“The Beautiful Shave” is a short story by Ray Bradbury that has also been known as “The Execution” and “The Shave”. It can be found in the collection Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales. It’s about a barber who has to shave a belligerent and threatening customer. Its basic premise is similar to “Lather and Nothing Else”, and makes for an interesting comparison read. Here’s a summary of “The Beautiful Shave”.
“The Beautiful Shave” Summary
James Malone rides into town firing his guns at the sky. He goes into the Saloon and orders a bottle. The other patrons draw away from him. Malone threatens to shoot everyone if they don’t start talking and laughing. The men oblige him and he drinks.
Malone aggressively pushes through the Saloon doors. The barber shop is across the street. He shoots at a tin can in the street, startling the nearby horses. He reloads and goes inside, kicking the doors open.
The four chairs are full of lathered customers and other men are waiting. Malone tells one of the lathered customers in the chair to get out, threatening him with his gun. The man reluctantly gives up his turn and sits with the waiting men.
Malone laughs and throws himself into the chair. He never has to wait. The barber throws an apron over Malone. The two pistol protrusions are visible to everyone. Malone wants a shave then a haircut. He orders the waiting men to tell jokes.
Malone explains the situation to the barber. He’s had no success panning for gold and he’s in a bad mood. He wants a beautiful shave. If the barber nicks his face, if he draws one little speck of blood, he’s going to shoot him dead. The barber mentions his wife and two children but Malone doesn’t care about any of that.
The barber gets the hot towels ready and puts them on Malone’s face. He applies the hot lather while Malone continues his profanity and threats. The other barbers have almost stopped working amid the tension. Malone orders four of the waiting men to sing.
While the barber strops his razor he confirms some things with the waiting men—that they heard Malone threaten his life and they would swear to this in court. They nod silently. Malone orders him to stop the nonsense and get to work.
Satisfied that everyone understands, the barber tilts Malone’s head back and puts the razor against his throat. This is where he’ll start.
I hope this summary of “The Beautiful Shave” by Ray Bradbury was helpful.
