In every such scene, shaving cream is used, often spread on way too thick by the inexperienced boy, and the more experienced man (or older teen) pointing it out
Fathers (and other men) are invariably somewhere between amused, sympathetic and nostalgic, often checking the razor and finding no blades; mothers (and other women) usually either mock the boy or are horrified (to be losing their "baby"), the latter exemplified in this poster, seen outside a Glasgow, Scotland barber shop in October, 2008.
The interaction is also used in product advertising.
In the 1930s, the
Childs'
Razor Blade Co. of Jonesboro, Arkansas
claimed that their razor blades
"Leaves Your Face Smooth as a Child's".
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7th Heaven (WB, 1996-2007)
"Life is Too Beautiful", 27 September 1999
After Eric's (Stephen Collins) mild heart attack he has to have complete relaxation at home.
With Matt (Barry Watson) also out of the house at college, Simon (David Gallagher) assumes he is
the 'man of the house', which leads him to start shaving. The house females regard this as silly,
and ridicule him. Shaving becomes one of the show's themes, and the final scene resolves everything
with all three Camden 'men' shaving together. [Click here to share their enjoyment.]
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The Butterfly Revolution [Summer Camp Nightmare] (film, 1986)
Young campers are seen mock-shaving on morning of "camper/counselor
turnabout day", when campers "become" counselors, and vice versa.
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Charles in Charge (CBS, 1984-1985; syndicated [MCA/Universal Television, 1985-1990)
"Meet Grandpa", 3 April 1985
Jason Pembroke (10)(Michael Pearlman) shaves with Charles (Scott Baio).
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The Cosby Show (NBC, 1984-1992)
"Physician of the Year", 17 January 1985
Theo Huxtable (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) has been in the bathroom a long time, then
comes out with his face covered in shaving cream. His dad (Bill Cosby)
playfully mocks him:
Cliff [trying to keep from laughing out loud]: Just promise me you
won't lose the razor in there.
Theo: I put on too much, didn't I?
Cliff: Oh, no. Sometimes I use three to four cans myself.
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The Courtship of Eddie's Father (ABC, 1969-1972)
"Gifts are for Giving", 23 December 1970
Eddie Corbett (Brandon Cruz) feels bad because the Corbetts' houseguest,
Joey Kelly (Jodie Foster) is crying, so he gives her a very special
medallion that his father had recently given to him. While his father,
Tom Corbett (Bill Bixby), is shaving, Eddie explains why he gave away such
a special gift. As Tom is finishing, Eddie "lathers up", then
"shaves" off the lather with his finger.
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The Donna Reed Show (ABC, 1958-1966)
"The Close Shave", 29 Sep 1961
Jeff Stone (Paul Petersen) thinks it's time to start shaving.
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I Love Lucy (CBS, 1951-1958)
"Pilot", 1951; and "The Audition", 19 November 1951
In an interesting variation on the theme explored here, Lucy mimics Ricky's
motions while he is shaving in a mirror. (Note that I Love Lucy had
many, many instances of women stepping into the men's "world", in
episodes where Ethel and Lucy take a job or want to go golfing with the men,
or Lucy wants to go camping with Ricky and Fred, &c.)
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Leave It to Beaver (CBS, 1957-1958; ABC, 1958-1963)
"The Shave", 20 November 1958
Wally Cleaver (Tony Dow) shaves, even though his father, Ward (Hugh Beaumont)
thinks he's too young, and forbids Wally to use his razor. Unknown to Wally,
there's no blade in the razor, yet he asks everyone to feel how smooth his
cheeks are now that he's had a good shave!
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Little House on the Prairie (NBC, 1974-1983)
"Growin' Pains", 9 October 1981
Albert Quinn Ingalls (Matthew Laborteaux) is shaving with his dad, Charles
Ingalls (Michael Landon), and James Cooper Ingalls (Jason Bateman), gets in
front of them at the mirror, trying to comb and part his hair. After dad
leaves, Jason comments to Albert that "it will be so much fun to shave
like you and Pa." James takes the razor, but Albert takes it back,
telling James that it was a present from Pa, and he didn't want anything to
happen to it. Later, James takes the razor out into the barn, and shaves,
enjoying himself thoroughly, until he drops the razor and the cow steps on it
and breaks it.
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Marvin and Tige (film, 1982)
Tige Jackson (11)(Gibran Brown) is despondent after his mother dies, and he goes to
the park one night, intending to commit suicide. Marvin Stewart (John Cassavetes),
an alcoholic with a place to live, but not much else, sees Tige just in time,
and convinces the boy to come home with him. Gradually, they form a very
intense friendship. One morning, Tige is watching intently while Marvin is
shaving, mimicking some of his movements, as they talk about God and race
and people in general. They agree that they see each other no longer as
"a black kid" and "a white man", but as people,
indeed as equals.
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Møv og Funder [aka The Hideaway] (film, 1991)
Møv (Martin, played by Kasper Andersen) is a 12-year-old who deeply misses
his father, when he meets Funder (Allan Winther), a delinquent young man who has
been badly injured, and may be in trouble with the law. Møv is compelled
to help Funder, and gradually becomes attached to the youth whom he allows to
stay in his house without his mother's knowledge. Imitating Funder while shaving
is a central metaphor for the relationship between Møv and Funder in this film,
even being used as the image in its advertisting and home video packaging.
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My Three Sons (ABC, 1960-1965; CBS, 1965-1972)
"Going Steady", 20 December 1962
Robbie Douglas (Don Grady) starts shaving, and Steve Douglas (Fred MacMurray)
realizes he is becoming a man.
"Rough on Dodie", 20 December 1969
Chip Douglas (Stanley Livingston) is shaving, and his younger brother Ernie
Thompson Douglas (Barry Livingston) comes in and starts putting lather all over
his own face. Chip complains that Ernie is using up all his "shaving
soap", and father Steve Douglas (Fred MacMurray) comes in and settles the
matter by giving Ernie some money to buy his own shaving gear.
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The New Leave it to Beaver (Disney Channel, 1985-1986; TBS Superstation, 1986-1989)
"Does Not a Woman Make", 27 October 1986
Preteen Kelly Cleaver (Kaleena Kiff) thinks she wants a training bra, as she
feels she is growing up. Beaver Cleaver (Jerry Mathers) confides in his mother,
June Cleaver (Barbara Billingsley), "I'll take boys anytime. Girls are
always in too big a hurry to grow up." Just then, his son Ward 'Kip'
Cleaver (Kipp Marcus) comes in with his face covered in shaving cream, and
holding an electric (!) razor, asking, "Dad, how do you turn this thing
on?"
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Odongo (film, 1956)
In a bizarre variant, Odongo (Juma), a young teen who lives and works on a
Kenya animal compound, sees resident veterinarian Dr Pamela Muir (Rhonda
Fleming) applying cold cream. She explains that her "mother told her
to do this no matter what the circumstances". Odongo asks to try it
on his face, and Dr Muir agrees, but cautions him not to eat it. He covers
his face with the cream, then starts eating it, and (of course) gets sick.
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Oliver Beene (Fox, 2003-2004)
"Home-a-Loan", 16 March 2003
Oliver Beene (11)(Grant Rosenmeyer) and his brother Ted (14)(Andrew Lawrence)
are alone at home without a babysitter for the first time. Ted asks Oliver,
"What have you always wanted to do?" There follows a series of
vignettes of the brothers indulging themselves, the first of which has them
shaving together. [Click here for illustration.]
"Disposa-Boy", 14 March 2004
We see Ted Beene (Andrew Lawrence) in front of the bathroom mirror shaving.
We hear the narrator (Oliver as an adult) say, "Somewhere around Labor Day,
he sprouted exactly four whiskers."
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One Trick Pony (film, 1980)
Matty Levin (8)(Michael Pearlman), mimics shaving with Jonah (Paul Simon).
[Click here for illustration.]
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The Quiet One (documentary, 1948)
In this story about a school for boys rejected by family and community (New
York City), we see Donald Peters (Donald Thompson) in various settings,
including his dorm at the school. In one scene, he sees one of the counselors
shaving, and goes into the lavatory to watch him, mimicking the movements. The
obvious male bonding of the scene is accented by the man rubbing a bit of
shaving cream on the boy's face.
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A Reason to Live (TV film, 1984)
Alex Stewart (Rick Schroder) and his dad Gus Stewart (Peter Fonda) are
close, but the family is falling apart after Alex's mother, Delores Stewart
(Deidre Hall) announces she wants a divorce. One morning, Alex is outside,
and his father appears at an upstairs window. Without saying a word, Alex
runs inside, to watch his father shave. When Gus finishes, Alex takes the
razor and runs it over his own (dry) face, to be like his dad.
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Round the Twist (Australian Children's Television Foundation, 1989-2001)
"The Nirandathal [sic] Beast", 2000, Season 3 Episode 6
Dad Tony Twist (Andrew S. Gilbert) is shaving with the "family
razor", handed down to him from Granddad Twist who
"liberated" it from a German colonel in World War I. Pete Twist
(Rian McLean) wants to shave, but Dad decides he's not ready yet. While
the others are out, youngest brother Bronson Twist (Mathew Waters) tries
shaving with the razor, then drops and breaks it. He rushes into town on
his bicycle to get Con the barber (Adriano Cortese) to fix it. By the time
Bron gets back home, he's grown a foot-long (red, like his hair) beard. That
evening, on his way back to the barber shop, Bron is sighted by an
hysterical housewife, whose agitated reports start a frenzy in town to
find -- an possibly kill -- the "Nirandathal Beast". Con shaves
off Bron's beard, and Bron asks if he can trust Con not to tell his Dad.
("What, are you mad? I'd never break the sacred pact of barber-client
confidentiality. I'd be de-smocked!") Linda Twist (Ebonnie Masini),
Fiona (Katie Barnes) and Pete are the first to realise that Bronson is the
"Beast", and they take him to the barber, who has finally received
a replacement handle to fix the broken razor. Linda's theory is that
shaving Bron with the repaired razor will solve the problem. It doesn't, so
she comes up with another theory -- that Bron's use of the razor before Pete
has broken the chain, and if Pete shaves, then Bronson gets shaved again, it
will restore normalcy (!). This works, and all is well, until stepmother
Fay (Trudy Hellier) uses the razor to shave her legs. The hair, sticking
out of the legs of her capri pants, attracts the amorous attention of the
real "Nirandathal Beast" watching from the bushes, and the show is
over.
[from IMDb: When Bronson uses the old family razor before he's ready,
it causes him to grow a huge beard. No matter how often he tries to
shave it off, it keeps on growing.]
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Silver Spoons (NBC, 1982-1986; Syndicated, 1986-1987)
"Passports to Pleasure", 15 October 1983
Rick Stratton (Ricky Schroder) shaves to impress girls while he and
Derek Taylor (Jason Bateman) are staying in a Chicago hotel.
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The Simpsons (Fox, 1989-present)
"One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish", 24 January 1991
Homer has eaten blowfish, and thinks he may die in 24 hours. He
wants to give as much as he can to his kids before he "goes", so
he listens (sort of patiently) to Lisa playing her saxophone, and
teaches Bart how to shave. (DVD)
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Step By Step (ABC, 1991-1997)
"Thirteen With a Bullet", 28 January 1994
Mark Foster (Christopher Castile) is turning 13, and he wants to have a
boy-girl party -- with girls! To get ready, he decides to shave (after
posing and flexing in front of the mirror). His stepfather, Frank Lambert
(Patrick Duffy), comes in, realizes what's happening, and tells him that
he's going to get a special razor that his father taught him to shave with.
As always in these scenes, everyone happens by, looks in, and makes
comments, particularly the women (mother and sister). Sister:
"Shave WHAT?" Mark: "My face!"
After the party, Mark is depressed, because the girl he wanted to impress
wasn't, well, impressed. Frank (again) realizes what's happening, and he
offers to go get the special razor again, because he sees the "stubble"
coming in (after less than a day!). Mark says, "OK, but this time,
could we put a blade in it?"
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Totino's Pizza Rolls commercial (c.2014)
In a variation on the theme, here we have a young adolescent who sees
a man with a mustache, then mimics the man's mustache-stroking on his
own (imaginary) mustache. Next, he sees a man with a full beard, and
mimics that man's stroking of his beard. The voiceover makes the
connection: "Don't wait for awesome. Totino's Pizza Rolls get you
there in just 60 seconds!"
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Two and a Half Men (CBS, 2003-2015)
"Taterhead is Our Love Child", 22 September 2008
Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen) sees an old girlfriend after 9 years, with
a boy (Aaron Refvem) of about 8 who looks a lot like Charlie, and whom the former
girlfriend calls "Chuck". Charlie suspects the boy is his son. During a dream
sequence, Charlie and the boy romp through a series of stereotypical father-son
activities, including one in which their faces are smeared with shaving cream,
and Charlie scrapes the cream off the boy's face, as if he were shaving him.
(Some sources credit the "dream boy" as Tyler Shamy, though he was
born in 1991, and would seem to be too old to have played this role.)
The music played under the dream sequence is "People Let Me Tell You 'bout My
Best Friend" (by Nilsson [Harry Nilsson]), the theme song for
The Courtship of Eddie's Father (ABC, 1969-1972; see above).
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The Wonder Years (ABC, 1988-1993)
"Road Trip", 6 March 1991
This episode opens with a flashback look at Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) and his Dad,
Jack (Dan Lauria) enjoying Kevin's childhood, before the awkwardness of adolescence,
in which Kevin needs to assert his role as a "real" person. Among the vignettes that
make up the flashback, Jack and little Kevin share some shaving lather and a (probably
empty) safety razor in a touching, if clichéd, scene.
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You're Only Young Once (film, 1937)
Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) is not yet 16, so his mother won't let him drive,
but he still feels he's old enough to need to shave. His dad, Judge James K.
Hardy (Lewis Stone), sees him in the bathroom lathering up, and, in his usual
benevolent and understanding way, asks, "Is that my shaving brush?"
Andy replies, "I didn't think you'd care." "Not if you need
it," his dad says. "Yeah", Andy notes, "I'm getting
stubble." After Andy finishes lathering (halfway down his chest!),
he takes up the razor, and asks his dad, "Where do you start with
these things?" Dad plays along, and shows him, "Well, over on the
left . . ."