Hat worn by Jimmy Durante
date: label: date made
content: 1971
name: label: associated person
content: Durante, Jimmy
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: Gray felt hat worn by comedian Jimmy Durante in performances during the final decade of his life. The hat has a black ribbon band with red blue and brown feathers. The hat has a black satin interior with leather band. A felt hat of this type was Durante's signature costume piece, and this hat rested on top of his casket at his funeral.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Jimmy "The Schnoz" Durante (1893-1973) had a career spanning six decades as a comedian, vocalist, pianist, composer, lyricist and band leader. He was famous for his gravelly voice, strong New York accent, and humorous banter full of malapropisms. The son of an immigrant barber from Salerno, Italy, Durante got his start as a ragtime piano player about 1910 in New York nightclubs and at Coney Island. In 1917 he played with the Original New Orleans Jazz Band, one of the earliest bands to play and record jazz in New York. Durante earned a reputation for his humorous stage banter and teamed with Lou Clayton and Eddie Jackson as a song, dance and cross talk three-act in vaudeville and Broadway musicals. He recorded as a band leader in 1920 and as a vocalist starting in 1929; his biggest hit was the 1934 novelty song "Inka Dinka Doo," which became his trademark. At the height of his career in the 1930s and 40s, Durante starred in radio, musical theater, and motion pictures, including a popular series of MGM comedies with Buster Keaton. During the 1950's and 1960's he had his own NBC television program and made frequent guest appearances on television and film. He continued to perform until shortly before his death, including a memorable performance as narrator of the 1969 Rankin Bass animated special <i>Frosty the Snowman</i>.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: general subject association
content: Costume
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
label: See more items in
content: Popular Entertainment
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Jimmy Durante Children's Fund (through Robert Romano)
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1980.0525.01
label: accession number
content: 1980.0525
label: catalog number
content: 1980.0525.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Hat
label: Object Name
content: hat
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: felt (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: satin (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: feathers (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: leather (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 5 in x 11 1/4 in x 10 1/2 in; 12.7 cm x 28.575 cm x 26.67 cm