Sam Elliott in Road House (1989)
Vitals
Sam Elliott as Wade Garrett, reliable bouncer
Jasper, Missouri, Spring 1988
Film: Road House
Release Date: May 19, 1989
Director: Rowdy Herrington
Costume Designer: Marilyn Vance
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Background
Today is the 80th birthday of Sam Elliott, the prolific actor who has brought his commanding voice and distinguished mustache to a variety of roles from his breakthrough performance in Lifeguard (1976) to hits like Mask (1985), Tombstone (1993), The Big Lebowski (1998), and A Star is Born (2018), to name just a few.
The first time I saw Road House, I was surprised to see that Elliott had shaved his signature soup-strainer to portray Wade Garrett, the tough and trusted bouncer that professional cooler Dalton (Patrick Swayze) calls to the small town of Jasper, Missouri, where local crime boss Brad Wesley (Ben Gazzara) is making his task of taming the Double Deuce more of a challenge than he hoped.
Of course, Jasper isn’t entirely unfriendly to Dalton, who has made the romantic acquaintance of local physician Elizabeth “Doc” Clay (Kelly Lynch), whom Wade compliments after a long night of drinking and dancing by declaring “that girl’s got entirely too many brains to have an ass like that.”
What’d He Wear?
Costume designer Marilyn Vance communicates how cool Wade Garrett is by dressing him almost exclusively in black clothing. Unlike Dalton, whose clothes balance the roomy trends of the late ’80s with trimmer tailoring that flatters Swayze’s physique and also stays contained while fighting, Wade fully embraces the era’s baggy fashions, often dressed in oversized shirts that he wears untucked and only partially buttoned.
He arrives in Jasper wearing a black microfiber long-sleeved camp shirt, styled with a flat loop collar, two flapped chest pockets, button cuffs, and a plain front that he typically wears with only three of the lower smoke-colored buttons fastened.
Wade always wears all-black denim Lee straight-leg jeans, identifiable by the black-on-black “lazy S” stitch across the two back pockets and the branded button atop the zip fly seen when he shows Dalton and Doc the scar over his right hip—a demonstration that also illustrates Wade’s dislike for underwear.
“I’ll show you one I’m real sentimental about, Doc.”
Wade’s worn dark-brown leather plain-toe derby-laced work boots have slightly raised heels that give the 6’2″ Sam Elliott an even more intimidating boost of height.
Wade wears black rectangular-framed wraparound sunglasses, likely the Ray-Ban Balorama model that was introduced in 1967 and established its cinematic badass credits when Clint Eastwood wore them as the titular Inspector Callahan in Dirty Harry (1971). Similar to other ’80s movies like Top Gun (1986), Ray-Bans are ubiquitous in the Road House universe, from Dalton’s black aviators to O’Connor’s gold Shooters.
Wade prefers ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirts, rotating between a light-gray A-shirt under his black microfiber shirt and a plain white one that he wears with a gray shirt and during his final scene atop the Double Deuce’s bar.
The slate-gray long-sleeved shirt is Wade’s sole exception to wearing all-black clothing, though it’s still consistent with the monochromatic scheme. Also fashionably oversized for the period, the shirt has a spread collar, two button-through patch pockets on the chest, button cuffs that he wears undone, and a button-up front placket that he also wears with just the lowest few buttons fastened.
When Wade receives Dalton’s call, he’s working at a bar in New York and sporting a plain tight black cotton T-shirt with very short sleeves, tucked into his black Lee jeans.
Unlike Dalton who wears a wristwatch, Wade only accessorizes with a thick black leather cuff bracelet, secured over his left wrist with two belted straps that each close through a silver-toned single-prong buckle. The bracelet aligns with Wade’s rugged persona, presenting a tough and rebellious aesthetic while also protecting his wrist from the rigors of being a bouncer and a biker.
What to Imbibe
I haven’t spent enough time in Missouri to know if Miller beers are as prevalent as they are for the drinkers in Road House, but the venerable Milwaukee-based brewery certainly has fans among Dalton, Wade, and Doc, with the boys drinking “Champagne of Beers” Miller High Life (4.6% ABV) on the night of Wade’s arrival and still pounding bottles of Miller Genuine Draft (4.7% ABV) over breakfast.
Doc sticks to the 4.2% ABV Miller Lite, perhaps either in consideration of unexpected medical responsibilities that may arise or wary of her caloric intake to maintain the ass that, in Wade’s opinion, defies her considerable brainpower.
How to Get the Look
Sam Elliott in Road House (1989)
Wade Garrett maintains a simple wardrobe of generally all black clothing, still creating a degree of complexity with the microfiber shirting that contrasts just enough with the denim of his straight-leg jeans. His hardy boots, wraparound Baloramas, and leather cuff all serve practical purposes that work well within the context of his work and lifestyle.
- Black microfiber long-sleeved camp shirt with loop collar, plain button-up front, two flapped chest pockets, and button cuffs
- Light-gray ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt
- Black denim Lee zip-fly jeans
- Dark-brown leather plain-toe derby-laced work boots
- Black Ray-Ban Balorama wraparound sunglasses
- Black leather double-strapped cuff bracelet
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Check out the movie.
The Quote
When a man sticks a gun in your face, you got two choices: you can die or you can kill the motherfucker.
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