Harry Belafonte in Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
Vitals
Harry Belafonte as Johnny Ingram, nightclub entertainer-turned-bandit
Upstate New York, Spring 1959
Film: Odds Against Tomorrow
Release Date: October 15, 1959
Director: Robert Wise
Costume Designer: Anna Hill Johnstone
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Today is the first anniversary of Harry Belafonte’s March 1, 1927 birthday since the multi-talented entertainer’s death last April at the age of 96. In addition to a singing career that popularized Calypso music around the world and his tireless activism, Belafonte acted on screen in more than a dozen films spanning over 65 years.
One of Belafonte’s standout performances is also from one of the coolest movies of the 1950s: Odds Against Tomorrow. This Robert Wise-directed film noir features Belafonte as Johnny Ingram, a New York nightclub entertainer whose gambling addiction leads to his recruitment into an upstate bank heist with ex-cop David Burke (Ed Begley) and bigoted career crook Earl Slater (Robert Ryan).
What’d He Wear?
Johnny Ingram dresses sleekly incognito for his arrival in the fictional town of Melton—actually filmed in Hudson, New York—to meet his two confederates on the morning of the heist.
“Your own mother wouldn’t know you in those dark glasses,” Burke encouraging remarks upon seeing Ingram’s tortoise-framed wayfarer-style sunglasses. Conceptualized by Bausch & Lomb optical designer Raymond Stegeman, this now-iconic trapezoidal eyewear was launched by Ray-Ban in 1952 and remains emblematic of the sleek style of the fabulous fifties.
Harry Belafonte looks almost impossibly cool as he peers out into the small town through his sunglasses.
Ingram wears a natty two-color striped tweed flat cap, styled with a double-prong buckle-adjusted strap across the back.
The black-and-white cinematography precludes any definitive identification of the color of Ingram’s single-breasted topcoat, but I wouldn’t be surprised to learn it was the rich tan shade known as camel for its resemblance to camelhair. The knee-length coat has notch lapels that roll to a three-button covered-fly front and a single vent in the back. The set-in sleeves are finished with semi-cuffs, each with a single button that fastens to the wrist of each sleeve, and the two large patch-style pockets over the hips are each covered with a flap.
Ingram’s base layer is a mid-colored turtleneck with a ribbed neck and sleeves.
This behind-the-scenes photo illustrates a far friendlier dynamic between Belafonte and Robert Ryan than their characters demonstrated on screen. Like Belafonte, Ryan was devoted to civil rights causes in real life and shared with the press when Odds Against Tomorrow was released that Earl Slater was “the kind of character that in real life [I find] totally despicable.”
Characterized by the elastic side gussets that allow a wearer to easily slip them on and off, the ankle-high Chelsea boots originated during the early 19th century, credited to Queen Victoria’s shoemaker Joseph Sparkes Hall who capitalized on the vulcanized rubber invented by American chemist Charles Goodyear to craft the elastic gussets.
For his role in the heist, Ingram changes out of his coat and cap into the uniform of a sandwich delivery driver with a white side cap, white jacket, white face mask, and white apron. The metal case of Ingram’s watch shines from his left wrist, but we never see it in enough detail to determine even the style.
Odds Against Tomorrow was an early credit for costume designer Anna Hill Johnstone, a contemporary collaborator with Elia Kazan on films like On the Waterfront and Splendor in the Grass who would later receive Academy Award nominations for her work on The Godfather and Ragtime.
The Gun
During the robbery, Ingram, Burke, and Slater each carry one of the “police special” revolvers that Slater had previously mentioned. The exposed ejector rod under the barrel and the shape of the cylinder release suggest that Ingram’s revolver is almost certainly a Colt, most likely a Colt Police Positive based on the medium-sized frame.
Colt introduced the Police Positive during the first decade of the 20th century, intending to compete with Smith & Wesson’s popular new Military & Police revolver—later to be re-designated as the Smith & Wesson Model 10. Initially available for a range of popular but less powerful calibers, the Police Positive was quickly retooled by 1907 to fire Smith & Wesson’s powerful .38 Special cartridge that was fast becoming a favorite among law enforcement. Like most 20th century service revolvers, the Police Positive has a traditional double-action trigger and a six-round cylinder.
Earlier in Odds Against Tomorrow, Ingram had been handed a “juvenile delinquent” .25-caliber pocket pistol to confront a loan shark, but he’s wisely outfitted with the more potent Police Positive for their heist.
How to Get the Look
Harry Belafonte in Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
Johnny Ingram’s topcoat, turtleneck, corduroys, and Chelsea boots provides a timeless template for dressing down in cooler weather without sacrificing class—adding a stylish touch with his striped tweed cap and sunglasses.
- Camel wool single-breasted knee-length topcoat with notch lapels, 3-button fly front, flapped patch-style hip pockets, corner-buttoned cuffs, and single vent
- Mid-colored turtleneck with ribbed neck and cuffs
- Dark pinwale corduroy flat-front trousers with turn-ups/cuffs
- Dark leather plain-toe Chelsea boots
- Dark socks
- Striped tweed flat cap with buckle-adjusted back strap
- Tortoise-framed wayfarer-style sunglasses
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Check out the movie.
The Quote
Some day I’m gonna snap off your poisoned head.
The post Odds Against Tomorrow: Harry Belafonte’s Heist Turtleneck appeared first on BAMF Style.