History Main / TheBarber

!This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16883920830.62076500 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1barbers.jpg]]

Back in some small towns in the old West, the barber was the only person who had experience handling a very sharp knife (and the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barber#History association between barbers and surgeons]] [[TruthInTelevision goes back centuries]].) The town might not be big enough to have a physician, so in addition to cutting your hair and shaving you, he might also do some "minor" surgeries, or any major ones where you either didn't have enough time to get to a real doctor, or would probably die from the rigors of the trip. Sometimes was also the mortician since he had to shave the corpses, too. This type of Barber might show up in a "realist fantasy" that has done the research.

In fictional Westerns however Barbers are used primarily as sources of gossip, and a local gathering place for men outside of the Saloon. Expect the villain to show up and demand a shave before he confronts TheHero, thus allowing the Barber to send a warning to TheSheriff. Occasionally can be reversed.

By ancient tradition, the Barber tends to be friendly and talkative, often taking advantage of having a captive audience who can't reply because they've either got a hot towel on their face or a cutthroat razor at their throat. This means a character's visit to the barber can lead to chit-chat and the delivery of {{Exposition}}.

Both in RealLife and in stories set in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the barbershop was also a place where men could [[TrojanGauntlet discreetly buy unmentionable items such as condoms]] and [[{{UsefulNotes/Pornography}} pornographic]] [[EveryoneLooksSexierIfFrench French postcards]]. After the haircut or shave, the barberwould coyly and euphemistically ask "Something for the weekend sir?" Getting condoms from a male barber was less embarrassing than going to a pharmacy.

See also ChattyHairdresser.

----
!!Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime & Manga]]
* In ''Manga/DoctorSlump'', this is Kurikinton Soramame's job, though he's not very good at it.
* Part Three of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' has a barber named Khan, who's a largely normal person... until he accidentally unsheathes [[EvilWeapon Anubis]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* In ''ComicBook/JudgeColt'', Jesse Smith is Fort Smith's barber, and part-tine bailiff in Colt's courtroom.
* Jolyon Wagg from ''ComicBook/{{Tintin}}'' has a barber uncle. [[MotorMouth That would explain where he got it from...]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* Gunther the barber in ''ComicStrip/{{Curtis}}'' is basically a male ChattyHairdresser.
* Although he's never seen, [[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} Charlie Brown]]'s dad is a barber.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* Barber Smurf in ''Fanfic/EmpathTheLuckiestSmurf'', who like his cartoon counterpart has a limited clientele of customers to work with (in this case, including Duncan [=McSmurf=], the adapted version of Gutsy from ''Film/TheSmurfs'' live-action film series). He is mostly seen with fellow Smurf Sweepy and Tapper {{the bartender}}.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
* ''Film/AgainstAllFlags'': While chained to the auction block in the town square, Hawke receives a shave from Krukshank, the town barber. As talkative as any WildWest barber, Krukshank plays MrExposition and provides Hawke with plenty of details about Diego Suarez. Krukshank is also the town's surgeon and executioner, but confides that is barbering he enjoys the most.
* ''Film/TheGunfighter'' uses the barbershop first as a place for TheGunfighterWannabe to learn that TheGunslinger has come into town. The barber then warns TheSheriff, allowing him to intervene.
* In ''Film/KnifeForTheLadies'', Orville is not only the [[{{Undertaker}} town undertaker]], he is also the town barber, with his funeral parlour being located at the rear of his barbershop. However, unlike most {{Western}} barbers, he is a dour, taciturn individual.
* In ''Film/LustForGold'', the timid town barber has to endure a fraught confrontation between Walz and Pete when they both come to his store at the same time. He then spends some time dodging Walz's awkward questions about who Pete is.
* Creator/BillyBobThornton's character in Creator/TheCoenBrothers' ''Film/TheManWhoWasntThere2001'' is a subversion of the stereotypically friendly, chatty barber: he's a simple, [[DullSurprise dull fellow]] who leads a life of quiet desperation that abruptly gets loud.
* In ''Film/RanchoNotorious'', Vern gets a haircut from a typically loquacious western barber while searching for clues to Chuck-a-Luck's location.
* The eponymous ''Film/SweeneyTodd'' is this by trade, serial killer by inclination and practice.
* Documentary ''Film/ATimeForBurning'' has Ernie Chambers, a barber and black radical and civil rights activist who delivers some unvarnished home truths to reformist white minister Rev. Youngdahl ("Your laws are a farce") while cutting hair the whole time.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* "The Tale Of The Barber" in the ''Literature/ArabianNights'', in which a barber tells several stories about his family and chatters endlessly while swearing up and down that he is a man of few but wise words, despite his penchant for chatter and meddling only causing trouble wherever he goes. The end result (depending on the translation) is hilarious.
* Little Benjamin in Henry Fielding's ''Literature/TheHistoryOfTomJonesAFoundling''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* While more of the "chatty captor" than the "surgeon on the side" type, ''Series/TheAndyGriffithShow'' had Floyd the Barber, [[ShoutOut referenced]] in the opening song for ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}!''
* In ''Series/TheArmandoIannucciShows'', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY6UngkXdjg Armando's barber]] is definitely more of a Chatty ''Barber'' than a ChattyHairdresser, nonetheless his chattiness is excessive.
* The townsfolk of Colorado Springs, Colorado relied on their barber for all their medical needs until ''Series/DrQuinnMedicineWoman'' came to town -- and for quite a while afterwards too, [[StayInTheKitchen since they didn't hold no truck with wimmin doin doctorin]].
* Starting with the Candy Store series, some later ''[[Series/TheGospelBillShow Gospel Bill]]'' videos (a Christian [[TheWildWest Western]] series) introduce a barber [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep called "Lefty"]]. True to form, he doubles as an undertaker.
* ''Series/ElGranJuegoDeLaOca'' had a space with a crazy barber named Flequi, where the contestants had to answer three questions to avoid getting a TraumaticHaircut, the third of which was always [[UnwinnableByDesign impossible to answer.]]
* FrontierDoctor Doc Coogan doubles as the town's barber in ''Series/HecRamsey''. While he is as talkative as the average barber, he is much better at medicine than at barbering.
* Archie Campbell's barber on ''Series/HeeHaw'' was a similar character.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''. The crew of the starship Enterprise have to [[ChattyHairdresser suffer the attentions of the talkative]] Mr Mott, who ironically enough is Bolian, an alien species with no hair on their head at all.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radio]]
* The chatterbox style of barber appears in an episode of ''Radio/TheSixShooter'' RadioDrama delivering an info dump on the goings-on in the town as the hero Britt Ponsett (Creator/JamesStewart) struggles to get a word in edgeways.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
** Magazine/{{Dragon}} had an article with a Barber prestige class for 3.0 edition. It was notable primarily for being one of the single most useless prestige classes ever published in a canon book- its "best" ability allowed you to cast a weakened version of ''Charm Person'' on someone once per day after spending at least a minute in hands-on contact with them (in other words, giving them a haircut or some similar activity).
** This was an update of a rogue kit from the 2nd edition ''TabletopGame/AlQadim'' setting. The problem is that, while barbers are an essential part of the ''Arabian Nights'', they don't actually make for good ''adventurers'' in the same way as Corsairs or Holy Slayers.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/ManOfLaMancha'', which actually features a journeyman barber who still loves the sound of his own voice.
* [[Theatre/TheBarberOfSeville Figaro, The Barber of Seville]].
* ''Theatre/ShearMadness'', an interactive whodunit play, features a flamboyant hairdresser as one of the characters and suspects. Whether or not that character turns out to be the murderer depends on the audience's vote, of course.
* ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'' is a zig-zagged case. Decades prior to the story, Benjamin Barker was a friendly, well-liked town barber, easily fitting the trope. He returns from exile a brooding, sullen man, though depending on the version he remains friendly and talented enough to ensure a stream of satisfied customers and victims. The musical version of the Demon Barber plays up his OddFriendship with his partner in crime and landlord Mrs. Lovett, [[AffablyEvil gleefully plotting]] their crime spree.
** ''Film/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'' (2007) largely does away with the trope, in favor of playing up [[Creator/JohnnyDepp this Sweeney]] as a melancholy, withdrawn force of vengence to match [[Creator/TimBurton the tone of the film.]] Here, the Demon Barber remains introverted and meticulous, rarely talking with other characters, while they have one-sided conversations near him, instead preferring to talk to his razors. He only really breaks this reverie before brutally murdering somebody plot-relevant.
** In [[Film/BBCSweeneyTodd the 2006 [=BBC=] version]], one of his customers remarks—as a compliment—that Sweeney Todd's barbershop is "the quietest in London", appreciating that he's not "chittering on like the rest of 'em".
** In his cameo in ''Literature/{{Dodger}}'', it's mentioned that someone had obviously told him a barber is ''supposed'' to maintain some light chatter, but had failed to realise just how bad the PTSD-driven Sweeney would be at it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Webcomics]]
* In the Western arc of ''Webcomic/ArthurKingOfTimeAndSpace'', old Doc Merlin is the town medic and barber, seen giving Arthur a shave as they discuss replacing his office table with one of those big round spools telegraph wire comes on.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Played with in the Transformation Story Saga aptly titled ''Literature/TheBarber''; the main character not only takes care of his customers' hair, but also of their physical wellbeing... by making them become somebody else (always a very attractive, gay man).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'' has Cousin Fred, a parody of ''Theatre/SweeneyTodd'' that while equally creepy and psychotic merely has an obsession with cutting hair (in excess) rather than throats.
* ''WesternAnimation/HeckleAndJeckle'' are old West barbers in the cartoon "Hair Cut-Ups," where they give outlaw Dangerous Dan the onceover.
* Doctor Barber from ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelousMisadventuresOfFlapjack'', who also dabbles in WeirdScience.
** He's also a Candyologist.
* ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales'': In ''Minesota Cuke and the Search For Sampson's Hairbrush'', when Cuke goes to Seville, Spain, looking for the titular brush, hitting up two Italian barbers for information.
* Barber Smurf in ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'', though he has a rather limited clientele as few Smurfs in the village have hair.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Real Life]]
* In the early 1900s, the London Rubber Company "usually supplied condoms to barbers, rather than chemists because of the social stigma that surrounded the product. Most men were much more comfortable buying a condom from another man, rather than a female shop assistant in a chemist." [[note]] https://londonist.com/london/history/london-s-lost-industries-condoms [[/note]]
* This "Medieval-style" hairdresser from Spain can give you a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IBZ1PxmOAw smoking hot haircut]], literally.
[[/folder]]
----

Both in RealLife and in stories set in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the barbershop was also a place where men could [[TrojanGauntlet discreetly buy unmentionable items such as condoms]] and [[{{UsefulNotes/Pornography}} pornographic]] [[EveryoneLooksSexierIfFrench French postcards]]. After the haircut or shave, the barberwould coyly snd euphemistically ask "Something for the weekend sir?"

* In the early 1900s, the London Rubber Company "usually supplied condoms to barbers, rather than chemists because of the social stigma that surrounded the product. Most men were much more comfortable buying a condom from another man, rather than a female shop assistant in a chemist."

Both in RealLife and in stories set in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the barbershop was also a place where men could [[TrojanGauntlet discreetly buy unmentionable items such as condoms]] and [[{{UsefulNotes/Pornography}} pornographic]] [[EveryoneLooksSexierIfFrench French postcards]]. After the haircut or shave, the barberwould coyly ask "Something for the weekend sir?"

Both in RealLife and in stories set in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the barbershop was also a place where men could [[TrojanGauntlet discreetly buy unmentionable items such as condoms]] and [[{{UsefulNotes/Pornography}} pornographic]] [[EveryoneLooksSexierIfFrench French postcards]].

Both in RealLife and in stories set in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the barbershop was also a place where men could discreetly buy unmentionable items such as condoms and [[{{UsefulNotes/Pornography}} pornographic]] [[EveryoneLooksSexierIfFrench French postcards]].

Both in RealLife and in stories set in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the barbershop was also a place where men could discreetly buy unmentionable items such as condoms and [[{{Pornography}} pornographic]] [[EveryoneLooksSexierIfFrench French postcards]].

Both in RealLife and in stories set in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the barbershop was also a place where men could discreetly buy unmentionable items such as condoms and [[{{Pornography}}
pornographic]] [[EveryoneLooks SexierIfFrench French postcards]].

Both in RealLife and in stories set in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the barbershop was also a place where men could discreetly buy unmentionable items such as condoms and pornographic French postcards.

Back in some small towns in the old west, the barber was the only person who had experience handling a very sharp knife (and the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barber#History association between barbers and surgeons]] [[TruthInTelevision goes back centuries]].) The town might not be big enough to have a physician, so in addition to cutting your hair and shaving you, he might also do some "minor" surgeries, or any major ones where you either didn't have enough time to get to a real doctor, or would probably die from the rigors of the trip. Sometimes was also the mortician since he had to shave the corpses, too. This type of Barber might show up in a "realist fantasy" that has done the research.

In fictional Westerns however Barbers are used primarily as sources of gossip, and a local gathering place outside of the Saloon. Expect the villain to show up and demand a shave before he confronts TheHero, thus allowing the Barber to send a warning to TheSheriff. Occasionally can be reversed.

By ancient tradition, the Barber tends to be extremely talkative, often taking advantage of having a captive audience who can't reply because they've either got a hot towel on their face or a cutthroat razor at their throat.

* In ''ComicBook/JudgeColt'', Jesse Smith is Fort Smith's barber, and part-tine bailiff in Colt's courtroom.

[[folder:Film]]
* Creator/BillyBobThornton's character in Creator/TheCoenBrothers' ''Film/TheManWhoWasntThere2001'' is a subversion of the stereotypically friendly, chatty barber: he's a simple, [[DullSurprise dull fellow]] who leads a life of quiet desperation that abruptly gets loud.

* Documentary ''Film/ATimeForBurning'' has Ernie Chambers, a barber and black radical and civil rights activist who delivers some unvarnished home truths to reformist white minister Rev. Youngdahl ("Your laws are a farce") while cutting hair the whole time.
* The eponymous ''Film/SweeneyTodd'' is this by trade, serial killer by inclination and practice.
* In ''Film/RanchoNotorious'', Vern gets a haircut from a typically loquacious western barber while searching for clues to Chuck-a-Luck's location.
* In ''Film/LustForGold'', the timid town barber has to endure a fraught confrontation between Walz and Pete when they both come to his store at the same time. He then spends some time dodging Walz's awkward questions about who Pete is.

* ''Film/AgainstAllFlags'': While chained to the auction block in the town square, Hawke receives a shave from Krukshank, the town barber. As talkative as any WildWest barber, Krukshank plays MrExposition and provides Hawke with plenty of details about Diego Suarez. Krukshank is also the town's surgeon and executioner, but confides that is barbering he enjoys the most.

* Archie Campbell's barber on ''Series/HeeHaw'' was a similar character.
* The townsfolk of Colorado Springs, Colorado relied on their barber for all their medical needs until ''Series/DrQuinnMedicineWoman'' came to town -- and for quite a while afterwards too, [[StayInTheKitchen since they didn't hold no truck with wimmin doin doctorin]].

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''. The crew of the starship Enterprise have to [[ChattyHairdresser suffer the attentions of the talkative]] Mr Mott, who ironically enough is Bolian, an alien species with no hair on their head at all.

** This was an update of a rogue kit from the 2nd edition ''TabletopGame/AlQadim'' setting. The problem is that, while barbers are an essential part of the ''Arabian Nights'', they don't actually make for good ''adventurers'' in the same way as Corsars or Holy Slayers.

* ''Shear Madness'', an interactive whodunit play, features a flamboyant hairdresser as one of the characters and suspects. Whether or not that character turns out to be the murderer depends on the audience's vote, of course.

* In ''[[WesternAnimation/VeggieTales Minesota Cuke and the Search For Sampson's Hairbrush]]'', when Cuke goes to Seville, Spain, looking for the titular brush, hitting up two Italian barbers for information.

* WesternAnimation/HeckleAndJeckle are old West barbers in the cartoon "Hair Cut-Ups," where they give outlaw Dangerous Dan the onceover.

[[folder: Webcomics]]
* In the Western arc of ''Webcomic/ArthurKingOfTimeAndSpace'', old Doc Merlin is the town medic and barber, seen giving Arthur a shave as they discuss replacing his office table with one of those big round spools telegraph wire comes on.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Played with in the Transformation Story Saga aptly titled ''Literature/TheBarber''; the main character not only takes care of his customers' hair, but also of their physical wellbeing... by making them become somebody else (always a very attractive, gay man).
[[/folder]]

* Magazine/{{Dragon}} had an article with a Barber prestige class for ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' 3.0 edition. It was notable primarily for being one of the single most useless prestige classes ever published in a canon book- its "best" ability allowed you to cast a weakened version of ''Charm Person'' on someone once per day after spending at least a minute in hands-on contact with them (in other words, giving them a haircut or some similar activity).

* In ''Film/KnifeForTheLadies'', Orville is not only the [[Undertaker town undertaker]], he is also the town barber, with his funeral parlour being located at the rear of his barbershop. However, unlike most {{Western}} barbers, he is a dour, taciturn individual.

* In ''Film/KnifeForTheLadies'', Orville is not only the [[TheUndertaker town undertaker]], he is also the town barber, with his funeral parlour being located at the rear of his barbershop. However, unlike most {{Western}} barbers, he is a dour, taciturn individual.

[[folder:Comics]]
* Gunther the barber in ''ComicStrip/{{Curtis}}'' is basically a male ChattyHairdresser.

* Jolyon Wagg from ''ComicBook/{{Tintin}}'' has a barber uncle. [[MotorMouth That would explain where he got it from...]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* Barber Smurf in ''Fanfic/EmpathTheLuckiestSmurf'', who like his cartoon counterpart has a limited clientele of customers to work with (in this case, including Duncan [=McSmurf=], the adapted version of Gutsy from ''Film/TheSmurfs'' live-action film series). He is mostly seen with fellow Smurf Sweepy and Tapper {{the bartender}}.

* In ''[[WesternAnimation/VeggieTales Minesota Cuke and the Search For Sampson's Hairbrush]]'', when Cuke goes to Seville, Italy looking for the titular brush, guess who he hits up for information?