Hair Dress Through the Ages (ca. 1950)

This is the most visually hilarious of all John Kieran's films, and its narration is admirably befuddled as well. Great footage of strange hats from the Middle Ages, Elizabethan England, and ancient Egypt; of hairstyles of the Greeks and Romans; and of a caveman combing his matted tresses with a fish skeleton.

A 15-minute program produced from February 1949 to April 1952, Kieran's Kaleidoscope presented its writer and host in his well-acquainted role as the learned and witty guide to the complexities of human knowledge. Like the other films in the "John Kieran's Kaleidoscope" series, it was reworked from a Thirties documentary produced in Germany and relicensed as "alien property" after the war.

Production Company: Almanac Films

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• HAIR
• HATS
• CAVEMEN
• CAVEMAN
• CAVE
• MAN
• MEN
• ANCIENT
• GREECE
• GREEKS
• ROME
• ROMANS
• FASHION
• HISTORY
• MEDIEVAL
• MIDDLE
• AGES
• ELIZABETHAN
• JOHN
• KIERAN
• BONES
• SKELETONS

[Lilim27]

7:10 Beatrice of Portugal, that is one funny hat xD

[QueenWaterLily]

8:19 I dance I dance I dance around the mexican hat

[roxy2190]

7:03 Naaaa nana nanana na naaa Katamari Damacy

[limenlimpidgreen]

I thought it was curious that they did the Holbein hat on a woman, but skipped the french hood.

[kingofderelicts]

@GusF Ha! I see what you did there, with the Van Dyck vs Van Dyke.

Personally, my favorite bit is the expression of the girl with "ringlets". Cracked me up, that.

[GusF]

"No hairdo to speak of."

Actually, I'd call that unkempt chic.

"About the time of Ivanhoe."

Who was fictional. Nice research there, John.

"Many of the pictures by Van Dyke feature the ruff."

Hmm. I don't remember seeing any ruffs in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" or "Mary Poppins".

[koreamy]

OMG-that was AWESOME