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Spencer is the kind of guy who likes to have movies on in the background of, well, anything. It could be during work or playing a video game (even when I’m there), there’s usually something playing. Even early on in our friendship as teenage vintage-enthusiasts, I remember coming to Spencer’s house and walking into his little “office,” seeing him noodling on the computer…with some movie going on. And as you might have expected, it was always something with a vintage lean: a Golden Era flick, a moody 70s picture, or something period.   To be clear, it’s not about filling empty air, but that Spencer simply likes to watch movies (and he does remember them). It’s no wonder that he’s been able to burn through so many, whereas I’m incredibly slow with flicks; I prefer to be totally immersed and not doing anything else, which is why I’m best at contemporary releases, as I watch them in the theater. 

One such movie that was on all those years ago was Quiz Show, a 90s-made film set in the 50s about some sort of scandal. I remember Spencer saying that this was a good watch, though I probably just cast it off as his style leaned more 40s/50s during that time (he loved those vertical-design ties). For some reason, I never thought about watching it, even when you consider my steadfast dedication to weekly trivia and love Jeopardy!, whose format of contestants providing the question came about thanks to the scandal uncovered during the events of the film. It wasn’t until after we did An American in Paris that he said, “Hey, remember Quiz Show? Let’s do that next.”  

I was floored by the film. It was incredible and surprisingly jam-packed! Quiz Show covers the 1958 scandal around the game show Twenty-One, following Robert Goodwin as he tries to uncover the conspiracy of the rigged show. We also see the show’s effects on Herb Stemple, the regular (if not annoying) Joe who has been discarded by the producers in favor of clean-cut intellectual Charles Van Doren, who, despite his prim and proper accent and education, struggles with living up to his family name.

The movie certainly does its job as a crime-conspiracy movie, with our boy-scout lawyer going around, compiling evidence and testimony to take down slick Big Wigs who all seem to be one step ahead of him (and certainly well-connected). To my surprise, there was even space to take a break from the legal and gameshow stuff to travel to upstate New York for a picnic luncheon where a father and son trade witty Shakespeare quotes. Quiz Show has it all, using a scandal to explore interpersonal drama between friends and family, with plenty of commentary on morality, the system, media, and culture as a whole. It was damn good!

Of course, there was also the matter of the clothing, which was equally impressive…even if I’m not the biggest fan of this era of clothing. 

Because this movie was set in the late 50s (1958 to be exact), I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the clothing or gain much inspo. That’s mainly because I’m not a huge fan of the post-war Bold Look, as I find it simultaneously flashy and too simple for my tastes. This era features a lot of plain shirts and suits, with a majority of the personality coming from the ties, which eschewed geometrics and foulards for abstract designs that leaned toward the vertical. Let’s not forget how these suits are also a bit odd, featuring slimmer lapels (pointing toward the 60s) but retaining the wide shoulders and chests from the late 40s. Even though the look makes sense for post-war optimism, I still find the sartorial aspects just a bit of an awkward phase, though I do understand why people might find it more fun (and let’s be honest, more casual) than my beloved Apparel Arts period of the late 30s to the early 40s. That being said, I do love the casual 50s style, where bold and louche attire makes more sense (it’s why I do enjoy SFC’s modern-retro take). 

Of course, the attire in this film surprised me. Not just because it was done accurately (and with what seems to be true vintage), but because the movie didn’t simply blanket everyone in stereotypical 50s menswear. This wasn’t a malaise or general vibe of vintage menswear. Because Quiz Show was about following people of different backgrounds and how they interact with each other, it would make sense to have them all have a particular styling choice that would communicate their context and status.  In other words, the film serves as a great case study for the nuances within menswear. What makes it even better is that the movie is quite sartorial: everyone in the film wears a suit and tie (at least most of the time), a narrow playing field for the costume designers to show off their prowess.

I knew I was in for a great time when I got to see a Boston-accented man wearing an OCBD and foulard tie talking to a pretentious car salesman in a vertical-abstract tie (fastened with the overly triangular Windsor knot), white semi-spread collar shirt, and a crisp TV-fold pocket square. Both of these characters were dressed quite 50s, just in different, pointed ways. 

Without a doubt, Kathy O’Rear and her team did an excellent job on dressing this film. With all the variety of details seen in the film (all within the purview of jacket and ties), they clearly took the opportunity to have fun with menswear. I can’t recall a time when I saw this much variety in the tailored looks, though this could simply be that most of the films we’ve covered simply don’t have this many characters to dress, let alone this many who are in a tie for the majority of their screen time. I found myself having a great time taking mental notes of each character’s style quirks; it all added to just how good the film was (nuanced performances and clothing!). 

And so while this film may not have assuaged me on 50s menswear, I will admit that this may very well be the most fun I’ve had in analyzing a movie’s attire. 

It goes without saying that there are many examples of decidedly ‘ 50s attire throughout the film. Big jackets (with medium to narrow lapels), white shirts (with semi-spread collars), and vertical-abstract ties abound on various extras (audiences in the TV studio and Congressional hearings) as well as a few of the major players.  Again, it’s all a far cry from the more “classic” and understated looks of the decade before. This was a booming time for America…and certainly one for Television. 

And so, the bold and fashion-y attitude of 50s suiting is best illustrated by the producers of Twenty-One, Dan Enright and Albert Freedman, who each have a fun, particular style. Freedman seems to be a little dandy, as he favors shirts that feature a club collar with eyelets in order to hold a proper collar bar (not a collar clip or pin); I even think that they’re all horizontally striped. These shirts, along with some fun, decidedly 50s ties, help give character to his neutral suits. 

Enright, by comparison, is much more “trad” as he wears plain suits and white shirts. But unlike the Van Dorens, who I will discuss later, Enright’s attire utilizes some pointed 50s style cues, namely through ties (ties are a quick way to date a look) and his penchant for low V, “pipped” sweater vests. The latter is always fun to see as it is certainly a stereotypical 50s garment, being a sartorial version of say, tie-dye or bell-bottoms. In any case, the use of this “fashion” piece is much better than simply dressing him in a sweater vest to say “wow, look at this vintage style”. (I also want to note that these particular sweaters are reminiscent of the similarly proportioned waistcoats found in black tie, which may be what 50s menswear designers were after.) Today, Enright might be considered a bit too dressy and fussy (though not as much as Freedman), but here, the producer looks quite approachable and “soft” for a slick TV exec, especially when compared to the more streamlined looks that we see on his other colleagues.

I’m mainly referring to Jack Barry, the host of Twenty-One, and Martin Rittenhouse, the head of Geritol, the show’s tonic sponsor. These two gentlemen give us the “future” of menswear, with their minimal and chic styles. They each wear dark, shiny suits (likely mohair or sharkskin), a white shirt, and a solid, satin-esque tie in a slim width. This reserved, formal take on sartorial style certainly makes these characters seem quite important and above the goings-on of the rigged game show and even harkens forward to the streamlined styles in the upcoming 60s.

The only “old” dresser among our corrupt execs is NBC president Robert Kitner, who, like Marty exudes a menacing charisma in his brief appearances. Kitner is dressed in a standard 3-button suit complete with a repp stripe, rectangular bowtie, something that the real-life Kitner was known to do. He’s also the only one in the movie who gets to wear black tie, wearing a shawl collar dinner suit when leaving his office for the day, not before giving Goodwin a particularly confident retort. I guess when you’re that old and powerful, you really can wear (and do) whatever you want. 

Then we have Richard Goodwin, our lawyer protagonist and certified Boy Scout (I could see Kyle Chandler play him), who is determined to take down Television. He is not just our moral compass, but our style compass as well, as his attire is one of the best movie examples of Ivy-trad that I’ve seen (I think Berkely Breathes should suggest more movies!). After all, Goodwin is from Boston (sorry, Brookline) and even graduated top of his class at Harvard! He takes his place as our Ivy-clad Style Hero, perpetually wearing OCBDs (all plain) with a proper roll that is harmonized by his narrow FIH knot neck ties. 

While his ties are all patterned, they differ quite a bit from the fashion-forward cravats and solid silks worn by the fat cats that Goodwin pursues. The Ivy alum’s neckwear is decidedly classic, featuring medallion prints and small-scale paisleys (I particularly like the yellow one he rocks); his compatriots in Charmain Harris’s office all follow suit. These ties simultaneously make Goodwin feel casual (read:  slouchy) and “old school” compared to everyone he encounters, who are either quite flashy or streamlined. Goodwin even looks timeless, as his outfits work for both the 50s and the 90s (which very well may have been the last decade where Ivy-trad styles were still shown on the big screen).  

The only telltale vintage mark in Goodwin’s attire is his sporadic use of tie bars (a pointed mid-century style move) and, obviously, his jackets, which are all cut in the boxy 50s manner.  I even clocked the use of a striped odd jacket (taken from the suit that he wears at the beginning of the film), which was indeed an Ivy quirk throughout the 30s-60s. Very cool for the costume designers to pull that move, though it goes without saying that there really isn’t much in the way of patterned tailoring in this film— the late 50s were stereotypically quite plain. 

Speaking of plain, let’s talk about our intellectual WASP, Charles Van Doren.  He is the Trad to Goodwin’s Ivy, primarily because the cheating intellectual is only seen in solid tailoring: plain shirts, plain ties, and plain suits. This is a guy who wouldn’t wear the gaudy looks typical of the era. After all, good, specific styling is about what people do wear…and what they don’t. 

This doesn’t mean that Van Doren is streamlined and chic like Jack Barry or Geritol’s Martin Rittenhouse, who each don dark suits and shiny ties. No, the not-a-professor instead opts for a country-pointed look befitting of a member of Columbia faculty, notably rocking a light brown, herringbone tweed suit (cut the 50s way), complete with plain white ocbd and black knit tie. While Van Doren does dip into striped ties (ivy!) and suits in navy gabardine and grey flannel (he later goes for an open OCBD and plaid jacket when at home), he still has a bit more posture than the frumpy Goodwin; patterned ties and separates do a lot to make you look casual! I also find it interesting that Van Doren stays true to his rather simple outfits even as he comes into an ill-gotten fortune; you might have expected him to dress a bit more flashy. I guess old Trad habits die hard! 

However, my true style inspo actually lies with the elder Van Doren. Charles’s father Mark has the true country look, thanks to his flecked patch pocket jacket, tattersall OCBD, and diagonal check tie. The latter detail helps plant his attire as “vintage” (a more subdued tie would be quite timeless), but it goes without saying that the period jacket cut does play a part as well. That being said, Mark’s jacket does seem to be a bit “older” (or at least more trad), with its moderate lapels and a 3-roll-2 closure down to a moderate buttoning point. The elder Van Doren dresses down quite nicely, as we see him wear the tattersall shirt (sans tie and jacket) on his birthday and a plain OCBD and cardigan when lounging at home. Mark would be pure Weejawnz fodder if he simply added a cheeky cap or bucket hat. 

A gushing LA Times article published during the movie’s release even notes that Ralph Lauren would have enjoyed the Van Dorens’ style! 

Lastly, we have Herb Stempel, who, despite his grating personality, will certainly serve as the best source of inspo for more contemporary dressers. He’s the most casual out of the main cast, as we see him wear a handful of fun ’50s sport shirts throughout the film. Herb has a vibrant yellow number as well as two patterned ones: an abstract geometric and one with a horizontal block stripe and vertical beads. He even wears one with a flannel checked car coat, evoking even more of a Kramer attitude. These are all the sort of quirky casual pieces that guys strive to buy from vintage stores and what contemporary brands (like SFC) aim to make. There’s also the epic southwestern print robe that he wears at home…worn over a ribbed tank that is tucked into high-waisted retro boxers. 

But like all of the other characters, and 50s men in general, Stempel also wears suits and ties. I particularly enjoyed the red gabardine suit that he wears when “blackmailing” Dan Enright. Boldly colored gab tailoring is something we are definitely missing today! Stempel harmoniously accessorizes his look with a red tie that features the minimal abstract “monogram” that was common in the 50s. I don’t talk about color theory/expression often on these blog posts (I prefer to talk about details), but it’s obvious that Herb is dressed to express emotion:  fury. 

Of course, what intrigued me about Herb’s looks is what he wears during his game show appearances. It’s obviously a suit and tie, but if you look closely, you’ll notice that his garments are of an older era compared to the sartorial attire of the other characters in the film. Herb has on a spearpoint collar (which was used less in the mid 40s onwards in favor of spread/point collars and button-downs), a brocade tie (printed ties mainly took over after the 30s), and the overall dated cut of his suit, which also seems to be a bit too big for him. When we consider the highly produced nature of Twenty-One, as well as Herb’s clearly more contemporary pieces later on, it wouldn’t surprise me if Enright and Freedman intentionally dressed Herb a bit less chic and put together in order to emphasize his everyman-ness.

The power of clothing!

If you haven’t seen Quiz Show, I suggest you do! Again, as much as this film is about good styling (or at least, it features that sort of thing),  it’s also just a well-done, great story about corruption and morality, all with superb performances by the main cast. The film really has everything, shifting back and forth from conspiracy/mystery to an idyllic family drama during its 133-minute runtime. Even when we consider its commentary on media, it never feels like it’s too serious or hamfisted, nor does it feel like it’s too light. And for fans of Heated Rivalry, there’s even some boy-love-charged scenes between Van Doren and Goodwin, a quality that I feel is quite common among many 80s/90s films that feature male friendships.

I know I say this with every film we cover, but I fear that we simply don’t have movies like this anymore. We certainly don’t have movies where everyone in the main cast is in jackets and ties, requiring the costumer to make directed styling decisions to set everyone apart. We need more movies that are a treat for vintage enthusiasts…and those who like to think about Cinematic Dressing.

I guess it’s my mission to cover these things as I come across them— or, more accurately, when Spencer suggests them to me.

– end of blog post – 

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Ethan 

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