5 3/4" Crown

3 1/2" Brim

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Can be made in sizes: 6 7/8 - 7 3/4

Shown with:

Replica hat cord $20

Enlisted Sabers $7

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Optional: Chin straps with oblong grommets $30 

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Robert Duvall as Lt. Col. Kilgore in Apocalypse Now wore an unusual black felt hat with cavalry trimmings.  Duvall's hat was not the typical Stetson worn in "Nam".  Duvall's hat was formed on the Stetson 7" crown with a relatively small brim at only 3 1/4"  I prefer making these replicas with a 3 1/2" brim as I think it looks better, but 3 1/4" is shown.  It is ultimately your choice.  Notice the hat cord is not uniform correct having an all black cord;  black and gold is correct for an officer.  Lt. Col Kilgore also wore the enlisted sabers rather than the smaller gold plated sabers proscribed for officers.  

     

    You may have noticed that Col. Kilgore's hat was different in some scenes.  The center crease on the crown was deeper, at times, lowering the crown height, and there were more hat pins/badges on that hat too.  Most of you won't remember that the movie was filmed in the Philippines and was interrupted by a typhoon and the monsoon season.  The filming of Apocalypse Now turned into a long drawn out process and many scenes were re-shot at a much later date.  I suspect that something happened to the first hat so they used a substitute, this is why they have continuity directors and why the producers usually order duplicates.  Apocalypse Now set new records for production costs because of all the re-shoots. 

     

    We have seen another website where they claim to have made so many of the originals (however their replicas are not very accurate) and have read where they claim to have the official U.S. Hat blocks as were used for Duvall's hat.  This is B.S. As we said above, Kilgore's hat was not typical and there was no official cavalry hat.  I know, I was there.  If they have the original blocks then why does the shape neither match the actual Cavalry hat or Duvall's.  (look carefully)