Professional Athletes And Beauty Parlors (Sitcom Joke)

[Markxxx]

I was watching an episode of Leave It To Beaver and Beaver is going to his school’s sports banguet.

June and Ward are talking:

June: Do you think Beaver will grow up to be a professsional athlete

Ward) I doubt it, why?

June) I just can’t picture him running a beauty parlor

OK I don’t get the joke. Anyone know? The episode was from October of 1962 so I am guessing it is something from around that time

[Superdude]

I think it’s more that those are two totally opposite extremes of “manhood.” One’s extremely macho and manly, the other’s a stereotypically gay profession for a male.

[Exapno_Mapcase]

No, it sounds like it’s a joke about some athlete who had just opened a beauty parlor, maybe after he retired.

I can’t find a reference to that in a quick search, but the structure sounds like a topical joke and those have a limited life span.

[MacCat]

Probably that Beaver was known for getting into scrapes, messes and predicaments. Doesn’t go with the fastidiousness associated with beauty parlors of that era.

[Markxxx]

@Exapno_Mapcase

No, it sounds like it’s a joke about some athlete who had just opened a beauty parlor, maybe after he retired.

I can’t find a reference to that in a quick search, but the structure sounds like a topical joke and those have a limited life span.

I was thinking this too, like after Joe Namath posed in pantyhose, there was a rash of similar athletes/pantyhose jokes.

[fiddlesticks]

I’m coming up empty in my Google News Archive searches for that time period. Maybe you misheard?

[Markxxx]

Here is the episode Beaver’s Football Award from YouTube.

Go to 8:00 to hear the exact wording.

June actually says “I just can’t picture him running a beauty parlor”

[Lance_Turbo]

Did you watch the whole episode?

At around the three minute mark it is stated that the former professional athlete that is presenting some of the awards is now part owner of a beauty parlor.

[TriPolar]

@Superdude

I think it’s more that those are two totally opposite extremes of “manhood.” One’s extremely macho and manly, the other’s a stereotypically gay profession for a male.

I think that’s it. Characterizing a man as a hairdresser back then was as far as you could go in alluding to homosexuality back then.

[TriPolar]

@Superdude

I think it’s more that those are two totally opposite extremes of “manhood.” One’s extremely macho and manly, the other’s a stereotypically gay profession for a male.

I think that’s it. Characterizing a man as a hairdresser back then was as far as you could go in alluding to homosexuality back then.

ETA: And I see Lance Turbo watched the episode and picked up the basis for the joke. Still, in TV shows at the time, the intent was clear. A male hairdresser is a man doing woman’s work.

[Markxxx]

@Lance_Turbo

Did you watch the whole episode?

At around the three minute mark it is stated that the former professional athlete that is presenting some of the awards is now part owner of a beauty parlor.

I must’ve missed that part. Thanks mystery solved

[needscoffee]

Thank goodness. Not understanding the jokes in Leave It To Beaver is as bad as not understanding the day’s Family Circus. It could have caused lasting damage.