Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones Movies

Indiana Jones Characters

Indiana Jones Movie Stars

Indiana Jones Origins

Indiana Jones, "Obtainer of Rare Antiquities", is modeled after the strong-jawed heroes of the matinee serials and pulp magazines that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg enjoyed in their childhoods (such as the Republic Pictures serials, and the Doc Savage series). The two friends first discussed the project while in Hawaii during the time of release of the first Star Wars film. Spielberg told Lucas how he wanted to direct a James Bond film. Lucas responded that he had something better than that.
Spielberg wanted Indiana to be a James Bond-like figure that got into difficult situations and worked his way out. George Lucas obtained the services of comic book artist Jim Steranko to design the actual character of Indiana Jones - Steranko presented a number of paintings, which were very faithfully followed by the costume and set designers. Upon requests by Spielberg and Lucas the costume designer was given the task to make the character have a distinctive recognizable silhouette through the style of the hat (much like Dick Tracy). After examining many hats, the designers chose a tall crown hat with a very wide brim, which according to the costumer Deborah Nadoolman was their Australian model. The original fedora for the movie trilogy was constructed by Mr. Swales of Herbert Johnson Hatters in London, England. Although multiple hats were used throughout the movies, the distinctive profile of the fedoras remained the same. Today, the collection of props and clothing from the films, especially the fedora, has become a subculture/hobby for aficionados of the Indiana Jones franchise. Other elements of the outfit include the jacket; the bag, which was a modified World War II gas mask bag; and the whip.
Indy's revolver is usually a World War I era revolver, which changes between the movies. The most famous Indy gun is the Webley Mk VI, which he used in the latest movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In the first movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana carried a .45 ACP Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector 2nd model revolver and a M1917 revolver. He also had a 9mm Browning Hi-Power tucked under his belt in Raiders Tom Selleck was the first choice for the role, but he could not get out of his television series commitment (to Magnum, P.I.) and Spielberg suggested Harrison Ford. Lucas resisted the idea initially since he had already cast the actor in three of his movies (American Graffiti, and the first two installments of the Star Wars series). He did not want Ford to be known as his "Bobby DeNiro", in reference to the fact that Martin Scorsese kept casting that actor in his films. Upon auditioning many other actors, Lucas finally had to admit he needed someone like Ford, a rough, chiseled, flawed hero with a subtle sense of humor, and being that Selleck was not available, he finally broke down and agreed on Ford.
The character was originally named Indiana Smith, but Spielberg disliked the name and Lucas casually suggested "Indiana Jones". The name was thus changed early in the production of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The origin of the name "Indiana" is the same in the real world as in the fiction: It was the name of an Alaskan malamute Lucas had in the 1970s (the same dog was also the inspiration for Chewbacca). His name is also said to be derived from the character "Nevada Smith," played by Steve McQueen in the 1966 film of the same name. Spielberg has also cited the adventures of the Belgian comic character Tintin by Hergé as important inspiration for the style and atmosphere of the adventures of Indiana Jones.

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