The Bald and the Beautiful is the seventh episode of Season 3 of the FOX sitcom Married... with Children, as well as the 42nd overall episode in the series. Written by Jules Dennis and Richard Mueller, the episode was directed by John Sgueglia and premiered on FOX on January 8, 1989.
Synopsis[]
Steve thinks he's going bald after he finds a newspaper clipping for an anti-baldness cure given to him by Marcy. He therefore joins a club for bald and balding men, taking Al with him.
Plot[]
To be added.
Cast[]
Regular Cast[]
- Ed O'Neill as Al Bundy
- Katey Sagal as Peggy Bundy
- Christina Applegate as Kelly Bundy
- David Faustino as Bud Bundy
- Amanda Bearse as Marcy Rhoades
- David Garrison as Steve Rhoades
- Buck the dog as Buck Bundy (uncredited)
Guest Stars[]
- Graham Jarvis as Lance
- Henry G. Sanders as Murray
- Jim Maniaci as Jim
- Therese Kablan as Crystal
- Kay Wolf as Amber
Quotes[]
- [Bud and Kelly casually walking into the Bundy living room. They suddenly stop and stare at Al and Steve as they vigorously rub some Dr. Fur into their scalps. The kids look at each other in disbelief before staring at Al and Steve again]
- Bud: [hesitantly] Hey, guys... Whatcha doing?
- Al: We're growing hair, Bud. [he and Steve continue rubbing vigorously]
- Bud: They're growing hair, Kel.
- Kelly: Why? They're old. Who looks at 'em anyway? [walks to the kitchen]
- Bud: Yeah, Dad. I mean, look around you. If hair got you all this, let it go. [follows Kelly behind the couch]
- Steve: Let him laugh, Al. In ten years his head will be as barren as your lawn.
- Bud: [stops in place] What do you mean?
- Steve: Well, Bud, hair is hereditary... So is hair loss.
- Kelly: [comes up behind Bud and puts her hand on his shoulder] So you mean by the time his skin clears up, his hair will be falling out? [becomes noticeably giddy and excited] Oh, Bud! [gives Bud a hug and continues holding him] My poor sexless, hairless brother! I'm so happy for you!
- Bud: [pushes Kelly's arm aside] Dad! What did you have me for, biological experiment? I mean, I was just getting used to being poor and now this!
- Kelly: [puts her hand on his shoulder again] Now, easy, Bud. Stress causes baldness. Who cares if you are bald, you can always make money selling flowers at airports. [smiles] I'll lend you one of my dresses.
- Bud: Yeah. Give me the one that says "Put 'em here, boys."
- Bud: Dad, what am I gonna do? Am I gonna lose just a little like you, or am I gonna be like Mr. Rhoades?
- [Steve's eyes widen upon hearing that, causing him to start rubbing his scalp vigorously again]
- Al: Bud, sit down. [Bud takes a seat next to Al, as he puts his arm around him] I hope that when you become a man, hair won't be important. That a man won't be judged by what he looks on the outside, but who he is on the inside. [pauses, then suddenly changes his tone] But that's not gonna happen, so here you go!
- [Al give Bud the bottle of Dr. Fur and all three of them start massaging their scalps]
- Lance: Which brings me to our thought for tonight. "Hair. How can we stop it?" Now, I admit, that at one time, man might have needed hair. Like in prehistoric times when very large birds flew overhead and hats hadn't been invented. But times have changed. The point is the bald are more evolved, more intelligent and more sophisticated. So next time a hairy child comes up and says, "Hey, let me rub your head for luck," you just tell that child, "That's not what your mother rubbed."
Notes[]
Title[]
- The title of this episode is a reference to the long-running CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.
Trivia[]
- It is revealed that Al and Peggy designated Tuesday night as their sex night.
- When Al flirts with the two blonde women in the shoe store, he tells them that he would still be playing if it wasn't for a bum knee. In later episodes, he mentions that a knee injury is what ended his football glory days at Polk High School.
- Peggy mentions that one of their rules for sex is that they have to keep the lights off.
- Al mentions that he misses playing pool after seeing all the bald guys at the meeting. In season 4's "It's a Bundyful Life (Part 1)", Peggy mentions that Al spent the previous Christmas playing pool with his friends.
Cultural References[]
- After sex, Al turns on the television only to find out that he missed Monday Night Football.
- Monday Night Football is a sports program that does live broadcast of NFL games played on Monday nights during the season. At the time this episode aired, it was shown on ABC, but currently airs on cable channel ESPN.
- When Steve asks if his bald spot is just starting, Al tells him "Well, that's like saying Bette Davis is just starting".
- Bette Davis was an American actress whose career spanned over 50 years beginning in 1930. Davis passed away several months after this episode aired in October 1989.
- When Al starts to list off famous bald people, the men he mention are:
- Benito Mussolini - Italian prime minister who eventually became the fascist dictator of the country in World War II until his execution in 1945.
- Nikita Khrushchev - Soviet politician who was involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis that eventually led to the U.S. placing a trade embargo on Cuba. He would be referenced again later in Season 11's "Requiem for a Chevyweight (Part 1)".
- Lex Luthor - Comic book villain who is the archnemesis of Superman.
- Joseph Merrick - Known as "The Elephant Man" due to his severe deformity. A biography about him was made in 1980 titled The Elephant Man.
- Al mentions to the ladies at the store that he would have on the box of Wheaties if it wasn't for his bum knee. Wheaties is a brand of breakfast cereal that typically features athletes on the front of the box.
- After arriving at the shoe store, Steve tells Al that he had tried to buy Minoxidil from a pharmacy but was told that a prescription was needed to do so and had to resort to a bottle of Dr. Fur.
- Minoxidil is a medication used to treat high blood pressure and hair loss. It is commonly sold as a topical product under the brand name "Rogaine".
- At the time this episode was filmed, minoxidil had just received clearance by the FDA a few months earlier in August 1988. At Steve noted, a doctor's prescription was needed to buy it from a pharmacist at the time, but it eventually became an over-the-counter product starting in 1996. It is now commonly found in the men's hair care section at many stores.
- Marcy tells Peggy that Steve took her to "an Elmer Fudd retrospective" for their date night, referring to the WB cartoon character. Al would later parody Fudd's mannerisms in season 5 "Wabbit Season".
Locations[]
Sets[]
- Bundy Living Room/Kitchen
- Shoe Store Seating Area/ Bald American Dudes' Meeting Hall
Goofs[]
- Al and Steve are using Dr. Fur for growing hair. After using it, Steve says it was recalled. Later in the show, Peg says she is going to the store to buy Dr. Fur because it was the only thing that Buck would eat. If it was recalled, it wouldn't be available to buy at the store anymore.
- At the end of this episode, there is a typo in the credits: "Directed by" is written twice, as it inserted inside the yellow box that contains the director's name in addition to being in their proper place outside the box
External Links[]
The Bald and the Beautiful at the Internet Movie Database- The Bald and the Beautiful on Bundyology
- The Bald and the Beautiful - Final Draft Script on albundy.net
- The Bald and the Beautiful - Transcript on albundy.net
- #44 The Bald and the Beautiful - MWC Podcast on Horrorphilia
