Royal Dano as Calvin Wiggs in The Trouble With Harry (1955)
Vitals
Royal Dano as Calvin Wiggs, laconic deputy sheriff and antique car restorer
Vermont, Fall 1954
Film: The Trouble with Harry
Release Date: September 30, 1955
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Costume Designer: Edith Head
Background
One of the most outwardly comedic of Alfred Hitchcock’s filmography, The Trouble with Harry remains a fall favorite for its lush autumnal setting in New England, where filming began 70 years ago last month in Craftsbury, Vermont. Of course, the production team was stunned to see that the leaves had already turned by late September and were forced to resort to gluing colorful leaves onto the trees to create the desired atmosphere in the fictional town of “Hightower”.
“It’s as if I had set up a murder alongside a rustling brook and spilled a drop of blood in the clear water,” Hitchcock explained to François Truffaut of his intention behind this setting.
Law is primarily enforced in Hightower by the laconic and literal-minded deputy sheriff Calvin Wiggs, who arguably lacks the sense of humor shared by our protagonists as they spend the better party of a crisp fall day hiding the fresh corpse of Harry Worp to avoid Calvin’s suspicions. Calvin was portrayed by Royal Dano, a 6’2″ character actor born in New York City who nonetheless built his convicning career often playing cowboys and Abraham Lincoln.
What’d He Wear?
Consistent with his martial personality, Calvin Wiggs pulls together an effective fall outfit that consists of many then-contemporary World War II-era military workwear styles. The only piece that diverges from anything mil-spec is his dark-brown felt fedora—then the predominant men’s hat—which is styled with a fading brown grosgrain band.
Calvin’s rich blue chambray shirt echoes the work shirts that had been issued to the U.S. Navy since the early 20th century. Woven from a blue-and-white cotton, Calvin’s shirt has a front placket, button cuffs, and two chest pockets with mitred-corner single-button flaps; he pins his badge to the left pocket. All of the shirt’s buttons are white plastic, echoing the white contrast stitching along its edges and seams. He layers this chambray long-sleeved shirt over a white cotton undershirt with a high crew-neck.
In the decade after A-2 flight jackets rose to iconic status after being worn by American pilots during World War II, leather jackets grew increasingly associated with the extreme sides of the law: young screen rebels like Marlon Brando in The Wild One vs. the growing numbers of motorcycle policemen outfitted in protective leather outerwear. The conservative and cold-humored lawman Calvin Wiggs obviously aligns with the latter character, regularly sporting a cooler-than-he-is leather zip-up jacket made from dark burgundy goatskin.
Calvin’s hip-length jacket blends aspects of moto jackets with military flight jackets, retaining the latter’s shirt-style collar, straight-zip front, and the half-belted back (as seen on the Navy-issued G-1) with buckle-fastened side straps (as seen on the Navy-issued Type 440.) The large patch pockets with swelled borders and vertical side openings are reminiscent of contemporary gabardine windbreakers, complemented by a slanting jetted pocket on the left chest that closes with a brass zipper. The set-in sleeves are finished with wide curved half-cuffs, each decorated with two vestigial burgundy buttons.
Now ubiquitous, khaki slacks were gaining traction through the 1950s as a favorite trouser among returning servicemen who had appreciated their broken-in comfort. Calvin’s khaki flat-front trousers have straight on-seam side pockets, two slim-welted back pockets, and a full fit through the legs down to the plain-hemmed bottoms. They rise high to Royal Dano’s natural waist, where he holds them up with a brown roughout leather belt that closes through a plain silver-toned single-prong buckle.
In addition to serving as deputy sheriff, Calvin often spends his time tinkering with his 1913 Buick tourer.
Calvin’s dark-brown leather derby shoes would have been a dressy option even then, though he wears them casually and clearly hasn’t shied away from allowing them to collect scuff and dirt. These cap-toe shoes are derby-laced through four eyelets, and he wears them with dark-navy ribbed socks.
Calvin wears his steel wristwatch on a brown leather band with the case against the inside of his wrist. This practice has long been associated with the military, said to have developed so that soldiers could avoid their metal watch cases reflecting light and drawing attention.
How to Get the Look
Royal Dano as Calvin Wiggs in The Trouble With Harry (1955)
Calvin Wiggs blends rugged influences from the military and classic workwear to craft his surprisingly timeless look of a leather flight jacket, chambray work shirt, and khakis—topped with a fedora that makes him look like Indiana Jones’ less adventurous kin.
- Dark-burgundy leather goat leather hip-length zip-up jacket with shirt-style collar, slanted zip chest pocket, large patch hip pockets (with vertical side entry), vestigial 2-button cuffs, and half-belted back with buckle-fastened side straps
- Blue-and-white chambray cotton long-sleeved work shirt with front placket, two chest pockets (with single-button flaps), and button cuffs
- White cotton crew-neck undershirt
- Khaki cotton flat-front long-rise trousers with belt loops, straight/on-seam side pockets, slim-welted back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
- Brown roughout leather belt with gold-toned single-prong buckle
- Dark-brown leather cap-toe 4-eyelet derby shoes
- Dark-navy ribbed socks
- Steel wristwatch on brown leather strap
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Check out the movie.
The Quote
Bullets and guns are dangerous. They kill things.
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