Shaving in the Movies

Ken · Post by **Ken** » Sat May 28, 2005 8:13 am

I just watched "North By Northwest" (1959) on television. There is a scene where Cary Grant, after spending the night hiding in Eva Marie Saint's train compartment, shaves himself at the station with what appears to be a tiny DE razor (hers). Next to him is a guy shaving with a straight edge. The guy looks at Grant and his tiny razor and gives him a "what a wuss" look. Interesting to see somebody shaving with a straight edge in a train station men's room.

Also, I recall seeing a movie a number of years ago--a western, I believe--where the female character is shaving the male character with a straight edge while they hold a conversation. She gives him a complete shave during the scene. I wonder whether anybody remembers the name of the movie.

Any other notable shaving scenes in the movies?

Ken

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Sat May 28, 2005 8:48 am

Opening scene of "The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly", where a band of bounty hunters try to take out Tuco while he is getting a shave...

djmsalem · Post by **djmsalem** » Sat May 28, 2005 11:41 am

And then there's the scene in "At Long Last Love," where Burt Reynolds cuts himself repeatedly while shaving and singing. Ick.

Gramps · Post by **Gramps** » Sat May 28, 2005 11:46 am

I remember Jimmy Stewart in a western (can't remember the name... maybe Winchester '73??) where he was shaving with his Bowie knife.
In the scene an Indian girl was shocked and thought he was skinning himself.
Jimmy's character replied that white men had more hair on their faces and had to shave.

- Gramps

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Sat May 28, 2005 11:55 am

Gramps wrote:I remember Jimmy Stewart in a western (can't remember the name... maybe Winchester '73??) where he was shaving with his Bowie knife.

Well Gramps, we all know where he got that idea from! Tell me at least they gave you some royalties!

Gramps · Post by **Gramps** » Sat May 28, 2005 12:13 pm

LOL Chris!!!

-Gramps

Ken · Post by **Ken** » Sat May 28, 2005 8:44 pm

Todd,

That may well be the movie. I'll have to take a look at it. Thanks.

Ken

ChrisW · Post by **ChrisW** » Sun May 29, 2005 11:13 pm

-There's a scene in The Untouchables where Robert Deniro gets sliced on the cheek by a nervous barber while getting a straight shave.

-In Pitch Black, Vin Diesel shaves his head with a homeade shank and what appears to be crude oil...

-In the beginning of Event Horizon, Sam Neill shaves in his bathroom with a straight razor.

clownjuggles · Post by **clownjuggles** » Mon May 30, 2005 7:41 am

In the Patriot Tom Wilkinson and Jason Issacs are both shaved with straight razors, In the War Wagon Kirk Douglas used a straight razor, In Seven Brides for Seven Brothers there is a great old fashioned do it yourself shop where there were dozens of mugs and brushes and razors and howard keel pays a man to use the facilty to shave off his beard.

p_man · Post by **p_man** » Mon May 30, 2005 1:04 pm

Sean Penn shaves with a straight in Casualties of War, an act that gave me the willies somthing awful the first time I saw it. I think it was the effect of Chekhov's law, just waiting for something to happen with the razor.

If I saw it now, I'd probably run to the computer to compare his technique to Chris' guide....

Dave

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Mon May 30, 2005 4:34 pm

drmoss_ca wrote:Sean Penn? I don't believe he has read the guide. If he would like to buy the print edition, I'm sure I could come up with a suitable gold-plated version to fit his means.....

Chris

A gold-plated version for Sean Penn? He'd probably be better off with the Dr. Seuss version..

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Mon May 30, 2005 7:25 pm

Evening, I'm not much of a movie buff, but there's a fine shaving scene in the early part of Francis Ford Cappola's version of Dracula. The main character is wielding his open razor, and the Count enters the room behind him. He starts, and nicks himself, and well...blood you know...dreadfully fascinating to the Count. BTW, it was John Merchant, the founder of Truefitt & Hill, Chicago, who taught the actor how to realistically, and properly use the razor, in that scene in The Untouchables. Regards, Gordon

p_man · Post by **p_man** » Tue May 31, 2005 7:27 am

It's not really shaving, but there's the rather uncreative use of a straight in Dressed to Kill, in which Brian DePalm does for straights what he later did for power tools in Body Double.

Interestingly, DePalma also directed Casualties of War and The Untouchables. My suggestion: if you ever spend the night in a building with DePalma, bring an M3.

Dave

guenron · Post by **guenron** » Tue May 31, 2005 7:41 am

Chris wrote:Opening scene of "The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly", where a band of bounty hunters try to take out Tuco while he is getting a shave...

Hey Chris,
That particular spaghetti western was a true cinematic tour de force! I remember Eli Wallach coming out with such great lines as:
When you wanna shoot, shoot! Don' talk!

and
I can't while you're watching!

Regards,
Ron

AACJ · Post by **AACJ** » Tue May 31, 2005 11:28 am

Where is this pic from? If you click on the pic, it also has the Today show video.

http://www.coreygreenberg.com/shaving.html

art

clownjuggles · Post by **clownjuggles** » Tue May 31, 2005 11:36 am

That I believe is the clip from north by northwest that is discussed at the top of the page.

AACJ · Post by **AACJ** » Tue May 31, 2005 11:37 am

clownjuggles wrote:That I believe is the clip from north by northwest that is discussed at the top of the page.

That's what I thought.

art

shaveking · Post by **shaveking** » Tue May 31, 2005 2:23 pm

how about robin williams shaving with a de in good morning vietnam and
lee marvin shaving with a sr in the professionals.

pete

growler · Post by **growler** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 1:04 pm

Then of course there's Bob Geldof in "The Wall."

He shaves his entire body, including his chest, with a DE. There's an incredibly painful moment when he slices a nipple practically off. Then he opens the razor, takes out the blade, snaps it in half lengthwise and shaves off his eyebrows (cutting himself there in the process also).

There's the infamous "Un Chien Andalou," by Brunel and Dali, which features a woman getting her eyeball slit with a straight. Stills and video here:

http://www.wayney.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/uca.htm

NOTE: NOT for the squeamish.

Spencer Tracy shaves in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?"

nteeman · Post by **nteeman** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 3:28 pm

Did anyone mention Jack Lemon in Billy Wilder's 'The Apartment'? He shaves with DE while taking care of his boss's mistress, Shirley Maclaine.

SMF

Shaving in the Movies

Shaving in the Movies

The Good, the Bad, and Eli Wallach!