Memories of the Bowl Cut

After I wrote my blog entry yesterday, I started reminiscing a bit about my memories of "The Captain and Tennille." My favorite song of theirs was "Butterscotch Castle," which I don't believe was a big hit, and I can't even find the lyrics for it on the internet anywhere. Of course, everyone loved "Muskrat Love" and this hot number, "Love Will Keep Us Together"...

You can watch it here "live" for your own trip down memory lane:
(Hit the "pause" button and let it upload for at least one full minute)

The Captain's synthesizer mini-solo toward the end is really groovy. Also,
is it just me or does Tennille have an overly expressive & malleable mouth
that never seems to close?

However, what really captured my attention on this video (and I think it would awe anyone) is Tennille's helmet-like haircut and its amazing ability to fall right back into its bowl cut shape.

What I want to know is who in the hell came up with this freaky haircut, and why, why, why? In addition, how long did it take to use the curling iron on that thing and then spray it into place? Should we blame Dorothy Hamill, or was she just a victim as well?


Sporting a slightly shorter bowlcut.

The "Dorothy Hamill haircut" was an inspiration for little girls everywhere, but thank god my mother had better judgement than to ever request this dreadful haircut for me. Although my mom stayed clear of it herself through the early 70s, she did succumb to the trend around 1976, when she also dyed her hair "Cher" black and hipped herself out in aviator glasses. My mom was tres chic.

Here she is pre-bowl, showing off a much cooler, short shag cut in 1974:

My dad opted for a stylish feathery look with sideburns.
Luckily I didn't have any hair yet...

Sadly, my mom didn't spare my poor brother, who was stuck with the mega-bowl for at least two years, when he was in first and second grades (1977-78). Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of him at that age to share with you (go figure), but he looked very much like Nicholas on "Eight is Enough":


I don't think my brother's hair curled
under so perfectly though. As I recall,
he had a few cowlicks that screwed up the
perfect bowl shape, causing several chunks
of hair to stick out straight. What a pity...

This haircut really did swoop over the nation with a powerful force, affecting both males and females, adults and children alike. Here are a few more examples:

Evil Cousin Oliver from "The Brady Bunch":

His bowl was rather imperfect as well.

The mom on "One Day at a Time":

Shown here with Valerie Bertenelli, pre-Eddie Van Halen.

Joey Lawrence from "Gimme A Break!":

Whooooaaa...

Janet on "Three's Company":

She sort of combined the bowl with Joan Jett's look.

And finally...

The Band Called "Bread":

"Baby I'm a Want You..." (especially with those
hot hair-dos)