1968 Twenty-five Years Ago

The thing everyone knew about Hair , the counterculture rock musical currently packing them in on Broadway, was that it featured a cathartic display of nudity. It turned out, though, that this popular showstopper was optional for its cast, many of whom changed their minds from night to night about whether to undress. Several women in the cast explained their thinking in the July Esquire . “I want to be a singer, and it might hurt my career,” said Melba Moore. “I’m too fat. . . [and] my husband would object vehemently.” Another nonstripper from the show, Diane Keaton, reported: “There isn’t enough meaning in it for me. And I don’t have the nerve; it’s such a personal thing.”