new thread
I am sick and tired of society looking down at me because of my beautiful flowing mane of feathered hair. Last night we were watching Andy Griffith and I noticed that not one person in Mayberry had long hair. Not one! Even Aunt Bee kept her gorgeous locks up in a bun. And to add insult to injury, one of the main characters is a barber! The guy is ALWAYS cutting hair, and you how terrifying watching that can be.
I think we should boycott the Andy Griffith show until they either let Goober grow his hair out like a REAL automobile technician, or they just cancel the short haired propaganda show altogether!
relax jacko,
the show is in reruns. it's been canceled for years. actually, for its time the hair ain't that bad. i always enjoyed seeing andy's slickbacked curls. and dodn knott's hair is quite long except in the back. occasionally knott's hair will get mussed and reveal its true length--almost to his chin.
tom
I agree, Tom. The show was a product of its times, and yes, Andy did sport a beautiful, thick, wavy head of hair, and hair that, for the period, was somewhat on the longish side, especially during the early episodes. The irony of actors hair length during the fifties and the sixties is that, even though the crewcut and the flattop were common among regular men in the United States, RARELY did one see that style on an actor, with the possible exceptions of George Gobbel, Tab Hunter, or whoever played Sgt. Carter on GOMER PYLE. Actors usually had modified versions of pompadours, with fuller sides, with little skin showing in the back, compared with the preponderance of buzzcuts we see on actors today. While I like male longhair best of all (and what a beautiful bumper crop appeared on actors' heads during the 1970's!), there were many actors with fantastic hair during the 1940's, the 1950's and the 1960's (check out Burt Lancaster, Guy Madison, Rock Hudson, Desi Arnaz, or Danny Kaye to mention a very few). While they can't be classified as longhairs, they weren't really shorthairs either, and many sported four, maybe five, or even six inches on top. Shoulder-length hair simply wasn't the style then, and, to even the most revolutionary, it hadn't even entered their minds. I, like you, think Andy's hair looked fantastic, and would have loved to spend a vacation playing with it.
Bang on, Scott! Excellent analysis of social hair history.
OM
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there were many actors with fantastic hair during the 1940's, the 1950's and the 1960's (check out Burt Lancaster, Guy Madison, Rock Hudson, Desi Arnaz, or Danny Kaye to mention a very few). While they can't be classified as longhairs, they weren't really shorthairs either, and many sported four, maybe five, or even six inches on top. Shoulder-length hair simply wasn't the style then, and, to even the most revolutionary, it hadn't even entered their minds
i'd add jerry lee lewis to that category. i have read that his hair was at times almost ten inches measured from the forehead if you stretched out the waves. the guy had great hair and really enjoyed displaying it to his admirers. he would begin his performance with his hair combed back in neat and orderly waves. as the music got wilder he would begin to let his head/hair quiver until it began to break loose, by the end of the performance it was always down past his eyes touching his chin.
tom
Yes! Yes! And what about the aforementioned Desi Arnaz, when he would beat his conga drum on an episode of I LOVE LUCY, and he tossed his hair around. Now that was sexy. And, also, seeing that five inches of hair combed from his crown to the back. Lucy once described him on an episode as "Ricky Ricardo, Boy Sheepdog". What fun she must have had!