| A short stable jacket or shell jacket-type tunic used in the 1936 Michael Curtiz/Warner Brothers film production of The Charge of the Light Brigade which starred Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Donald Crisp, Patrick Knowles Nigel Bruce and David Niven. This style of tunic was worn by the fictional 27th Lancers during the first part of the film which takes place along India's Northwest Frontier prior to the Crimean War. The lancers wear blue dress uniforms in the second half of the film which takes place in the Crimea. This tunic would have originally had twisted gold shoulder cords and most likely King's Crown general service buttons but these were removed/replaced when the tunic was re-used in another later production. These same tunics were re-used during the filming of John Wayne's 1960 production of The Alamo where they were used as part of the costumes for Mexican militia troops. This may have been when the shoulder cords and British general service button were removed and replaced. These same tunics may have been used in the filming of King of the Khyber Rifles (1953) that starred Tyrone Power and Bengal Brigade (1956) that starred Rock Hudson. Movie/Film Costume Mary Dery, Henry Taylor and Henry West - Wardrobe (Gunga Din) Produced by Western Costume Company originally for Warner Brothers (Gunga Din) Re-used by The Alamo Co./Batjac Productions (The Alamo) Hollywood, California, United States c. 1936 |
