneider to trace his father’s last steps – he soon finds Henry Sr imprisoned in a Nazi-held castle in Austria.
After a dramatic rescue, the Joneses follow clues from Henry’s Grail diary to the ancient city of Alexandretta, ultimately arriving at the hidden temple that houses the Grail. Along the way Elsa is revealed to be working with the Nazis, and they find out that Donovan seeks the Grail not for faith, but for the claimed immortality it offers to any who drink from it.
The film’s most famous scenes come near the end, there are a deadly series of tests based on ancient Christian iconography. Donovan drinks from a false grail and rapidly ages to death, while Indiana selects the true Grail, a humble cup, and uses it to save his wounded father.
The film ends with the Grail lost behind a collapsing temple and the surviving heroes riding off into the sunset.
Indiana Jones’ Fedora From The Last Crusade
There can be few pieces of Indiana Jones memorabilia more desirable than a screen-worn fedora from one of the films, particularly from one of the more beloved films in the series.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) is the third film in the Indiana Jones series, directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by George Lucas. Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
“This hat was specifically worn by Harrison in the water based scenes on board the boat at the start of the film. During filming it was knocked / washed off his head into the water, from where I retrieved it and retained it.” – Stunt Double Jim Dowdall
The hat is now being offered for sale in an online auction through Julien’s. The bidding is currently open and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.
Images courtesy of Julien’s + Paramount Pictures
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