BLACK HATS, COWBOYS IN THE

villains or bad guys. In early black-and-white American cowboy movies, the hero always wore a white hat while the villain always wore a black hat. Audiences knew that whenever they saw a cowboy in a black hat he was one of the bad guys. —Academy Level 0 Glossary Approved 3- 12-90

villains or bad guys. The term comes from early black-and-white American cowboy movies, in which the hero always wore a white hat while the villain always wore a black hat. Audiences knew that whenever they saw a cowboy in a black hat he was one of the bad guys.villains or bad guys. In early black-and-white American cowboy movies, the hero always wore a white hat while the villain always wore a black hat. Audiences knew that whenever they saw a cowboy in a black hat he was one of the bad guys. And that gives you the difference between the cowboys in the white hats and the cowboys in the black hats, see? -The Itsa Line (cont.) (21 Aug. 63)