Oliver's

When I was a kid, I remember that the back pages of the T.V. Guide that came with the Dallas Morning News every Sunday is where you found all of the really cheeseball ads for a variety of low rent services. If you wanted a free estimate for vinyl siding for your house or a bottom of the barrel criminal defense attorney, the back of the T.V. guide was the place to look. But an ad I remember distictly was for Oliver's Hair Replacement Inc. Oliver's had a distinctive script logo. And his ad came complete with black and white picture of Oliver himself, before and after his wig was fitted. The mid-70's Oliver had a really low set of chops working and his faux hair was primed and pumped big as if he was bracing himself for a rollicking trip to the Vegas strip.

Once, when I was a kid, my Dad and I saw Oliver himself shopping at a discount store. You'd thought I'd spotted a celebrity.

"Hey Dad. That's Oliver, the hair guy!"

"So it is son. So it is."

This evening, I'm driving down lower Greenville Avenue, home to many of Dallas' swinging hard drinking bars. And I notice that Oliver's home operation is still there. He's still got a little shop wedged in between the Cavern Club and The Beagle. These pictures are the recent photos of the famous Oliver --- the same guy I saw in the discount store when I was eight years old.

As for the T.V. Guide ad class of 1977, I'd suspect that most of the vinyl siding businesses are long bankrupt because vinyl siding went out of fashion during Ronald Reagan's first term. And I'm sure most of the shady criminal defense lawyers whose mugs dotted the back of the T.V. guide have been disbarred.

But Oliver lives on. I'm sort of proud of him.